ON THE REBOUND: Princeton University men’s basketball players Caden Pierce, left, and Xaivian Lee go up for a rebound in recent action as Matt Allocco looks on. Last Saturday, Pierce produced a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds while Lee tallied a game-high 20 points as the Tigers topped Brown 70-60 to snap a two-game losing streak. The Tigers, now 16-3 overall and 4-2 Ivy League, host Penn (9-12 overall, 1-5 Ivy) on February 10. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

Battling back from some of its first significant adversity of the season, the Princeton University men’s basketball team pulled out a 70-60 win at Brown last Saturday.

The Tigers had raced through their non-conference schedule and the first three Ivy League regular-season games, boasting an overall record of 15-1. Then came back-to-back losses at Cornell (83-68 on January 27) and at Yale (70-64 last Friday), and the challenge of responding to their first losing streak of the season.

“You learn so much in a loss,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson. “You can learn the same amount in a win and that’s what we were doing for a large part of this season up until those last two games. But it wasn’t impacting us the way these losses did. I don’t mean that in a ‘coachspeak’ way. I mean we’re better than we were eight days ago.”

Henderson saw his players respond to some adversity by pulling away for a win over a Brown team that had moved into sixth place in the Ivy League standings with a win over Penn on Friday. Princeton was led by 20 points from Xaivian Lee and 13 points apiece from Caden Pierce and Matt Allocco. Pierce also pulled down 14 rebounds and had four assists.

“The last two years, we had back-to-back titles, but a large part of this current team, with the exception of Allocco, has never really carried the load on these back-to-backs,” said Henderson. “This is really the first time. I know we’re good and we’ve been getting a lot of hype, but winning on the road and getting a split after a really tough Friday loss, I was very pleased and happy. It wasn’t pretty, but we gutted one out which is what you need to learn to do in the league. We have three more of these.”

Princeton led Brown by two points at halftime, and never fell behind. The foes were tied, 46-46, seven minutes into the second half but the Tigers made the plays and hit free throws on Saturday to improve to 16-3 overall, 4-2 in the Ivy League with one game remaining in the first half of the conference schedule.

“We attempted three free throws on Friday and then 21 and made 20 Saturday,” said Henderson. “That’s a big difference when you can go on the road and be physical and get yourself to the rim. I think that was crucial. We took care of the ball all weekend, which I think is another key ingredient to being successful on the road. But the free throws were a big part of why we were able to be successful on Saturday.”

Junior guard Blake Peters had the only three free throw attempts in the loss at Yale — when he was fouled on a 3-pointer. Pierce had 20 points and four assists and four rebounds against the Bulldogs, while Lee recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Peters knocked down a pair of 3-pointers early to help Princeton out to an early lead. He also made a pair of threes in the win over Brown.

“He didn’t play hardly at all his freshman year,” said Henderson. “Typical of Blake, he is all in on whatever the team needs. He starts. For us, him being on the court he’s so effective just because of the threat of what he brings. But for us internally, he’s just rock solid. He’s a complete, dependable, defensive player. You get maximum concentration and effort every day. And he holds other people to a very high standard because that’s a standard he holds himself to. It’s an absolute joy to coach this team, and Blake is a big part of that.”

Peters’ three free throws brought Princeton within 66-64 with 22 seconds left at Yale, but the Bulldogs made a pair of free throws and Princeton got no closer. Peters is one of the players that has taken on a bigger role this year as a starter with his ability to make plays at either end, whether with his shooting or defense, to help the Tigers remain a title favorite.

“He’s far more physical defensively, which is a trademark of this group,” said Henderson. “And that’s just the work that he’s put in over the last year. And it’s his time now. He’s a junior and he’s more experienced with how to use his frame. He has more know-how.”

The Tigers, too, have a little more know-how as they head into their final game of the first half of the Ivy season. Princeton is hoping to use its latest experiences on the road when it returns home to host Penn on February 10. Princeton is expecting a friendlier feeling at Jadwin Gym than it got in four straight Ivy road contests when opposing crowds came out for the chance to cheer against the defending league champions.

“All of our road games in the league have been sold out,” said Henderson. “I believe the Penn game is sold out. To me, that’s a really exciting thing. It’s a testament to the work the team has done so far. It’s also giving us experience and we’re learning how to win in a tough road environment.”

Princeton split those road contests, and the experiences have helped to groom Princeton for the stretch run. The Tigers sit third in the Ivy standings behind Cornell (17-3 overall, 6-0 Ivy) and Yale (15-6 overall, 6-0 Ivy) with the top four teams qualifying for the Ivy League March Madness tournament that will determine the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers know it will take big back-to-back efforts to win the Ivy bid again. This year’s tournament will be held at Columbia, where the Tigers started their road trip.

“The key thing is there’s tension anywhere,” said Henderson. “When you’re on the road, you’re getting booed and the overrated chant. It doesn’t go in one ear and out the other when you’re a young kid. But you learn to process it in a healthy way which is what I think we’re learning to do on the road, which is great.”

This Saturday, Princeton aims to be serenaded by cheers as it hosts Penn. The Quakers dropped both games at Brown on Friday and at Yale on Saturday to fall to 1-5 in the Ivies. Their leading scorer, Clark Slajchert, has not played since December 30 due to injury, but the Tigers are anticipating another challenging Ivy contest.

“It’s Penn,” said Henderson. “It’s always a rivalry game. You tend to watch a lot of their games because they’re your travel partner and we’re always seeing them a lot. I have really good familiarity with them. The Slajchert kid is hurt, but could be seeing some time here soon. So we know they’re a little shorthanded with a very good player. And the [Nick] Spinosa kid is a really tough cover. Their record isn’t really indicative of what they are. They had a nice win over Villanova earlier in the year so we know it’s a tough one. Overall the league is very good. I’ve always said it, but everybody is kind of beating up on each other. The league is very good. You have Yale and Cornell who we just saw recently are obviously really strong.”

Princeton will host Brown and Yale the following weekend February 16 and 17, respectively, as the second half of Ivy play begins. The Tigers are hoping that their bounce back win over Brown is just a start, and they can use the lessons from their two-game losing streak to put together a title run.

“You learn so much more in a loss,” said Henderson. “The teaching points tend to land just a little more effectively. It’s enabled us to dig in on things where we really need to improve, and we have their full attention. It’s a group that really wants to improve.”