Sean Gregory on WFAN.
Sean Gregory was a guest on Richard Neer's program yesterday morning.
Princeton 58 Yale 45.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Marcus Schroeder & Kareem Maddox:
Yale cut a 10 point Princeton lead in half midway through the second half and was looking to crawl closer when Tiger coach Sydney Johnson made a personnel move he had not tried all night.
Johnson sent the senior center tandem of Pawel Buczak and Zach Finley on the floor together and Princeton was able to ride their shoulders on a 19-4 run that closed out the game after the Bulldogs had pulled even.
"Tough road game. Conference play. Just to have some experience out there helped us," said Johnson after Princeton's second straight Ivy win. "At the least we just kind of settled in. Things weren't so new to us and so surprising because those guys have played a lot of time. It was effective this time around."
Buczak's high arcing jumper from just inside the three point line sailed through the net as the shot clock expired to give the Tigers a 43-40 advantage and Marcus Schroeder - who finished the night with six assists and no turnovers - found Douglas Davis for three on the right wing after Buczak cleared out two Bulldog defenders on a wide downscreen. Buczak's hesitation hook over Greg Mangano took the lead up to eight with 6:41 remaining.
Davis finished with a team best 13, but it was Princeton's ability to post Buczak, Finley, Kareem Maddox and Ian Hummer that provided the Tigers with 22 points in the paint. Maddox had a solid game, scoring nine points off the bench on 4-5 shooting and all but icing the result when he sized up a baseline jumper off a Schroeder drive to make it a 52-43 game.
Princeton was 6-6 at the free throw line in the game's final 1:13.
Alex Zampier, the Ivy League's leading scorer entering Saturday was 4-11 off the the bench and did not make a three point shot. Zampier did not start the game because he "broke a team rule" according to Yale coach James Jones. He finished with 13 points and six turnovers.
Princeton 63 Brown 46.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Postgame audio - Douglas Davis & Ian Hummer:
When your starting center and his backup both pick up two personal fouls in the first 3:27 of the game, a one-sided blowout isn’t a surprise.
What was a surprise is that the team hampered by foul trouble were the ones that dominated play.
With bigs Pawel Buczak and Zach Finley on the bench, Princeton used an unselfish offensive attack and a pressure defense that bothered Brown’s guards before they could get into their sets - opening the game on an 18-7 run and building a 40-18 halftime advantage - cruising to the 63-46 final.
The score of the Ivy opener wasn’t even that close. The Bears did not get within 17 points in the second half until the game’s final basket.
"That's what we do when we're at out best," said Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson after opening his third consecutive Ivy campaign with a victory. "We're trying to learn from some of our mistakes and I think that showed a little bit tonight."
Douglas Davis scored all of his game-best 16 in the first 20 minutes, set up four times behind the arc by his teammates. Ian Hummer bullied for 10 down low, eight after intermission.
Matt Mullery, the interior presence for Brown who came into Friday’s game with a lofty stat line went 2-8 from the floor and finished with 10.
"2-8 - I didn't know that," a surprised Johnson remarked afterwards. "He causes a lot of problems for people. I didn't know that we were able to do that. He's really good, so I guess we caught him on an off night, because he's really, really good."
Princeton 88 Goucher 35.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Will Barrett & Ian Hummer:
Almost every year after Princeton has returned from their annual exam break to face a Division III foe, I've tried to ask the same question of the Tigers' head coach - "did you get what you wanted out of this game?"
While the result was barely in question on Sunday afternoon as Princeton flattened Goucher by 53 and the query went unspoken, I'd harken the answer for Sydney Johnson this time out leaned toward yes.
"We're not quite ready [for Ivy League play], but in terms of effort - if we can bottle up tonight we'll at least be in games. I thought we played hard," Johnson said after the Tigers won with their largest margin of victory since a 78-24 win over Western Maryland in 2002.
After the Gophers took a 4-3 lead 90 seconds in on Micah Perry's jumper, a 16-0 Princeton run put the game away by the second media time out and a 22-0 stretch spanning halftime allowed everyone in uniform ample experience on the court.
Douglas Davis hit six times behind the arc and had 22 points in 20 minutes. Davis left the game with 9:44 to go in the second half equaling the entire Goucher team’s point total.
Villanova 82 Georgetown 77.
Postgame audio - Coach John Thompson III & Greg Monroe:
It took almost two-and-a-half hours, 52 fouls and 57 free throws for Villanova's strengths to win out over Georgetown's strengths.
Outside trumped inside.
Big was no match for small.
At the end, the Wildcats' quartet of guards overcame a career afternoon from Hoya sophomore center Greg Monroe.
Georgetown cut a 17 point first half deficit to even at 67 with 4:34 left to play on a putback by Monroe of his own miss, and Jason Clark's drive in traffic could have given Georgetown their first lead since seven minutes in, but Clark could not finish what he started.
At the other end of the floor Scottie Reynolds, who ended the day with 27 points on 8-15 shooting, scored off glass and was fouled by Clark.
Villanova would not give this lead back in the game's final 3:14, though Georgetown missed two chances to tie from outside. Both Chris Wright and Jerelle Benimon had open looks to pull square.
Two free throws from Maalik Wayns with :06.9 remaining sealed the outcome.
Monroe scored a career high 29 to lead Georgetown, matching his personal best set earlier in the season against Harvard with 16 boards.
It was the Wildcats' first win over the Hoyas in their last six chances.
Photo gallery to follow.
Sydney Johnson - Ivy League Midseason Media Teleconference.
The Ivy League held its Men's Basketball Midseason Media Teleconference this morning, with eight coaches answering questions from media. Dartmouth assistant Mark Gaupe represented the Big Green in their segment.
The portion of today's Q&A with Princeton coach Sydney Johnson is available above. An mp3 of the full event should be available on the Ivy League web site later this afternoon.
Princeton 77 Marist 58.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Patrick Saunders & Dan Mavraides:
Patrick Saunders has a strange-looking jump shot - a flat-footed push with a leaning backspin. But when it goes through the basket like it did on Wednesday night, it is a thing of beauty.
Saunders was a perfect 8-8 from the field and 5-5 behind the arc, setting a new career high by halftime and finishing with a game-best 21 in 22 minutes as Princeton defeated Marist 77-58.
Saunders' eight field goals without a miss matched Kit Mueller for the second-best single game shooting performance in program history. Mueller finished 8-8 from the floor on three separate occasions in his career. Barnes Hauptfuhrer still holds the school mark with an incredible 11-11 showing against Notre Dame in 1974.
Saunders' five three pointers in a game without a miss ties marksmen Dave Orlandini, Bob Scrabis and Sean Jackson for second-best in the Princeton record books. Those four gentlemen all sit one make behind current Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson, 6-6 from deep against Columbia in 1997.
"I felt pretty comfortable out there," the newly goateed Saunders said quietly after the game. "I felt like the shots I got were open coming out of the offense. They just ended up falling in."
Sophomore guard Douglas Davis connected four times from deep in five tries for 16 and Dan Mavraides added 14 for the Tigers, who shot 57.4% for the game and were 10-17 on the night from three.
Princeton had 16 assists and a season low seven turnovers.
Candon Rusin’s 16 on 6-7 shooting paced the Red Foxes.
Maine 52 Princeton 50.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Nick Lake's desperation turnaround jumper at the buzzer was just off the mark and Princeton's five game winning streak ended with a frigid 52-50 loss at Maine.
The Tigers trailed the entire second half, but mounted a frantic comeback in the final minute that nearly forced overtime. Lake tracked down an intentional miss at the free throw line by Kareem Maddox but was unable to connect on the right baseline.
Princeton led 6-3 on three point shots from Dan Mavraides and Douglas Davis before Maine went on an 11-0 run midway through the first half that put the Tigers in chase mode for the rest of the night.
Trailing by nine at intermission, an extended Princeton push spurred on by an 1-3-1 zone on defense that concluded with a layup from Marcus Schroeder off a Davis steal made it 26-25 with 16:19 remaining but the Tigers could not inch in front of the Black Bears.
"Defensively and offensively we never got in a flow," said Tiger head coach Sydney Johnson. "A tough game to lose."
Davis had 13 points on 4-12 shooting but he missed a number of wide open three point shots that could have effected the outcome. The entire Princeton team shot an icy 34% on the night. Mavraides added 12 and six rebounds for Princeton.
Gerald McLemore's 14 for Maine were a game high. McLemore also had three assists and four steals.
Maine won despite going 12-38 (31.6%) from the floor.
Princeton 70 St. Joe's 62.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Dan Mavraides, Douglas Davis & Pawel Buczak:
The Princeton team that started 2010 on Hawk Hill against St. Joseph’s looked little like the squad that struggled to crack 40 in the last two games of 2009 versus Monmouth and Wagner.
On the road for the first of three consecutive tilts away from Jadwin Gym, Princeton made its first four three point shots and opened up an early 12-4 advantage.
Senior center Pawel Buczak, who labored to get position in the post and had difficulty scoring when he caught the ball down low to close last year was a perfect 5-5 from the field, scoring a season best 14.
Douglas Davis connected four times from outside the arc on his way to a game-high 17 points and Dan Mavraides added 16 points and seven rebounds as Princeton led for the final 37:53 of an eight point win.
Mavraides set up Davis for jumpers on consecutive drives and dishes with just over four minutes remaining to boost a tenuous Tiger lead to a 58-48 edge.
“Those were some excellent kicks from Dan,” Davis said with the smile after Princeton’s fifth straight victory. “He drove to the basket and I was able to find an open spot where he could see me.
Princeton outrebounded the Hawks by nine, the team’s largest advantage on the boards since last February’s home game versus Columbia. All eight Tigers who played 10 minutes or more each grabbed at least four rebounds.
An 11 point lead in the final minute was swiftly cut down to two by St. Joe’s, but Princeton made six straight at the free throw line to avoid the complete collapse.
Carl Jones had 17 for Saint Joseph’s, eight coming in transition early after intermission.
Princeton 45 Wagner 42.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Kareem Maddox & Dan Mavraides:
Playing for the first time in 14 days, Princeton came close to suffering what could have been an embarrassing loss to the woeful Wagner Seahawks, rallying from a twelve point second half hole to win their sixth of the season.
Douglas Davis found Kareem Maddox alone by the basket for a two-handed dunk with just under six seconds left to bail out the Tigers, fouled by Tyler Murray on the stuff.
Maddox’s three point play capped a six point Tiger run in the game’s final minute. It was Maddox's only basket on the night.
"I think they were going for a steal to try and get the win," Maddox said modestly after Princeton's fourth straight victory. "There was one person open and it happened to be me."
Princeton junior Dan Mavraides was 5-11 from three point range, on his way to a season high 21 points. Mavraides tied the score at 42 with a deep triple off the left wing with :47 to go. The rest of the Tiger squad went 0-16 behind the line.
Michael Orock scored 19 inside to pace Wagner.
Princeton 46 Monmouth 42.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Postgame audio - Douglas Davis, Marcus Schroeder & Ian Hummer:
"We set the game of basketball back a little bit, but we tend to do that every time we play them anyway." - Monmouth basketball coach Dave Calloway.
When the final buzzer sounded, there was silence.
No applause, just the sound of several hundred people standing up throughout the arena, grabbing their belongings and heading for Jadwin Gym's doors.
It was a sedate end to a troublous fourteenth meeting between Monmouth and Princeton.
While the Tigers led almost the entire way, from Douglas Davis' opening three point shot through the final buzzer, the crawling pace of the game and the wide intervals between field goals left those in attendance detached, notwithstanding Princeton's third straight win.
Davis scored 20 points as Princeton eked out the murky four point victory over the visiting Hawks.
Despite shooting 0-7 from the floor in the first half, Dan Mavriades tallied 11 for the Tigers and added a career best nine rebounds.
Whitney Coleman missed a three off the right wing following a steal that would have tied the game for the Hawks and Mavraides' subsequent free throw with ten seconds left made it a two possession game, providing the final margin of victory.
Monmouth finished 0-11 from three point range.
Travis Taylor led the Hawks with 17 points, nine rebounds and six turnovers.
"I don't think it was a flawless [defensive effort], but I think that [our] focus was very, very good," said Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson after the game's conclusion. "There were very few times where I felt like we had major breakdowns."
Princeton 65 UNC Greensboro 50.
Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson:
Ian Hummer’s career best 17 points on 9-11 shooting from the free throw line will stand out after an initial skim of the final box score following Princeton’s second straight win, a 65-50 victory over UNC Greensboro, but it was the steady, heady play of Marcus Schroeder that was essential to the Tigers’ success.
Schroeder scored five points, grabbed a team-best seven rebounds, handed out five assists and pocketed three steals in 36 minutes of play, all without a turnover.
"He's a helper," said Princeton coach Sydney Johnson about his senior co-captain. "That's kind of a term we use for him. He helps his teammates, he helps the team and its really showing up. We're just trying to bottle up the positive things that we're doing and hopefully carry them on to the next game."
The Tigers finished the first half on a 15-4 run to take a 35-22 lead at the break. Princeton built a early 16 point advantage in the opening moments of the second half, only to see their edge slowly widdled down to seven in the final six minutes.
Douglas Davis ended a Tiger drought with a bucket in traffic, bouncing a floater home after losing control in the lane and Hummer made both ends of consecutive one-and-one chances at the stripe to create some distance. 11 of Hummer’s points came in the final six minutes.
Princeton had a season high 19 assists on 25 baskets and turned the ball over a season low nine times while shooting an even 50% on the day.
"The guys really trusted themselves," Johnson said of his team's passing against the Spartans. "I think that's a product of that as much as anything."
Dan Mavraides added 13 points, 11 of which came in the first half.
Brandon Evans and Ben Stywall evenly split 28 for the Spartans in defeat.
