DOGFIGHT: Princeton University men’s basketball player Ryan Langborg, right, battles for the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, junior guard Langborg tallied 10 points with three rebounds and three steals but it wasn’t enough as Princeton fell 80-74 to Yale. The loss to the Bulldogs, which dropped Princeton to 15-4 overall and 5-1 Ivy League, snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Tigers. Princeton will look to get back on the winning track when it plays at Cornell on February 4 and at Columbia on February 5. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Coming into its game against visiting Yale last Saturday, the Princeton University men’s basketball team had displayed a propensity in its Ivy League campaign for overcoming halftime deficits and pulling out victories.
Princeton had trailed Columbia (45-33 on January 7), Cornell (39-25 on January 8), and Brown (42-41 on January 15) at the half before rallying to win each of those games on the way to a 5-0 start in Ivy play.
Against Yale, the Tigers appeared to be following the same blueprint. After finding itself down 43-26 at intermission, Princeton clawed back to get within 76-74 and had possession with 28.8 seconds left in regulation. Tiger star Tosan Evboumwan looked to produce another fantastic finish, driving to the basket and putting up a twisting layup. The shot, though, bounced off the rim and Yale got the rebound and proceeded to hold on for an 80-74 win, snapping Princeton’s 10-game winning streak as the Tigers dropped to 15-4 overall and 5-1 Ivy.
While Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson liked the way his players battled, he wants to see how they will bounce back from the setback.
“It was a hell of a comeback, I am proud of the guys,” said Henderson. “We put ourselves in a really deep hole and fighting back like that is really difficult against a very solid Yale team. We are disappointed. We have been on an elevator on the way up to the penthouse all season for a while now. It is a great opportunity to see how we can rebound here and respond.”
Henderson was not disappointed with the shot that Evboumwan got with the game on the line.
“We wanted him or Jaelin [Llewellyn] getting to the basket, I thought it was a strong take,” maintained Henderson. “I don’t like to second guess those things when you are confident. I thought he took the ball to the rim. Jaelin got us back in the game and we were fortunate to be able to play for a shot like that. I like going to the rim in that situation, we were able to get some good looks.”
Senior guard Llewellyn, who hit four 3-pointers in the last three minutes of the contest and ended up with a game-high 23 points, was confident that the Tigers could pull off another comeback.
“We just had a lot of fight in the second half,” said Llewellyn, who also had six rebounds and five assists on the day.
“We were just trying to get the best looks we could and just trying to put ourselves in a position to be successful. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted and we have a lot to learn.”
One thing Princeton has to learn is how to get off to better starts.
“It should’ve been a wakeup call a long time ago with our slow first halves,” said Llewellyn. “It is a punch in the face, we have a lot of work to do. It is just maybe how we warm up, how we prepare, athletically and mentally, just getting ourselves in the right head space.”
Although Henderson believes his team is still in a good place, he believes his players can take some valuable lessons from the setback.
“We have enjoyed some really good vibes, I want to keep the vibes but you can learn so much,” said Henderson. “There is so much that happens when you lose. You can’t really emphasize as much as when you win. It is a difference in a half step there, a foul here. I think there are going to be dozens of opportunities for teaching moments. We have to see them and then have a real short memory because we are going on the road next weekend.”
With Princeton playing at Cornell on February 4 and at Columbia on February 5, the Tigers can’t afford a slide if they want to stay atop the Ivy standings as Yale is now 10-9 overall and 4-1 Ivy and Penn is 8-12 overall and 5-2 Ivy.
“We are a very good offensive team, we are improving defensively,” said Henderson. “You have got to win on the road and take care of the ball and you have to guard. We have the pieces. The league is really good, we got beat by a really good Yale team tonight. We now are going to have these back-to-backs. Can you get two, that is the key.”
In Llewellyn’s view, the positive karma resulting from the 10-game winning streak should help the Tigers going forward.
“I think that it has helped our team chemistry, and like coach was talking about, the vibe of the team,” said Llewellyn, reflecting on the streak.
“We learned that we have a lot of weapons and we can be very good when we are focused and locked in. There is always room for improvement, we know that.”