Men's Basketball: Tigers survive at Monmouth

Princeton is used to playing nail-biters by now, having already won a pair of overtime games and losing two others by a combined three points. The Muhawks (3-5) are also no strangers to drama — last night marked the fifth game of their young season that was decided by one possession, not including another that went to overtime.

With one minute remaining, Phil Wait hit a layup to bring the Muhawks within one point, the closest margin in more than a half-hour of game time. Sophomore forward Ian Hummer answered with a jumper, but after a Monmouth free throw, Hummer missed a pair of foul shots. Fortunately for the Tigers, senior forward Kareem Maddox fought for the offensive rebound to keep possession.

Senior guard Dan Mavraides, who had made 87 percent of his free throws entering the game, missed one of two with 14 seconds left, giving the hosts a chance to tie with a three-pointer. James Hett took the final shot, but his attempt was blocked by Maddox and never reached the basket.

The Tigers, known for attempting a lot of three-pointers, took that emphasis even further on Wednesday. Of Princeton’s 53 shots from the floor, 25 came from outside the arc, the highest proportion this season. Junior guard Douglas Davis was the biggest culprit, tying a season high with six triples on 11 attempts.

Princeton, playing at the two-year-old Monmouth Athletic Center for the first time, struggled to find its shot in the unfamiliar gym. The notable exception was senior guard Dan Mavraides, who scored the visitors’ first eight points. Sophomore forward Ian Hummer missed three early shots but contributed on the other end, notching three steals and a block in the first six minutes.

The other Tigers finally got in on the scoring, as juniors Patrick Saunders and Doug Davis hit three-pointers to break an 8-8 tie. Senior forward Kareem Maddox came off the bench to make a layup plus one in transition, and Davis hit two more triples to cap a 15-2 run. The Tigers led by 13 points at halftime, and a Hummer layup at the 16-minute mark in the second period extended the lead to 41-26.

Hummer has been one of the conference’s most efficient players on the offensive end and was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday. But the sophomore, who had committed just 13 turnovers in his first eight games, coughed the ball up four times on Wednesday and tied a season low with three rebounds. His frontcourt partner in crime, Maddox, scored 13 points in 28 minutes off the bench. Maddox also added a team-high nine rebounds, adding five assists and three blocks.

Princeton’s affinity for close games is nothing new. Last season, 10 of the Tigers’ 31 contests were decided by five points or less or went to overtime.

The late-game fireworks are often disappointing, as they tend to follow large Princeton leads. Rutgers overcame a 14-point deficit to force overtime in the season opener, and Bucknell nearly did the same a week later, while St. Joseph’s cut a 25-point margin to single digits last weekend. Most harrowingly, James Madison beat the Tigers after trailing by 20 points, a game that head coach Sydney Johnson ’97 and the players undoubtedly had flashbacks to as Monmouth mounted its comeback.

Why do the Tigers struggle late in games? One possible culprit is tempo. Johnson has frequently said that he wants Princeton to play faster than its traditionally tortoise-like pace, and so far he has succeeded: The Tigers have averaged 66 possessions per 40 minutes, after playing at a tempo slower than 60 in each of the previous two years. But when the Tigers get an early lead, more possessions give the trailing team more chances to come back.

A bigger concern is Princeton’s depth: Johnson relies heavily on four players, who average more than 30 minutes per game. On Wednesday, only eight Tigers saw action — which has been standard this season — and just five scored any points. Teams that run deeper — such as the Muhawks, who used 11 players — can put fresher bodies on the court down the stretch, a possible cause for Princeton’s late-game struggles.

The Tigers’ next opportunity for drama comes on Sunday, when they travel to Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane has already defeated Stanford and is expected to contend for the Conference USA title.