ON GUARD: Princeton University men’s basketball player Jose Morales shows focus on the defensive end in recent action. Last Wednesday, sophomore guard Morales, a former Hun School standout, contributed eight points, two rebounds, and an assist in 25 minutes off the bench to give the Tigers a spark as they lost 85-76 to Lehigh. Princeton, which dropped to 2-5 with an 80-52 loss at No. 10 Miami last Saturday, plays at George Washington on December 6 before hosting Monmouth on December 12. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

For the Princeton University men’s basketball team, its performance against visiting Lehigh in the first half Wednesday was out of character for the proud program.

The Tigers found themselves trailing the Mountain Hawks 47-25 at intermission, getting outplayed and outworked at both ends of the court.

“It was play harder,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson, recalling his halftime message.

“I was really frank with them. I thought it had nothing to do with Xs and Os, it was the human element and heart.”

As the Tigers went through their lay-up line in warming up for the second half, junior captain and star guard Devin Cannady repeatedly chanted “roll up your sleeves” in echoing Henderson’s sentiments.

“It is simply what are you going to put into the game from a heart standpoint, being down 22 at that half,” said Cannady.

“I told myself and my teammates it came down to who really wanted to give it their all. They decided to do that, making extra effort plays.”

With Cannady sparking the Tigers as he scored 23 points in the second half, Princeton gave its all, narrowing the gap to 75-73 with 1:32 remaining in regulation but could get no closer as the Mountain Hawks prevailed 85-76.

“I thought if we kept doing what we were doing, we definitely could get over that hump,” said Cannady, reflecting on the furious rally.

“But there were some fouls that happened, I think there was a stretch of three fouls that hurt the momentum and we were a little passive getting to the rim. We had them in the bonus situation at like 12 or 13 minutes and it just stayed at the same number for the next five. If we had just kept pushing, we would have made it over the hump but we didn’t.”

Henderson, for his part, liked the way his players pushed to get back into the contest.

“I was happy for them, they played hard in the second half,” said Henderson, who got 27 points from Cannady with Myles Stephens chipping in 15 points and seven rebounds and Amir Bell adding 12 points, four assists, and eight rebounds. “There were positives in that.”

But Henderson couldn’t forget what he saw in the first half. “All the credit goes to Lehigh, they pushed us around tonight; it was a real eye-opener for our program,” said Henderson.

“I haven’t ever seen this or been a part of it since I have been here. It was a real tough one but a great opportunity for us to learn from it and get better and see which team are we.”

The play of sophomore guard Jose Morales, a former Hun School standout, who contributed eight points, two rebounds, and an assist in 25 minutes off the bench exemplified the toughness the Tigers will need going forward.

“Jose has moxie and everybody saw it today,” said Henderson of the 5’9, 165-pound Morales.

“I say he is just a little guy but his heart is quite big and he plays big too. We needed that. I am not hitting the panic button but let’s redefine what we are all about here. What we are all about is what Jose brought to the team. We have got to have some fight. We have rarely had to talk about playing with heart. We got a great wake-up call by a very good Lehigh team.”

On Saturday, the Tigers ran into another very good team as they played at No. 10 Miami. While Princeton showed heart as it led 16-14 midway through the first half, it couldn’t stem the tide as the Hurricanes pulled away to an 80-52 victory.

With the Tigers now at 2-5, Henderson is hoping the squad can replicate last year’s success, when it rebounded from a 2-4 start to go 23-7 and win the Ivy League title.

“That team came together, we are still waiting for that moment,” said Henderson, whose team plays at George Washington on December 6 before hosting Monmouth on December 12.

“As long as they work at it and stay together and connect with each other, that is possible. We lost some really good, tough players that had played a lot of significant minutes and we have a lot of good tough players currently. You have got to get kicked in the mouth a little bit to learn how to play there.”

In Cannady’s view, the players have to show a renewed commitment to mental toughness and be willing to sacrifice for the good of the group.

“At a personal level, everyone just has to look within themselves and figure out if they want to simply play, give it their all, and represent Princeton on the front of their jersey,” said Cannady. “I think that is what is going to dictate how the rest of the season turns out.”