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Cornell 48 Princeton 45.

Box Score : HD Box Score

Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Zach Finley & Douglas Davis:

Douglas Davis’ tying try from the top of the arc sailed beyond his target at the horn and Cornell gutted out a 48-45 win over Princeton to move back into a first place tie atop the Ivy League.

"I let it go and it felt a little long but I knew it was on line. I needed the backboard [for] it to go in," Davis said of one of his few second half misses. "I was praying that it would go in somehow, some type of way, but it didn't."

Ryan Wittman’s catch and shoot three with 1:38 remaining - his only triple of the night - looked like it had iced the game for the Big Red and silenced the packed house at Jadwin Gym, sending Cornell up 44-38, but Davis scored the Tigers’ last 11 points, putting them in the position to force overtime.

David finished with a game-high 20 on 6-10 shooting.

Wittman had 13 for Cornell and fellow senior Jeff Foote added 11 inside, perfect from the field.

"I thought it was a terrific basketball game. It was pretty physical. There was a fair amount of stuff going out there that wasn't smooth and pretty but I thought it was pretty intensely played," Princeton coach Sydney Johnson summarized. "I thought these guys really put their heart out. I was really happy with the effort of our team and certainly they should feel good about their effort. It's just a shame we couldn't win the game."

The biggest crowd to see a game in Princeton since a 2004 tilt versus Penn witnessed Cornell score on their first four possessions and take an early 8-0 lead.

Jeff Foote converted thrice, showing a soft touch over Tiger center Pawel Buczak, who was unable to body the 7'0" Foote away as he backed in.

Dan Mavraides' pump fake on the left wing got Chris Wroblewski to sail past him and Mavraides spotted up with 16:55 left in the half to finally put the Tigers on the board.

A deuce by Davis on the left baseline drew Princeton within three, but Alex Tyler's push over Zach Finley brought the lead back up to 10-5.

Mavraides' diagonal feed to Finley was banked home after a pump take and following a pass by Wittman through Tyler's hands, Mavraides took a handoff screen from Finley and evened the score from outside with 14:47 to go.

Cornell responded with eight straight a second time. Wittman drove and went glass. Patrick Saunders was pressured by Cornell's Jon Jaques and lost the ball over the sideline. Louis Dale turned the corner and scored before Kareem Maddox could block his shot, his only basket in seven tries.

Up six, a foul on Foote at the 11:12 mark that should really have been awarded to Tyler gave the Cornell center two personals and he was done for the half. Mavraides found Buczak inside and while Buczak could not convert the whistle came on his second chance. Foote took three shots in the 2:47 but did not have another field goal try until 14:35 into the second half.

Buczak missed both free throws.

A jumper by Tyler bounced in with one on the shot clock to rebuild Cornell's eight point edge with 8:18 showing.

Saunders' high arcing left corner three over the extended arms of Mark Coury inched the Tigers within five.

Wittman pulled up on the left elbow and drew Davis' second personal when he posted the diminutive guard. Coury dove to the hole and laid in a Wittman pass to extend the lead to 22-13 with 5:18 left.

Driven by a wild crowd, the Tigers made a push before the break. Finley was too strong off the glass on a cut, but Saunders rebounded and was fouled by Dale, making both free throws.

Mavraides went coast to coast after picking up a Tyler turnover and when Dale slipped on the arc, Marcus Schroeder pulled up for a long two that made it a one possession game. Cornell called time with 2:11 showing.

Wittman drove with the ball on his right hip and scored, but Maddox answered for Princeton inside. It was Maddox's only basket of the game, as he struggled mightily to a 1-9 tune.

Dale's three was short and the Tigers held for the final shot. Maddox posted and dribbled away from the block towards the free throw line, his shot blocked by Tyler.

Twenty minutes in and Cornell - eighth in the nation in threes made and shooting over 40% from deep this season - did not have a long jumper. The Big Red were 13th in the nation in assists per game and handed out but two in the first half.

Still, Cornell had the three point lead. The Tigers shot 8-21 from the floor (38.1%) and were outrebounded 16-9.

Saunders' runner was off the mark and following an offensive board by Buczak, a Mavraides pass was tracked down by Dale in the backcourt, outracing Davis for possession. Wroblewski connected from outside and the Cornell lead was doubled.

Saunders put back a Mavraides finger roll as it came off the iron and after Wittman's jumper bounded away, Davis' wild baseline jumper with the shot clock expiring somehow curved through the cylinder.

It was clear that the message at halftime in the Princeton locker room involved being more physical with Foote and bodying him further from the basket after he caught an entry pass. Foote threw a pass out of bounds when he could not get by Buczak.

Buczak faked a hand off screen to Davis and Davis curled into the paint, fouled by Tyler as he tried to spin the ball off glass. Both free throws were good and the score was tied.

Mavraides, who went scoreless in the second half, could not connect on an open triple with 15:44 to go and when play resumed Dale drove and was fouled by Saunders.

Dale, an 83.3% free throw shooter this season, was off on his first try but made the second to kick Cornell up 28-27.

Mavraides attacked the paint and dished to Davis setting up on the left wing for three, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game. Princeton called time to settle down, 14:23 left to unfold.

Wroblewski drove at Finley off glass to even the score and Tyler spun into the paint on an inbounds for a short jumper that made it 32-30.

"It just seemed like a couple of things that they did were a little too easy," Johnson said. "There were some drives that were right at the rim and that's not something that we allow too often."

Mavraides exploded into the lane for a lefty soar, but he was too strong off glass. Davis tried to control but the ball eventually came to Dale.

Davis came up with a loose ball after collecting a Wittman jumper and threaded the needle between two defenders for a lefty bounce pass that Hummer caught in stride and placed home.

Misses from Dale and Wroblewski were sandwiched between a wide open three try from Schroeder that did not connect.

Hummer stepped in front of a pass by Dale to Foote inside and Maddox controlled. With the shot clock running down Maddox had to force it up inside over Foote and Foote rebounded, calling time before he could be tied up.

Wroblewski drove into the lane and Finley answered inside with a reverse, found by Hummer out of a double team. The score was tied for the fifth time, 34-34.

Foote's first field goal attempt of the second half game came with 5:25 showing. He backed into Finley and soared above a block try, scoring while the whistle blew. Foote's free throw hit the back iron, bounced high enough to kiss the top of the backboard and fell in.

Hummer found Finley inside again, but Finley's shot and subsequent tip were no good and Finley picked up a personal during a loose ball.

A magnificent Foote jumper, spinning away from Buczak to the left baseline and scoring in one fluid motion made it 39-34 Cornell with 3:55 left and it looked like the defensive struggle was leaning towards the Big Red.

With a possession running out of time, Davis' step back crossover three over Dale gave the Tigers life.

Tyler missed inside and Schroeder rebounded in front of Foote, fouled on the play. Schroeder and Tyler both received technical fouls for bumping/jawing after play had stopped. It was Princeton ball with a chance to pull even when play resumed.

Davis spun by Dale and into the lane, but was whistled for a surprising carry. The ball went back to Cornell.

Wittman got inside the arc and was on the mark from the free throw line.

This time Davis spun by Dale again and was fouled by Wroblewski as he stepped into the lane. Davis had made 14 straight free throws, and had not missed since the exam break, but was off on his second try at the line. Cornell led 41-38 with under two minutes to go.

The Tigers had chased Big Red leading scorer and expert marksman Ryan Wittman all over Jadwin Gym. Wittman finally got a top of the key patented catch and shoot dagger with a smidge of space and he doubled the Big Red lead.

Inbounding with seven on the shot clock, the ball went inside to Hummer. He might have lost the ball going up. He might have been trying to muscle the ball outside. Either way the bounce came to Davis, who had a fraction of a second to hurl up a three that sailed through the net to make it 44-41 with a minute left.

There was a 12 second difference between the game clock and the shot clock, so Princeton had time to wait for the ball to get to Foote, whom Buczak fouled. Free throws are Foote's biggest weakness. He had made just 55% of his tries this year. His attempt was no good, rebounded by Hummer.

Instead of going for the tie, Davis pulled up from a step inside the arc and his silky jumper cut it to 44-43 Cornell.

Schroeder and Mavraides trapped Dale in the corner on the inbounds and the senior guard made both sides of his one and one.

Instead of going for the tie, Davis brought the ball up, darted into the lane, was bodied, regained possession and was fouled by Dale trying to get the ball up to the rim.

Davis made both free throws.

Should Cornell recover from their shocking loss at Penn and win the Ivy League for a third straight time, five seconds of pinball may be the moment the Big Red look back on as what saved their season.

Inbounding under the Princeton basket, the ball came to Dale in the far corner. Mavraides was able to get around Dale and save the ball back into play. The Tigers had a numerical advantage and were in an ideal scramble situation. The ball deflected twice, back out of bounds off Finley. Cornell retained with :09.4 showing. While Princeton never had both hands on the ball, they still had missed an opportunity to somehow go ahead.

Hummer had no choice but to foul Wittman, a 86.2% free throw shooter. Wittman's first try looked bad out of his hand, but it kicked up off the front rim and tickled in. The second try was true and the Big Red had a three point lead.

Dale looked to foul Davis before he could try to tie, but Davis juked left on Dale and began to motor.

"I felt that I beat my guy pretty bad and I wanted to take the shot earlier, but with Foote's length I didn't think I would be able to get it off," Davis said of the final possession. "I hit Pawel...and then I came back around."

Opting not to pull up from 27' away, Davis passed to Buczak, who set a tall screen and handed back to Davis drifting to his left. Davis' difficult jumper went long and Cornell erupted.

"I saw a lot of emotion tonight on both sides. You never want to lose, but it is really interesting to see how this game was played relative to games that have been played here in my tenure," Johnson said of Princeton's first Ivy loss in six tries. "It was just a drastically different basketball game and it is something I want us to have every time out."

"I saw Cornell...they looked like they won the Ivy League championship. They were pretty excited to beat us," observed Johnson. "That's how we want people to feel. We want people to respect that jersey."

If Princeton can match the intensity they had against the Big Red and a wild, boisterous crowd can fill Jadwin for five more home games, the rest of the Ivy League's respect of the resurgent Tigers will continue to grow.

After the game, Johnson, Davis and Finley were floored by the packed house and the return of a ravenous student section.

"I've never seen Jadwin like that. Ever. I've seen pictures, but it is lovely playing at Jadwin when it is like that," Davis said hopefully. "I can't wait to play in front of another crowd like that at home."

"Doug says he's never seen it like that. I've been here a little bit longer and I've definitely never seen it like that," added the senior Finley. "Just to know that we have that support from our fans and from the community is really great to see that."

"We want to win badly. We are about winning. To see that environment and to have these guys - and they put themselves in this position to have a big game like that, so they ought to take a lot of pride in that," Johnson said of the 5,775 on hand - a crowd that appeared to be several hundred larger than what was announced.

"The next step is to win a game like that. Terrific atmosphere, the wrong team won. That's all there is."

Notes:

-Princeton finished 16-44 on the night (36.4%), 6-14 from three (42.9%) and 7-10 at the line (70.0%). Cornell shot 19-42 (45.2%), 2-8 outside (25.0%) and 8-10 from the stripe (80.0%).

-The Big Red had a season low four assists and 10 turnovers. The Tigers' ratio was 10:9.

-Princeton remains the only team to hold Cornell under 50 points in the past three years.

-Maddox was a team-worst -11 in 18:34 of play. The leaners and hooks that worked the past three games were not effective versus the Big Red. Maddox also missed twice from outside and is 1-10 from three this year.

-The game was played at a season low pace of 50.

-Spotted in attendance on Saturday: Last year's senior class of Michael Strittmatter and Jason Briggs, plus former players Ahmed El-Nokali, Patrick Ekeruo, Howie Levy, Kit Mueller and the return of the 14 Club!

Fred Smagorinsky said,

February 14, 2010 @ 7:03 am

Jon,

I unfortunately could not be at the game, it must have been a great atmosphere at Jadwin. Thanks for another great recap that made me feel like I was there.

One question: was Princeton's poor % FG shooting last night due more to shot selection or was the offense producing good looks that just didn't fall? It seems that Douglas Davis often has big nights when the offensive has trouble with inside-outside passing that can open up jump shots for the Tiger guards.

Fred

James Moore said,

February 14, 2010 @ 8:56 am

Great game. A few bounces go the other way, and the Tigers win. While there are no moral victories, the team should be proud of how they competed against a special, veteran Cornell team. Let's hope the Tigers build off their strong showing on Tuesday night.

Jon Solomon said,

February 14, 2010 @ 9:53 am

Fred,

Cornell played good defense. Some looks didn't fall but it wasn't like other games this season where wide open threes and layups were missed against lesser competition. The Tigers had to work for their shots, as did the Big Red.

Jon

David Lewis said,

February 14, 2010 @ 9:54 am

Fred,
Cornell just played really good defense. Their 7 foot center didn't allow Princeton to make interior shots. Maddox was one for nine. Princeton needs more production from shooters other than Doug Davis. I also noticed that Princeton appeared tentative and often did not take open shots. I sensed that they so wanted to control the tempo of the game that they were not aggressive when they needed to be. I don't remember a single possession (other than one fast break) where Princeton took a shot with more than ten seconds remaining on the shot clock. I understand this strategy when Princeton is playing a clearly superior athletic team but not against an Ivy opponent.

Jon Solomon said,

February 14, 2010 @ 10:02 am

David,

Cornell's possessions were just five seconds longer than Princeton's.

From the HD box:

Seconds per poss: Cornell 21.1, Princeton 26.3

Barry Thostesen said,

February 14, 2010 @ 11:04 am

This was a great game. A real physical battle. Princeton did not have an answer for Foote early on. I thought of the 2 Princeton centers, Finley did a better job defending him. Foote was too strong for Buczak. In addition, though similar in height to Princeton.s front line, Cornell's has a lot more bulk, and they used it to their advantage. It also appeared that Maddox had a hard time catching and holding the ball, which I felt was partly caused by his left hand injury, whatever it is, which was heavily taped. He is usually a better finsher inside.

Once again, Princeton got off to a slow start offensively.. Why not shuffle the lineup a little , and start Finley? He is more of an offensive threat. Of course it would help if our centers were better outside shooters. This would loosen up things a little inside. But they always give 100% , and I am proud of them for that.

But overall the Tigers gave a very good effort against what is still a better team, at least this year. Let's hope the Tigers can put this hard fought loss behind them and take care of business Tuesday nite.

Peter Clapman said,

February 14, 2010 @ 12:13 pm

Sitting in the bleachers in the capacity crowd brought back memories of the 1990's except we always won these games. Because of the defense, we are considerably ahead of expectations. To get to the next level, however, a couple of pieces are needed. Number 1 is to get more production, both offensively and defensively from the center position. That was the difference last night. If anything production seems to have gone down over the course of the year. Unless there is someone in the 2010 class, my thought would be that Hummer, although small for the role, might be able to handle it. This is a team that regardless of the final record this year goes into next season ready to get even better. If we can get someone other than Douglas Davis able to get his shots because of his own skills and the way the Princeton system can enhance his opportunities, and assuming we can find some way to get more out of the center or big man role, we are in for a number of very interesting and positive years.

John Poole said,

February 14, 2010 @ 12:58 pm

Jon,

Thanks for another great account of the game. I was unable to get up from Baltimore (snow shoveling injury!), so I was very happy to hear about a good, noisy, supportive crowd last night.

Last Spring at Reunions I asked Sydney Johnson if he would ever consider playing a few games at Dillon -- especially some of the pre Ivy ones that don't seem to draw flies. He gave me a non committal response. But, I am hoping that we might see an occasional game at Dillon in the heart of the campus with a noisy, if not huge undergraduate crowd. Dillon, if I remember correctly, can seat around 3,000 -- a larger crowd than attended any of the three games I have attended this year. Plus, it is a much more exciting setting. I occasionally go to Loyola (Md) games near my house in Baltimore. It has a little gym similar to Dillon. Even when it is half full the students can make the place shake. I remember going to games at Dillon during my childhood in Princeton and my first two years as an undergrad. The atmosphere was electric. When Princeton got a basket in a tight game the place exploded --no artificial noise makers necessary.

With all due respect to Jadwin, as a basketball setting it is lacking. People in the balcony are distant from the game, the sound diffuses and the phony noise on the PA is just that. I ALWAYS sit downstairs, even when I can't get a ticket there. At Dillon everything is courtside. I would much rather wait for a ticket or sit in the endstands at Dillon than sit in the balcony -- even at midcourt -- at "The Hanger", as Penn folks call Jadwin. Since we don't have a Palestra (yet?), let's use our band box of a gym to its best advantage when there is little prospect of a big crowd. It was good enough for Bill Bradley.

And while we"re at it, students should get in free, if they don't already. (God knows, they pay enough already for tuition.) I hope that you will pass on these modest suggestions to the Coach and any influential administrators you come into contact with!

Best wishes for the rest of an exciting season,

John Poole'69

Jim Waltman said,

February 14, 2010 @ 1:36 pm

Jon,

What a terrific game last night! Princeton Basketball is back!

On the last play, it looked to me like Davis had his man beat down the floor and could have fired up the three uncontested on the run instead of stopping, passing off to Buczak, working for a (less than perfect) screen and taking the shot with a man all over him. I was humoring my son by sitting in the top row in the upper balcony so didn't have the best view (although I was surprised at how exciting the game was even up top). Did you see it differently?

Jim

R.W. Enoch, Jr. said,

February 14, 2010 @ 1:56 pm

Students do get in for free. I think the biggest obstacle for them is the considerable walk to Jadwin Gym from any dormitory or dining hall (It can take nearly 20 minutes to walk there from Holder Hall in the northwest corner of campus), and of course the fact that the team has not exactly been something to write home about for 2005-09. I do think you'd get a lot more undergrads at a Dillon game, but dramatically fewer "townies" and alumni. Where would they park? They would have to walk 10+ minutes from the parking deck next to Baker Rink or from the lot below that.

Jon Solomon said,

February 14, 2010 @ 4:58 pm

Barry,

I've also wondered about a lineup shift, but I wonder how much of it is not messing with something that has worked pretty well since mid-December. Johnson has been pretty quick to replace Saunders and Buczak in the first couple of minutes after the tip.

John,

I know playing a game at Dillon has been suggested and discussed (I've personally mentioned this to Sydney over the summer). I'd love to see something happen there, even a pre-season exhibition. That being said, there really is no parking, the current bleachers aren't set up for a Division I basketball game, bringing in temporary stands would be almost impossible and I think some serious planning would have to take place to make the situation workable.

I am confident that if you had been at Jadwin last night, the atmosphere would have been to your liking!

Jim,

Davis addressed this after the game. He considered pulling up from 27', but was worried about Foote coming out to block the shot, so he stuck with the combo play to Buczak and back. In retrospect he probably should have taken the first option, but it would still have been quite difficult to convert.

Jon

John Poole said,

February 14, 2010 @ 5:32 pm

Jon,

Thanks for your reply.

Not to quibble with you, certainly, but it would be easy to run shuttles from the parking lot to the gym for those not wishing to make the pleasant walk up the hill. It's not a lot farther that the walk from the end of the current parking lot to Jadwin.

I wasn't aware that there is some requirement for Division 1 bleachers. Prior to Jadwin, Dillon used to have pull out bleachers at the ends of the court and, of course, the side bleachers which I assume are still there for the Women's B-ball Team. (I really want to see them play!) There weren't backs to the seats, but we never cared. I guess my big concern is to make it easier for students to get to the games. They are the fans that count the most.

How do you think that the players would feel about this? Is there something that could be done to Jadwin to make it less than the white elephant it currently is? I think that there are a lot of people beside myself who aren't crazy about Jadwin as a b-ball venue.

Jon Solomon said,

February 14, 2010 @ 6:33 pm

John,

The women also play their games at Jadwin.

My guess is that the players feel Jadwin is their home. It is where they play and where they practice. I think they would take a louder student presence at Jadwin versus moving to a new gym for a couple games.

Jon

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