PIERCE COMPETITOR: Princeton University men’s basketball player Caden Pierce, right, looks to get around Dartmouth’s Dusan Nescovic last Saturday afternoon at Jadwin Gym. Freshman forward Pierce posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the contest to help Princeton rally for a 93-90 overtime win against the Big Green. The Tigers, now 14-5 overall and 5-1 Ivy League, moved into first place in the league standings with the victory and will look to stay ahead of the pack as they play at Yale on January 28. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Hosting Dartmouth last Saturday afternoon, the Princeton University men’s basketball team found itself in a desperate situation, trailing the Big Green 76-72 with 1:10 left in regulation.
But with Jadwin Gym in an uproar, Princeton freshman forward Caden Pierce’s thoughts turned to a message hammered home by Tiger head coach Mitch Henderson.
“Coach always says, no matter what the score is, we are always winning the game so I felt like that is what we needed to do,” said Pierce.
Taking those words to heart, Pierce made a steal, flung the ball to Tosan Evbuomwan who set up a three-pointer by Matt Allocco.
“I needed to step up and make a play down the stretch to help the team win,” said Pierce.
Pierce’s clutch play set the tone as Princeton knotted the game at 76-76 to force overtime and then pulled out a 93-90 win as it improved to 14-5 overall and 5-1 Ivy League. more