TAKING HIS SHOT: Princeton University men’s basketball player Steven Cook goes to the hoop in recent action. Last Friday, junior forward Cook scored 23 points to help Princeton defeat Columbia 88-83. A night later, Cook chipped in 11 points as the Tigers topped Cornell 74-60 in improving to 20-5 overall and 10-1 Ivy League, keeping pace with league frontrunner Yale (20-6 overall, 11-1 Ivy). Princeton plays at Harvard on March 4 and at Dartmouth on March 5 before hosting Penn on March 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

As the Princeton University men’s basketball team hit the court to warm up for a critical clash against visiting Columbia last Friday evening, the players sported orange Nike T-shirts emblazoned with the message “Make Shots.”

The shirts were also distributed to the student fans, leaving one corner of Jadwin Gym a sea of orange.

That message became the theme of the night as Princeton hit on 31-of-49 shots for a season-high 63.3 percent from the floor on the way to an 88-83 victory over the Lions before a crowd of 3,121.

Junior Steven Cook, who led the way with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, saw the sharp-shooting as a product of the team’s depth and balance.

“I think the thing about our team is that a different guy can do it every night,” said Cook.

“It was Devin (Cannady) and a few other guys at Columbia the first time around. We are so deep and we have so many different guys that can beat anybody so we have to take what is given to us. I don’t think it was anything in particular. We prepare in the same way just about every game. Sometimes it comes my way, sometimes it comes other people’s way.”

Cook hit one of the crucial shots of the night, draining a three-pointer from the corner as the shot clock neared zero to give Princeton a 78-71 lead with 2:08 remaining in regulation.

“I just saw the shot clock running down so I knew I had to get it up there and it ended up going in,” recalled Cook.

“It was a good shot. I thought a few of us made some good shots; that was a big one.”

The Tigers had to make a number of big plays down the stretch as Columbia went on a 6-0 run to whittle a 73-63 Princeton lead to 75-71.

“It comes down to talking, we were getting together every opportunity to talk about matchups, to talk about the three-point line because we knew that could hurt us,” said Cook.

“We wanted to try to avoid fouling so it was just talking about that and getting together with the coach.”

While Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson was getting uneasy as Columbia made its late surge, he was confident that the Tigers would pull out the win.

“I was very concerned, they were very close,” said Henderson. “We needed our timeouts because we were playing small. We haven’t played small that much. We got a string of really good looks and our shooting numbers from three were very good. I liked the looks we were getting.”

Cook’s clutch three helped give Princeton the cushion it needed to hold off Columbia.

“That was a huge shot,” said Henderson. “They were scoring on every possession, we were up 10 and it was down to four. It is just the way things go. It was a huge shot, we have been able to make some big plays this season.”

Reflecting on his team’s sizzling shooting, Henderson said it was a huge factor in the team’s triumph.

“You have got to make shots, we had those shirts made for a reason tonight,” said Henderson with a grin.

“I thought the guys shot with confidence. They were looking for each other. So when they are looking for each other, you tend to know it is going to come your way and you are ready to shoot. I thought the timing was good. I think when the first one goes in, by Spencer (Weisz), then the second one tends to go in. It is right there.”

Freshman Myles Stephens showed the right stuff off the bench scoring 15 points and getting two rebounds in 26 minutes of action.

“Each game is just a little bit better for Myles, which is what we have asked him to do,” said Henderson, whose team won its game on Saturday, beating Cornell 74-60 in improving to 20-5 overall and 10-1 Ivy League, keeping pace with league frontrunner Yale (20-6 overall, 11-1 Ivy).

“Myles is developing into an elite defender in the league; he knows it is the focus and attention to detail that is the next step.”

After seeing his squad pulling out an overtime thriller at Columbia on February 13 by the same 88-83 margin, Henderson likes the way his team has focused on getting better.

“We had good shots and we just told our guys, we are going to get good shots,” said Henderson, whose club plays at Harvard on March 4 and at Dartmouth on March 5 before hosting Penn on March 8.

“Steve has been working hard, those guys have been working hard week to week and they are not satisfied and it is a rare thing. It is just rare, I feel like I am along for the ride.”

Cook, for his part, believes that working at home helped the Tigers to overcome Columbia.

“When we play at home, like coach says, our cuts are a little bit faster, we sleep in our own bed, we are just a little bit more comfortable at home so maybe that was it,” said Cook of the Tigers, who are now 12-0 this season in home games.

“Maybe it was just a good night for us and a bad night for Columbia. We found a way to win tonight.”