box score
audio - coach sydney johnson, lincoln gunn & kyle koncz

Lincoln Gunn scored all 17 of his points in the second half and Princeton finished Saturday night's 68-54 victory over Harvard with a 20-5 run. With the win, the Tigers improved to 2-0 in Ivy League play for the first time in four years.

One day removed from going scoreless and only attempting one field goal, Kyle Koncz scored 21 of his career-high 24 in the first half. Koncz connected on six of 11 attempts from behind the arc. It was the third time in five career games against Harvard that Koncz tallied 20 or more points.

Jeremy Lin had 17 points and 9 rebounds as the Crimson fell for the 19th straight game at Jadwin Gym.

Last season, the majority of Princeton's conference games had the same final chapter - a close contest with four minutes to go and victory deferred because of poor execution in decisive possessions. This weekend, it was the Tigers that made plays down the stretch. Princeton outscored Dartmouth 16-8 in the final eight minutes on Friday before a meaningless Big Green three point shot at the buzzer and the Tigers decided Saturday's game when they outscored Harvard by 15 in the last 6:16.

Following four early lead changes, the Crimson took a 12-8 lead with 12:27 left in the first half when Drew Housman came off the bench to connect from outside. A driving Noah Savage fed a trailing Nick Lake for a layup to cut the deficit in half and Koncz made two of three free throws after being fouled by Doug Miller while attempting a three pointer.

Koncz used a crafty trick to lull his defender the next time the Tigers had the ball. Koncz gestured for Noah Savage to come up from the post and set a screen, but Savage purposely did not move. Koncz's defender stepped back slightly, bracing for a pick that was not coming. This momentary shift in body weight gave Koncz enough space to rise up for his second three point shot and Princeton led 15-12.

The Tigers were up 23-17 after a three point shot from Marcus Schroeder. Harvard responded with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes, starting with two Lin free throws and finishing with a T.J. Carey baseline jumper after an offensive rebound.

Koncz cut behind his man and Zach Finley threw an over-the-shoulder pass for a layup. Koncz struck from outside again, this time on the left wing and Princeton regained the lead with two minutes to go.

Lin answered with a triple of his own and Dan McGeary connected from even further out than Lin to push Harvard up 33-28 with a minute before intermission.

Koncz finished off an incredible offensive half with his fifth three point shot, lining it up from the top of the key. The Crimson led by two at the buzzer.

Out of the break, Harvard went up four to start the second half, as Andrew Fitzgerald scored on a layup late in the shot clock.

The Tigers were down 37-36 after Gunn's first basket of the game, a three point shot set up by Kevin Steuerer's offensive rebound. Princeton would go back in front three minutes later when Nick Lake's three point shot out of the far corner lightly grazed the rim. As the ball headed out of bounds, the Crimson attempted to make the save, throwing the ball back under Princeton's basket, where a waiting Steuerer laid the ball home.

Steuerer scored seven straight for Princeton, driving to his right on Dan McGeary for a layup that tied the score for the third time in the second half and stepping into a Nick Lake pass for a three point shot from the left wing after a Lin jumper from the free throw line.

A backscreen by Noah Savage freed Jason Briggs under the basket and Koncz zipped him a pass from the perimeter for a layup that made the score 48-45 Tigers with 8:40 to go.

Lin gave the Crimson its final lead when he scored inside while being smacked across the face by Princeton center Zach Finley. Lin's free throw was no good, one of eight misses in 12 attempts from the free throw line by Harvard in the second half.

A deep Gunn three, his third of the stanza, off a pass from Koncz, put Princeton back in front and at the other end of the court Marcus Schroeder absorbed a drive by Lin for an offensive foul.

It was Schroeder who noticed Gunn backcutting down the center of the lane and a pinpoint pass was snatched by Gunn as a Harvard player looked to draw a player control foul. Gunn stopped short of the well-positioned defender and pulled up for a short jumper.

After Lin went one of two at the stripe, Gunn got the ball in Koncz's hand up top, and despite still drifting to his left as his jump shot went up in the air, Koncz had the body control to can his sixth triple and Princeton was in front by six with 4:09 to go.

The lead was 58-53 following another Lin free throw. Schroeder drove to the basket but dished off to Gunn in front of the Tiger bench. When Gunn's jumper tickled the twine Harvard was now looking to make up eight points in 90 seconds.

A home run inbounds pass from Gunn to Kevin Steuerer was on the mark and Steuerer equaled his career high of 12 with the layup.

Two free throws by Gunn finished the scoring and the final team in all of Division I basketball to start conference play had swept their first Ivy weekend.

Notes:

-Princeton's assist-to-turnover ratio on Saturday night was a lovely 16:8.

-The Tigers shot 24-51 for the game (47.1%) and made 12 three point shots in 29 attempts (41.4%). Princeton went 8-12 (66.7%) at the free throw line. Harvard was 18-39 from the floor (46.2%), 6-16 from deep (37.5%) and a dreadful 12-20 from the charity stripe (60.0%).

-Noah Savage went 0-6 from the field with three turnovers and was scoreless in 19 minutes of play before fouling out.

-Princeton had 12 second chance points. Harvard had zero.

-The Tigers travel to 4-0 Cornell on Friday night for a 7:00 pm ET start.