Men's Basketball: Defense falters late as Tigers drop 2 of 3 at tourney

The men’s basketball team dropped its first two games before thoroughly dismantling West Alabama in the TicketCity Legends Classic over Thanksgiving weekend. Princeton (2-5) struggled in its opening games against Bucknell (5-2) and Morehead State (3-4), losing 62-56 and 68-56, respectively. The Tigers recovered on Sunday afternoon to pummel Division-II West Alabama (1-6) by 24 points, but they still face many questions after a rough opening stretch.

Against Bucknell, the Tigers took a whopping 32 shots from three-point range out of 51 total, making nine treys. Senior forward John Comfort contributed three of those buckets, scoring his first three-point field goals since his freshman year. Junior forward Ian Hummer paced the team with 13 points and 10 rebounds, also draining one from long distance, showcasing his new ability to stretch the opposing defense out of position.

Though the Tigers turned the ball over on only three occasions in the second half, the Bison increased their one-point halftime lead to take the game fairly comfortably. The Tigers fared better offensively in the second half than they had in the first, but the Bison went a step further and scored at an efficient clip of 57.1 percent while grabbing five offensive rebounds to score 37 points in the period.

Bison center Mike Muscala pulverized the Tigers inside, going 8-for-10 on field goals and the same on free throws to total 25 points for the game, complementing his 12 rebounds. After a strong first half, Muscala heated up in the second period and dropped 17 on the Tigers as the Bison pulled away for their 15th consecutive home victory.

“We’re not reeling, but we’re 1-4, and we’re trying to move and put our stamp on things here a little bit,” head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 said in a press conference after the first game. “I think that there’s still large amounts of improvement left for us.”

Morehead State, like Bucknell, broke free after a cagey first period to dominate the Tigers in the second, expanding a two-point lead into a 12-point victory. The Tigers lacked the necessary intensity on defense for long patches, including most of the second half.

“It’s a very good group to work with,” Henderson said. “But we really have to learn how to compete.”

The Eagles burned the Tigers’ defense for 48 points in the final period, converting 13 of 24 field goal attempts and making an impressive 20 of 25 free throws. In contrast, the Tigers turned the ball over 10 times to negate their improved shooting performance and fall further behind. Hummer led the team yet again with 12 points and eight rebounds while playing only 27 minutes due to foul trouble.

Although the Tigers redoubled their efforts as they made a final push to catch up to Morehead State, the team came no closer than six points as the Eagles sank 10 consecutive free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

When probed by journalists after the game on what’s missing for the Tigers, sophomore point guard T.J. Bray simply responded, “The fire.”

“Leadership,” junior forward Mack Darrow said. “You can’t have your head coach being the guy that’s setting the tone, and he can only do so much. We gotta go out and play the game, and that falls on all of us.”

Princeton did just that on Sunday, trouncing West Alabama 66-42 as Henderson experimented with a fresh lineup. Senior forward Patrick Saunders retained his place for his third consecutive start, while Darrow jumped into the starting five at the expense of junior center Brendan Connolly.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The change did wonders, as Darrow contributed 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. Hummer and senior guard Doug Davis also scored in double digits, combining for 29 points while making more than half of their three-point and overall field-goal attempts. Bray and Saunders chipped in with three steals and four rebounds apiece, while Bray contributed an additional six assists and Saunders nine points.

Princeton raced to a 36-13 halftime lead despite shooting only at a rate of 35.5 percent, as the team forced nine turnovers and pulled down eight offensive rebounds. The team rattled off the first 20 points of the match, while West Alabama could only make a woeful three field goals and mustered only two points in the paint during the period.

The second half produced a more determined show from the West Alabama players, as Henderson gave the reserves a chance to prove their mettle. Although the bench converted only four of 20 field goals, the effort remained consistent, and junior forward Will Barrett scored seven points to complement his six rebounds.

Although West Alabama came into the game on the back of an 87-50 hammering at the hands of Bucknell, Darrow and Saunders certainly presented a strong case for long-term inclusion in the starting lineup. Darrow in particular may have the best chance to fill the Tigers’ need for a consistent third scorer.

Princeton plays Lafayette at home in Jadwin Gymnasium on Wednesday before embarking on a streak of seven games on the road, a stretch that will last into 2012.