CONWAY, S.C. — The Princeton men’s basketball team got a dose of its own medicine in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational in South Carolina on Thursday night.
Facing the Wright State Raiders for the first time in program history, the Tigers lost by 18 points, 80-62, to a hot-shooting, energized team that moved the ball well, protected the defensive glass and converted open threes, all things the Tigers usually take pride in doing themselves.
Princeton coach Mitch Henderson didn’t mince words after the game.
“I think we just got our butts kicked,” Henderson said. “They were great. They were far better than us in every way.”
Wright State got off to a fast start in this one, hitting back-to-back threes to take an early 6-0 lead. It was a trend that would continue throughout the game as the Raiders went 12-for-23 from behind the arc for a gaudy shooting percentage of 52% from distance.
After spotting the Raiders an early lead, junior forward Jack Scott canned a three to get Princeton on the scoreboard, but the Tigers struggled to put together any kind of sustained run throughout the contest.
A layup by Jack Doumbia over Caden Pierce put the up Raiders up 20-9, forcing Henderson to call timeout with 12:14 to go in the first half.
Down by 11, the Tigers were in a familiar situation having trailed by double-digits in every game so far this season. But the Tigers weren’t able to climb out of the hole this time.
The star in the first half and throughout the game for Wright State was Brandon Noel. The 6-foot-8 junior forward from Lucasville, Ohio, presented a matchup problem for the Tigers with his size and length. Noel displayed the ability to score from outside but was even more effective in the paint.
With 8:36 to go in the first half, Noel received an entry pass in the post and took it to the rim over Pierce, who was whistled for his second foul. Noel converted the and-one to put Wright State up 27-15.
Things went down hill for Princeton from there with the Tigers frequently firing short on their jumpers and coming up empty on the glass. The Raiders outrebounded the Tigers 40-27, a pattern that has plagued Princeton in the early going this season.
Another drive by Noel to the hoop netted two points and a whistle on Jacob Huggins. Noel converted the subsequent free throw to put the Raiders up by 20, 43-23, with 40 seconds to play in the half.
Despite a horrendous opening 20 minutes, the Tigers did provide one highlight reel play in the final minute courtesy of freshman Peyton Seals. Wearing a protective face mask, the 6-foot-4 guard from Wyckoff, N.J. dribbled into the paint and bounced a backwards, no look pass to Malik Abdullahi for a flush.
The half ended with Wright State holding an 18-point lead, 43-25. The Raiders were led by Noel’s 13 points on 3-for-7 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line. The Tigers were paced by Xaivian Lee, who tallied nine points on 3-for-7 shooting.
The Tigers were beaten in every category in the first half and struggled mightily to make shots, hitting on only 10-for-31 (32%). In contrast, the Raiders remained hot throughout the stanza, going 14-for-26 for 54% shooting.
The Tigers came out with more energy to start the second half.
An offensive rebound by Pierce resulted in a drive to the hoop by Lee, who drew the foul and converted both free throws. Then some quick hands in the paint by Blake Peters resulted in a turnover and a transition layup by Philip Byriel. The Tigers had the first four points of the half and looked primed to make a run.
But two defensive breakdowns allowed Wright State to respond with back-to-back layups.
After a Lee three, Henderson called a 30-second timeout. The Tigers came out of the timeout in a full court press, determined to change the energy flow in the game.
To Henderson’s dismay, the tactic didn’t work. Using quick ball movement to produce open looks, Logan Woods converted back-to-back threes to stretch Wright State’s lead to 57-35. The 6-foot-5 sophomore from Fairfield, Ohio finished with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Henderson continued to search for solutions by subbing in several players who normally don’t get a lot of playing time. One bright spot was the play of Jackson Hicke, who scored eight points in 13 minutes off the bench.
“I love how hard Hicke played,” Henderson said, noting that he thought his reserve “guys played great against their starting group. It says a lot about our starting group.”
The starting group to which Henderson referred, which has so often met any challenge presented in recent years, laid an egg tonight. Pierce, normally a double-double machine, was largely ineffective against Wright State. His six points in over 22 minutes of playing time matched his lowest output against a Division I opponent since Princeton beat Duquesne, 70-67, on Nov. 15, 2023.
Lee showed flashes of his usual brilliance but still came away with only 14 points in over 24 minutes of playing time.
But the difference maker in this game was the Raiders’ Noel, who finished with a game high 27 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.
After the game, Henderson tipped his hat to Wright State and especially Noel.
“He was the best player on the floor, the toughest player on the floor, and [had] the greatest will to win,” Henderson said.
For the Tigers, none of those qualities were on display tonight, and their head coach wasn’t pleased about it.
“[We] had a tough conversation in the locker room, but we’ve always been honest,” Henderson said. “We have some real concerns and problems we’re going to have to address and thank God we have an opportunity to play again tomorrow.”
Indeed, the Tigers will have a chance to regroup tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Texas State Bobcats, who fell to Bradley, 82-68, earlier Thursday in other first-round tournament action.
The Tigers are scheduled to play two more games over the next three days at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., albeit now in the consolation bracket.