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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Tiger Men's Hoops Nips Davidson in Overtime Thriller; Aims to Earn National Respect in Clash at No. 5 Duke
By Bill Alden
After the Princeton University men's basketball team essentially went through the motions in its win over Loyola on New Year's Eve, Tiger head coach Joe Scott blasted his players for only giving him 15 good minutes. Last Sunday, the Tigers gave Scott a lot more than 15 good minutes as they outlasted Davidson 70-68 in a double overtime thriller before 3,396 at Jadwin Gym.
A hoarse Scott certainly appreciated the effort he got from his charges as they prevailed on an afternoon when they shot 39.5 percent from the field and were outrebounded 39-25.
"I'm happy with how we responded to not being happy with our last game," said Scott, whose team improved to an 8-4 record.
"I think this was our best game of the season from the standpoint of how we are going to have to play to win. I thought our defense was terrific to hold them to three 3-point shots. We had a collective understanding of what we had to do to stop that team. I thought our offense was terrific. We moved the ball well and we weren't settling for threes. We just didn't shoot the ball real well."
Princeton's players, though, showed their coach more than crisp execution as they battled past the gritty, fundamentally sound Wildcats.
"To be down 56-51 in overtime and tie that game up shows a little bit of the guts we do possess," asserted Scott in reflecting on the tense game that was tied ten times in regulation. "I just want us to keep developing that because if we can shoot the ball with those kind of guts, a game like this isn't going to have to come down to double overtime."
The Tigers displayed a special fortitude in prevailing against a Davidson team that had toppled Missouri earlier in the season. With 44 seconds left in regulation, Princeton found itself down 46-45. Tiger senior center Judson Wallace then coolly drained four free throws to give the Tigers a 49-46 lead. After Davidson tied the score at 49-49 on a three-point play by Kenny Grant, the Tigers seemingly won the game as a 25-foot bomb by Scott Greenman found the bottom of the net at the buzzer.
The officials, however, ruled that the shot had come after time had expired and waved off the basket, sending the game into overtime. The Wildcats forged ahead 56-51 with 1:48 left and it appeared that Princeton was on life support. The Tigers went on a 5-0 run as Greenman hit a clutch three-pointer and Wallace scored on a put-back to force a second overtime.
In the second overtime, Princeton built a 66-60 lead with 2:22 left but Davidson fought back to 69-68 with seven seconds left. After Greenman hit one free throw but missed a second attempt, the Wildcats got the ball back with 5.1 seconds remaining. A steal by Andre Logan at the top of the key clinched the game for the Tigers.
In beating Davidson, who got eight points from former Hun School star Matt McKillop, the Tigers had to reach deep into their reserve of character as they fought on after senior star Will Venable fouled out early in the first overtime.
Venable, who had 15 points, five rebounds and three steals on the day, was impressed by how his teammates responded after his exit.
"I'm really proud of our team," asserted the co-captain from San Rafael, Calif. "It was definitely a team effort. It was the first time we've been able to put a solid effort together for 50 minutes which is unbelievable considering we haven't done it for 40 minutes. Everyone contributed and made plays."
Wallace made a lot of those big plays as he scored a game-high 22 points and snared a career-high 14 rebounds.
Scott was thrilled with how the 6'10 center hit the glass down the stretch. "I know about the 22 points but what I care about are those rebounds," asserted Scott, who also got 12 points from Greenman with Luke Owings adding 10 off the bench.
"Those are the kind of rebounds where everybody in the arena saw No. 30. They saw the big numbers and the two hands up in the air."
Wallace's performance, which also included hitting 15-of-17 free throws, was even more impressive considering that he played with four fouls for the last 12:58 of the game with the Wildcats desperately trying to goad him into fouling out.
"I think he was more disciplined down the stretch," said Scott, referring to Wallace's ability to avoid fouling out.
"He knew that it doesn't matter what that guy does to you, banging you in the back or whatever. He was tougher with that kind of mentality down the stretch."
Wallace realized that he had to be careful in order to stay on the floor and earn the plaudits of his demanding coach. "I knew that I had four fouls and they were calling a pretty tight game," recalled a smiling Wallace.
"I was conscious of running through the lane and keeping my hands up. For Coach Scott to give me credit for mental discipline is unbelievable. That makes my day."
The Tigers will need to exert plenty of mental discipline this Wednesday as they head down to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. to face undefeated and fifth-ranked Duke.
"There's one thing you've got to handle with them and that's their pressure," explained Scott, referring to the match-up with the 9-0 Blue Devils.
"We have a lot of plays within our offense to handle that pressure. We're going to zero in on those five or six things. We can't let them score quickly and then we have to be able to control the game with our offense. Then the game will be the way we want it. We'll go from there and see who is going to make some plays."
Wallace, for his part, believes the Tigers are up to the challenge. "Every game is important but we talk amongst our team about getting chances against some of these big conference teams," said Wallace, who had seven points and six rebounds when Princeton fell 69-51 at Duke last season.
"We're 0-4 with our chances this year against UTEP, Wyoming, Syracuse and Temple. This is our last chance so everybody is chomping at the bit. When we go to bed tonight, everybody will be thinking about the Duke game and how important it is that we show that we are a respectable team nationally."
If the Tigers can produce a special 40 good minutes Wednesday, they will certainly earn a great deal of respect across the nation.
