Mitch Henderson is now into his second decade as skipper of the Princeton Tigers. Going into Saturday’s crucial meeting with the Yale Bulldogs, the only Ivy team to defeat the Tigers in Jadwin Gym, this season, Henderson had amassed 180 wins against 106 losses.
But the Tigers have struggled against James Jones’ Bulldogs, losing seven straight to them heading into their latest clash.
In their first encounter, Yale stormed to a lead of 17 points before holding on to win by just six, 80-74. Princeton outscored Yale from the field and won the second half but lost the game due to an abysmal 8-for-18 performance at the free throw line. Revenge, and a piece of first place in the Ivy standings, was on the line as the teams squared off in the John J. Lee Amphitheater at Payne Whitney Gymnasium, an Ivy League moniker if I ever heard one.
Princeton flipped the script Saturday night, hanging on for a six-point win of its own over Yale, 81-75, to pull into a tie with Yale atop the Ivy standings.
The Tigers had to avoid digging themselves into a deep hole at the outset, something that occurred with disturbing frequency early in the season. This troubling phenomenon did not hurt them until the Bulldogs got their teeth into the Tigers and refused to let go.
The first half was very much a back and forth affair, which is what the Tigers were hoping to achieve. For much of the first period, the Tigers were in control of things, although they never created much separation between the two contenders. With about five minutes to go, Drew Friberg, the senior from State College, Penn., canned the Tigers’ seventh three of the half to run their modest advantage to 39-30.
Yale’s defense stiffened. Under a minute left the home club had stormed back to grab a 44-41 lead. Ryan Langborg’s lone three ball of the evening sent the teams to the locker room knotted at 44. Yale did not commit a turnover in the first half.
Yale had expended loads of energy in an exciting win over Penn Friday night. Princeton breezed through Brown at the same time and had an opportunity to rest several key players through stretches of that game. Fatigue was most likely a factor on Saturday night,
Surrendering 44 points in a half is less than ideal, but Henderson realized that this would be war of attrition and that his kids were making their threes rather consistently. Tosan Evbuomwan, the junior from England, was simply outstanding in contending with the talented Yale frontcourt. When Evbuomwan has needed a rest, Henderson has lately turned to senior Elijah Barnes for productive minutes when Evbuomwan needs a rest and did so Saturday night against the Bulldogs.
Three minutes into the second half, the Tigers attained a 54-47 lead. They would not trail again.
The Tiger defense, which had shown up in recent games, was very much in evidence in the second period. Yale frankly appeared to be suffering from fatigue in the second half of the back-to-back, less so than the Tigers. Evbuomwan and Ethan Wright, the senior from Massachusetts, were more than willing to assume the scoring load, as they both have done throughout the season.
Matt Allocco, the first-year guard from Ohio, has earned Henderson’s trust and with it, a lot of playing time. Allocco played tough defense, scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and added a vital four assists. His pass finding a wide open Barnes under the basket gave the Tigers a 69-56 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs, of course, would not go away. Behind the terrific efforts of All-Ivy candidate Azar Swain, Jalen Gabbidon, and developing Tiger nemesis Bez Mbeng, Yale clawed its way back to cut the deficit to four at 72-68, with 3:40 to go.
By this time both squads were running on fumes. To compound the problems, both teams had to deal with what has been a phenomenon of back-to-backs and now almost a cliché: Saturday night referees. Both sides were hurt by the questionable calls.
The Tigers managed to hang on at the end, making some important free throws in the final minutes. The score was Princeton 81, Yale 75.
The Tiger defense held Yale to 31 second-half points, an excellent showing.
“I thought that offensively we settled and rushed,” Jones said.
Evbuomwan (26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) and Wright (23 points, nine boards, five helpers) did what they were supposed to do. Both of these players have compiled All-Ivy resumes this season, perhaps surpassing Jaelin Llewellyn in that regard. The Tiger point guard was 1-for-9 from the field but did not let that bother him on the defensive end.
Evbuomwan and Wright combined to make 19 field goals in 34 attempts, and Wright was 3-for-6 from deep.
As a team, Princeton was 9-for-22 from beyond the arc to the Bulldogs’ 6-for-20, but only one of the Tigers’ long-range bombs came in the second half. The Tigers made 14 free throws in 23 attempts, enough to survive. They outrebounded their rivals, 40-34.
Ivy fans know a sweep in a road back-to-back is exceedingly rare, especially when facing two teams with a shot at the tournament and one aspiring to the regular season crown. This was a very good weekend for Mitch Henderson. Victory number 181 was one of the sweetest in Henderson’s Tiger career, both as a player and as the head coach.
Two games with Harvard lie ahead next Friday at Jadwin and Sunday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion. The regular season wraps up at The Palestra on March 5 in a game that may have important Ivy League Tournament seeding implications.
Tosan E. is a junior not a sophomore.
Thanks for the correction, Steven. He is