box score
audio - coach sydney johnson
A second half rally by Princeton came up short against Yale, as the Bulldogs held off the visiting Tigers 67-59.
Princeton had sawed a 14 point Yale advantage down to three in the game's final minute on a steal and three point shot by Jason Briggs, but freshman Porter Braswell used a crossover dribble to get in the lane and score with 20 seconds remaining, giving the Bulldogs a 64-59 lead. The basket was Braswell's only field goal of the game.
Two free throws by Eric Flato sealed the Senior Night win.
Travis Pinick battled his way to 15 points and 10 rebounds for Yale. He was one of four Bulldogs in double figures.
Noah Savage tallied 15 on 4-8 shooting from behind the arc and Nick Lake came off the bench to contribute 14 points and grab four offensive rebounds in defeat.
The Tigers turned the ball over 11 times in the first half but had only three giveaways after the intermission. Princeton kept better care of the basketball in the second stanza but were unable to get enough defensive stops versus the Bulldogs. "We take care of the ball, but the we don't guard. We guard but then we don't take care of the ball. We're getting an effort here but not an effort there," said perplexed first year head coach Sydney Johnson.
"It is heartbreaking to be the coach of a team that fights and battles but then we hurt ourselves," Johnson added. "It just doesn't make sense."
Lincoln Gunn found Kyle Koncz on the wing out of the far corner to open the game's scoring. Playing his final game at the John J. Lee Amphitheater, Nick Holmes answered from deep behind the arc to even things one minute in.
Yale opened the game on a 14-6 run, causing four early Princeton turnovers, The final basket of this run came when Nick Holmes stole the ball from Savage and found Eric Flato in transition.
Nick Lake was stripped on the way to the iron but stayed with the play and scored inside to pull Princeton back within 20-17 at the 7:46 mark. The scoreboard stayed frozen for the next four minutes, as the Tigers got multiple defensive stops but could not cut into the Yale advantage.
Matt Kyle was fouled by Princeton's Zach Finley from behind and Kyle made both free throws to take the lead up to five.
Travis Pinick hung in the air driving around Finley and scored while jostled. Pinick's free throw gave Yale a 28-21 lead.
Princeton was whistled for a ten second violation despite 25 seconds still showing on the shot clock and possession went back to Yale. Jordan Gibson's runner off glass was too strong but Pinick soared above the fray for a one-handed follow.
Holding for the final shot of the half, Kyle Koncz saw his floater blocked by Paul Nelson, but a trailing Pawel Buczak on the weak side laid the deflection home with two hands as the first half ran out. Yale was in front 30-24.
Before the break Princeton was 6-18 from the floor (33.3%) but 9-12 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Tigers went 3-8 behind the arc (37.5%). Yale shot 12-23 (52.2%), 4-4 at the line (100.0%) and 2-5 from outside (40.0%). The Bulldogs had 12 first half turnovers.
Nick Holmes started the second half the same way Yale's first possession of the night began, with a three point shot. Savage answered with a triple of his own from Gunn on a quick trigger inbounds play but Holmes bookended this shot with his third downtown dagger, just getting the ball over the fingers of the oncoming Gunn. In transition after Nick Lake could not lay home an offensive rebound, Holmes pulled up for a heat-check well behind the arc, the ball deflecting off the rim to his twin brother Caleb for a layup that gave Yale their biggest lead of the game, 38-27.
Back-to-back three point shots from Savage and Jason Briggs quickly cut the advantage down to five. Briggs camped out behind the line as Princeton inbounded and a keen-eyed Gunn spotted him as he came over half court, the pass reaching the wing before Yale caught on to the surprise.
Michael Sands' baseline throwdown made the score 45-34 and when Eric Flato somehow got a pump fake jumper on the baseline to go down with Koncz draped all over him, the Bulldogs had a 13 point lead with 11:27 showing.
Two Matt Kyle free throws put Yale up 50-36 less than nine minutes before the game's end.
Zach Finley's spin move on the baseline drew enough attention that Savage could set up outside for a three.
Koncz stepped in front of a Porter Braswell pass and tried to run the length of the floor, going up for a layup that bounced off the rim. A trailing Nick Lake put the ball home as Koncz slammed his back into the side of the bleachers just to the right of the basket support. Koncz, who came into the game with a hip pointer and was wearing padding to try and ease some of his pain, crawled on all fours to the bench as play stopped, limping visibly on the sidelines.
When the game resumed, Koncz somehow willed himself back onto the court.
"He's endeared himself to this rookie head coach" admitted Coach Johnson after the game. "I thought I played pretty hard myself and played with some guys who played pretty hard. It is absolutely humbling [to watch Koncz]. It makes you emotional. I am really scared, because we're going to miss him [next year]."
Princeton drew within five on three straight possessions but each time the Tigers sent Yale to the free throw line. When the Bulldogs eventually did not convert, up 58-53 with 3:49 left, as Ross Morin picked up his fourth foul on an illegal screen, Princeton's trip down the floor ended with Finley throwing the ball out of bounds from the post, unsure of where his pass needed to go.
Two free throws by Kareem Maddox and Briggs' jumper off a pass from Koncz following Briggs' heady read of a Caleb Holmes pass to Flato at midcourt inched the Tigers within three, but Braswell's crossover stopped any thought of Princeton ending their season-long drought away from home.
Notes:
-Princeton finished 15-44 from the floor (34.1) and 9-26 from behind the arc (34.6%). The Tigers scored 20 of their 59 points at the free throw line, where they shot 20-26 (76.9%). Princeton is now over 70.0% at the stripe for the season.
-Yale shot 23-46 (50.0%) and 17-20 at the charity stripe (85.0%). The Bulldogs were 4-14 from deep (28.6%).
-The Elis won the battle of the boards 31-25.
-Noah Savage and Kyle Koncz each have made 152 three point shots in their respective careers.
-Yale defeated Princeton for the fourth consecutive time. It is the first time the Bulldogs have swept the Tigers in consecutive seasons.
-Congratulations to the Cornell Big Red, who clinched the 2007-08 Ivy League title with a win over Harvard.
-Princeton finishes their season with three games at Jadwin Gym, the first Friday night versus Columbia at 7:30 pm ET.
