Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Postgame audio - Ian Hummer & Pawel Buczak:
Letdown to shutdown.
After a uninspired first half rightfully put Princeton down 21-19 on the road at Dartmouth, a stellar defensive performance was the spark.
The Tigers outscored the Big Green 35-15 before the benches emptied, on their way to their largest margin of victory in Hanover since 1998.
"You have to bring your energy and focus every time out," said Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson. "I did think that missing a few chippies and some threes let us settle into a funk and thankfully we were able to get out of that at halftime."
One night after limiting Harvard to 36.0% shooting, Dartmouth connected at a similar 36.4% clip.
Ian Hummer scored a team-best 11 off the bench and while Kareem Maddox did not have the same impact in the scoring column that he did one night previous versus Harvard, he did grab nine boards, hand out three assists and block two shots. The length of both players caused Dartmouth fits once Princeton’s defensive adjustments limited the Big Green’s drives.
"We knew coming out of halftime that we had to play with more energy and be more aggressive," said senior center Pawel Buczak, who scored seven points after the break. "Once we started out quickly in the second half it just kept going."
Robbie Pride’s 10 led Dartmouth in defeat.
The environment in Leede Arena was nothing like the loud, standing room only experience the Tigers survived on Friday. This evening they were playing in front of a junior high traveling team, a handful of locals, Patrick Saunders' extended friends and family and rows upon rows of empty bleachers.
Douglas Davis picked up a steal, drove and was fouled by Ronnie Dixon, making both free throws to start the scoring.
Pride ripped the ball out of Buczak's hands in the lane and drove the other way to tie the score.
Buczak fed a cutting Saunders who passed out to Mavraides behind the arc to make it a 5-2 Tiger lead.
A pass by Saunders for Davis sailed out of bounds for a backcourt violation and Jabari Trotter made it a one point game when he pulled up for a long two.
Leading 7-6, Hummer and Maddox entered for the first time with 12:54 to go in the half. Immediately Mavraides found a cutting Hummer behind a screen for a quick layup.
"I just try to come off the bench as much as possible to just give that spark for the team," a breathless Hummer said after the game. "Make the first bucket here and there. Make a defensive play. Whatever it is."
R.J. Griffin faked a three and stepped inside the line for a long deuce.
Maddox's righty drive and high-arcing finish made it 11-8, but Matt LaBove slipped inside for a layup, found by Josh Riddle.
Dartmouth wasn't exactly lighting up the gym with stellar shooting, but they made enough baskets to stay within one possession.
Hummer got deep position and spun left for a basket, which was answered by Pride's push in the lane.
Pride caught and shot from outside, but was off the mark. The ball came to David Rufful and Dartmouth reset on offense. An unchecked Mbiyimoh Ghogomu sneaked under the basket and Trotter found him for the easy layup to put the Big Green up one.
Hummer answered down low, bumping his man twice and then stepping under for the nifty layup.
Clive Weeden went at Buczak inside, somehow throwing up a shot that danced around the rim and dropped.
Mavraides dribbled on the perimeter and passed along to Schroeder stepping into a deep three that made it 18-16 Tigers with 6:25 left.
Maddox found Hummer at point blank range but Hummer's easiest shot to that point came up short off the glass.
Dixon drove and floated one home to even the score.
Davis was short on a three, but Mavraides saved the ball loudly off the hardwood to Buczak. The possession ended when Mavraides came up short on the open outside look.
David Rufful sized Dartmouth's first three of the game over Saunders. In a half with only 40 combined points, this basket felt like it was worth several times its face value. The Big Green led 21-18.
Schroeder missed a three and Rufful could not connect on a jumper.
Hummer on the baseline left the ball for Buczak who was fouled on the way up by Rufful. It was just the third personal foul of a swift-paced first half. Buczak made one of two to draw Princeton within two.
A miss by Dixon came to a sprinting Davis on the break. Davis dished to his left to Hummer in a sprint but again Hummer left the ball short. It never got over the rim and Riddle rebounded. Instead of tied, Princeton trailed by two at intermission.
While the Tigers had allowed just 21 points, they were permitting too much Dartmouth penetration and only pressured the Big Green into one first half turnover. Princeton shot 36.8% and was 2-9 (22.2%) from outside. Dartmouth got seven more field goal tries, but hit 38.5% in the opening frame. The Big Green went 1-2 outside and did not try a free throw.
"We were a little bit flat," was how Johnson described the first half. "There was some stuff at the rim that we could have finished a little bit stronger."
Only the coaching staff and players know what was said in the locker room. A 20 minute malaise was followed by a healthy start to the second half.
Rufful could not score baseline over Schroeder and Mavraides rebounded.
Princeton went inside to go outside. Buczak made the right decision at the right time, going around the lane and out to Davis camping in front of him for three, Davis' first field goal of the game.
Weeden tied the score with one of two free throws, but the Tigers went up for good when Buczak spun away from Weeden and scored off the glass while being fouled.
Schroeder made another play that is fun to describe, especially because it won't be in your box score. A pass to Rufful bounded away from him and Schroeder dove for the loose ball. In the process, Schroeder's prone body made it impossible for Rufful to collect the fumble and Mavraides swooped in to control, driving and dishing to Davis for a short bank to make it 27-22.
Pride scooped off glass for two. At the other end Schroeder was off target on a three but Davis outworked two Dartmouth players for the ball inside and was fouled going back up, converting both free throws.
Maddox found Buczak slipping inside and the lead had reached seven.
Against some full court pressure, the ball went over the top to Maddox on the three point arc, who spotted a blazing Hummer streaking for the alley oop clutch off the backboard.
Ghogomu's lefty push in the paint made it a 32-26 game.
With 10:56 to go Davis popped for a three off an inbounds play that was short, but Hummer was the recipient of a deflection and went back up, fouled by Griffin.
Hummer's first free throw was a line drive that came up short and the second was also off target, but Maddox rebounded and the Princeton bench called time when Maddox was surrounded.
When play resumed Schroeder pulled up for a three on the left wing and the lead had extended to 37-28.
A long Pride jumper over Mavraides was followed by Hummer fouled inside and this time the freshman made both his chances.
Hummer blocked a shot as the shot clock expired to give the ball back to Princeton.
Mavraides' three was off, but Buczak tipped the ball up and laid it home.
Maddox continued to make his presence felt. He blocked a Pride jumper and controlled it. He bothered LaBove on the baseline and saved a loose ball to Buczak.
When Dixon knocked over Mavraides on the arc, it put Princeton in the bonus and Mavraides hit both his chances to take the lead up to 43-30 with 5:32 to unfold.
Rufful hit a three to draw within 10 and after Hummer made one of two at the line Rufful banked a triple home while drifting to his left.
Up eight, Schroeder considered a left wing three, then passed to Mavraides in the far corner. And when I say far corner, I mean shooting from behind the backboard. Mavraides bent his shot around the obstruction and sent Princeton up 47-36.
Mavraides stole the ball and a split second before a tie up could be whistled, Schroeder called time while Princeton still had possession. Instead of giving the ball back, Hummer at the free throw line found Maddox on the left block and he dunked with two hands over Riddle.
"I know when Kareem is out there I can throw the ball wherever and he'll get it," Hummer said about his fellow forward. "When my man goes by me I know he is going to get a block. He's doing a great job rebounding for us. Being out there with him, we cause a lot of problems."
Schroeder's third three of the affair, a high arcing rainbow, made it 52-36 and Zach Finley ended this 19 minute run with two free throws that sealed the deal and saw nine of the 10 players on the floor sub out for the night.
"That's just good basketball," Johnson said about the way his team's defense drove its offense. "Teams that are very good defensively have a chance to be in games and to win games. Once our flow kind of came back on the offensive end we were able to pull away."
The Princeton bus could pull away from Hanover with a perfect 4-0 record in New England this season.
Notes:
-Princeton finished 17-40 from the floor (42.5%), improving to 47.6% from the floor in the second half. The Tigers were 6-19 outside (31.6%), 4-10 after the break. They got to the line 19 times, making 14 (73.7%).
-Against the Big Green, Princeton was 8-12 on layups, tips and dunks.
-Dartmouth shot 16-44 for the game (36.4%), 3-4 outside (75.0%) and 3-4 at the line (75.0%). The Big Green had eight of their nine turnovers in the second half.
-Dominating the rebounding 33-21, Princeton now has four fewer total rebounds (538) than their opponents (542) for the season. The Tigers outrebounded Dartmouth 18-8 in the second half.
-Saturday was the first time Schroeder made at least three treys since last season's 58-44 loss at Columbia.
-The game was played at a season-low pace of 53.
