Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Zach Finley, Kareem Maddox & Ian Hummer:
All Princeton wanted was to get to Saturday with a puncher's chance.
Eclipsed by Jeremy Lin's story and Cornell's rise to the Top 25, the Tigers have won 12 of 13 about as quietly as a basketball team can.
The Big Red's shocking loss at The Palestra on Friday night combined with the Tigers' defense-driven rally over Columbia up the road has changed the complexion of tomorrow night's title fight.
To reach this position as the only remaining unblemished Ivy team, Princeton had to shut down the Lions for the last 13:00+ of the second half, allowing just one meaningful field goal as they reversed a four point deficit with an 18-2 run.
"I'm proud that we took a couple punches but we didn't fall down, we didn't stumble," said Tiger head man Sydney Johnson. "We just kind of cleared our head and got back to doing what we do. It was pretty effective."
With 13:19 left in game, Princeton’s switching defense missed an assignment, leaving Brian Barbour for a rare wide open three point shot on the right wing that sent Columbia up 37-33.
When Columbia next found the bottom of the basket 12 minutes later, they trailed by 12 and the result was secured.
Kareem Maddox was a big reason why the Lions had trouble scoring, chasing leading scorer Noruwa Agho all around the arc and into the lane. Agho, number three in the nation in three point percentage before Friday night, shot 4-17 - with his only three coming after the outcome was decided. Maddox recorded three blocks, all of Agho.
A humble Maddox deflected the credit for shutting Agho down. "I think we did a pretty good job as a team. I don't think it was all me by any means," Maddox said. "[Columbia] have some plays that they run and we went over them - stuck to the scouting report and we bothered them a little bit."
Zach Finley (5-5 from the floor, 10 points) and Ian Hummer (11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals) provided the lift off the bench. Both helped Princeton find consistency on offense before Douglas Davis came around.
When Davis came around, he came around - scoring five points in the final :41 of the first half and finishing with a team high 15.
With turnovers on their first three possessions and six in the opening eight minutes, Princeton fell behind 12-3. When the Tigers were able to hold onto the basketball, Columbia's varied defensive schemes and three quarter court pressure caused the Tigers to go into their offense late in the shot clock and possessions ended with off-balance jumpers taken by fourth or fifth scoring options.
As soon as Princeton played 1-3-1 on defense for the first time, Columbia lobbed the ball back and forth up top over Davis' outstretched reach before Barbour could find space on the right wing for three.
"I think as much as anything they just brought a lot of intensity and a good gameplan," Johnson observed. "I think our guys just did a tremendous job in responding."
Finley keyed the response, entering the lineup with 13:51 to go and jumpstarting the Tiger offense.
Dan Mavraides drove and scooped between two defenders to cut the lead down to seven, but Agho canned a long two with Mavraides right in his face.
A posting Hummer spotted Finley for a layup and after Hummer deflected and controlled a Brian Grimes entry pass, Hummer found Finley a second time down low - waiting for a double team and passing to the other side of the block for the easy layup. Columbia coach Joe Jones called a quick time out.
John Daniels' putback made it a 16-9 score and while Marcus Schroeder found Finley inside, he could not score as Kevin Bulger fouled him. Finley was short on both his free throws and Mark Cisco took the lead up to nine for the first time when he reversed under the basket.
Kareem Maddox foolishly drove from the wing, trying to force the issue and picked up the obvious player control foul as the Columbia defender just had to wait for Maddox's oncoming contact.
Schroeder lost the ball to Barbour, who pushed two-on-one to Bulger for the reverse and Columbia extended their advantage to 20-9 with 7:03 to go.
Trailing by the same margin two minutes later after a Niko Scott layup off glass over Finley, Douglas Davis was long on a three. Hummer's first tip spun around and out but the second banked home.
Finley extended his left arm far away from his man and went off the glass to cut it down to seven and when Schroder went inside to Hummer the lead has been reduced to 22-17.
Hummer took a charge from Brian Grimes on the defensive end and Finley blew past Max Craig to his left and scored as he was bodied to make it a one possession game, Finley falling to the ground and bouncing off the basket suspension's padding. Finley's free throw was short for the third straight time.
Agho's baseline push with 1:41 showing put Columbia up five.
Schroeder's errant three was slapped out by Finley and Princeton called time to set up on offense.
Schroeder passed on another try from outside, dishing to Davis up top for his first basket of the contest, which drew the Tigers back within two.
Mavraides fouled Agho after he fired up a three from the left wing and Agho made all three of his chances with :06.9 on the clock.
Schroeder inbounded to Davis, who got a lane to accelerate down the left sideline and veered inside the arc to his right, tripped by Matt Johnson. Davis converted both ends of his one-and-one and the Tigers were fortunate to trail by just a 27-24 score at the break.
After a half where Columbia led throughout, Johnson made a rare change to his lineup when play resumed. Instead of the same starting five, Patrick Saunders and Pawel Buczak remained on the bench in place of Hummer and Finley.
Finley did not realize he was unguarded from behind in the left post and passed across his body to the perimeter instead of turning and scoring, with Agho stepping in front to steal.
A loose ball out of Craig's hands bounced free of his reach and Finley dove past the 7'0" Craig to try and control. Finley could not come up with it and Craig dove to the basket while Finley was on the ground, dunking with two hands after receiving a pass from Bulger.
Davis answered with a quick left wing three to make it 29-27, as Finley noticed him from the free throw line.
Craig got deep position on Finley and was fouled, making one of two free throws.
Hummer put too much oomph on a pass to Schroeder inside, which sailed out of bounds. At the other side of Jadwin, Agho drove and left the ball to Craig for a second dunk.
Davis' third three from the top of the arc made it a 32-30 game, but Daniels went baseline and found Craig for the easy layup. Craig scored Columbia's first seven points of the half.
A Hummer jumper was blocked back in his face by Mark Cisco, but Finley raced down the floor to step in front of Scott's pass for a surprise steal. Hummer was still coming down the court, took the advance pass and soared above for a lay-in.
Schroeder passed to Hummer down the left baseline and he was fouled by Cisco, splitting a pair at the line.
Barbour's three made it 37-33 and it was time for the clamps to be placed on tight.
Maddox blocked an Agho shot inside and Grimes' wild follow ended up with Mavraides. Davis' step back two brought Princeton within a pair.
"[Kareem's] length certainly bothers people. He's starting to get it and it is certainly helping our team," Johnson remarked. "We always go into each game thinking about team defense and how we can help each other - I definitely want to highlight him but I thought as a unit we were pretty good.
Hummer absorbed a charge from Grimes, flopping over with gusto as Grimes bodied into him down low.
Mavraides observed Maddox slipping inside from the free throw line and two Maddox free throws pulled Princeton even for the first time since the scoreboard was turned on.
Craig spun on Buczak, but his bank did not convert. A Davis jumper just inside the arc put the Tigers up for the first time, 39-37 with 9:41 showing.
Maddox blocked Agho again, but Davis could not connec in the paint.
Buczak's curl pass to a cutting Hummer was laid home on the reverse and the lead doubled. Johnson called a time out to set the plan for the rest of the night.
In addition to keeping Columbia scoreless, the Tigers controlled the offensive glass. Davis drove, found Maddox for a jump hook that bounded off the rim and Hummer slid in to tip the ball home.
Craig made one of two at the line to stop the 10-0 run, but it was a temporary bandage. Maddox went left into the center of the lane, got Blaise Staab in the air with a pump fake and put up a shot bouncing back towards midcourt as contact occurred. The ball kissed the front rim and fell true as Maddox pumped his fist. Maddox's free throw was off target and the Tigers were up 45-38 with 5:09 showing.
Agho was fouled by Davis reaching in as he went left, but he too could only make one of two.
Schroeder split the defense to Finley for a baseline push that Hummer cleaned up off glass.
Bulger missed a jumper and Maddox drove into the lane and scored over Cisco to take the lead up to 49-39 with 3:22 to go as Columbia called time.
Needing to prolong the game, the Lions were forced to foul Schroeder with 1:47 left and he made both ends of the one-and-one.
The only verdict still in the balance was the outcome of Cornell's game with Penn. Princeton public address announcer Bill Bromberg provided an endless number of score updates throughout the second half, something the Princeton players and coaches took notice of, even if they didn't want to.
"I really was about to go over and ask him to stop announcing that," Finley said after the game with a chuckle. "It's kind of hard. Obviously, we care about what's going on over in Philadelphia, but we were playing a game and trying to focus on that."
Agho finally hit from deep, his quick jumper curling off a hand off screen drawing Columbia within nine.
Maddox was fouled and hit both tries.
Even though the shot clock was not close to expiring, for some reason Scott tried a double clutch turnaround three point shot off an offensive rebound from a good 28 feet away. The ball banked home with a thud, rewarding this bad decision.
By this point there were just 21 seconds showing and two Mavraides free throws finished the scoring.
Fittingly, Finley picked up a loose ball off a Bulger drive for the steal that wrapped up the play-by-play.
Stellar defense down the stretch and an unexpected win by their biggest rival had given Princeton the opportunity to turn that puncher's chance into a knockout blow as 6-1 Cornell comes to town looking up at the 5-0 Tigers in the Ivy standings.
Notes:
-Princeton shot 19-37 for the game (51.4%), 4-10 from three (40.0%) - 2-5 in each half - and 13-19 at the free throw line (68.4%) after starting 2-5. The Tigers hit 55.6% of their field goals in the second half.
-Columbia went 16-47 (34.0%), 4-9 (44.4%) and 9-14 (64.3%) from these same locations. The Lions were 6-27 from the floor (22.2%) after intermission.
-The Tigers won the battle of the boards 31-25 and are now outrebounding their opponents for the season 569 to 567. Princeton had a 22-12 advantage on the glass in the second half.
-Ian Hummer was +16 off the bench in 35:33 of play.
-29 of Princeton's 55 points came from their substitutes. Three different Tiger starters did not record a field goal. Saunders, Buczak and Schroeder combined to shoot 0-6, with Schroeder's two free throws amounting for all of their points.
-While Columbia was 6-18 on layups and tips, Princeton was a stellar 11-12.
-Princeton's 18 turnovers were the most by a Tiger team since a decade-worse 27 miscues versus Army earlier this season.
