Men's Basketball: Threes not lucky for Tigers

ALBANY, N.Y. – The men’s basketball team made shots from seemingly every spot along the three-point arc on Thursday night, hitting 13 of 31 attempts for the game. But the Tigers added only eight two-point field goals and four free throws. Despite a career-best game from sophomore point guard T.J. Bray and seven triples from senior guard Doug Davis, Princeton lost at Siena, 63-59, falling to 6-7 entering a short holiday break.

Junior forward Ian Hummer finished with 16 points, but he needed 17 shooting possessions to get there and boosted his total with two three-pointers in the final minutes. Siena’s zone, which was clearly designed to stop the Tigers’ post offense, kept Hummer off-balanced and challenged every shot inside, holding the star to 4-for-13 shooting inside the arc.

“The zone was very effective – even though they made the threes, they didn’t make any layups,” Siena head coach Mitch Buonaguro said.

With the Saints’ defense walling off the paint, Princeton’s guards took control early on. Bray and Davis each scored 12 points in the first period, sinking a combined seven three-pointers, and the Tigers led 32-29 at the break.

Princeton seemed to take control of the game midway through the second half, extending its lead to 43-37 with Davis’ fifth three-pointer of the night. But the Saints went from down six to up six in five and a half minutes, taking the lead with forward Rob Poole’s three-pointer and extending the run to 12-0 before Hummer’s first three stemmed the tide.

Moments later, Davis cut the deficit to two points with yet another triple. But Siena’s go-to player, forward OD Anosike, answered with a thunderous dunk on a second-chance opportunity. Anosike finished with just 12 points on 17 shooting possessions, but he was one of two Saints to grab 10 rebounds, helping limit the Tigers to only six offensive boards on 33 opportunities.

Siena continued to draw fouls and make baskets in the final minutes, surviving a late barrage of Princeton three-pointers to win by four points.

Though Princeton’s interior defenders played strong, clean defense on Anosike, they were whistled frequently when Siena’s guards drove into the lane. The hosts attempted 27 free throws while the Tigers drew only six.

“We were pretty aggressive going to the rim, I thought, towards the end of the second half, but we just couldn’t draw a foul,” head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 said.

And while only six Siena players saw the floor – Downey and point guard Evan Hymes played the full 40 minutes, and only seven scholarship players were available for the Saints – it was the Tigers who often seemed lacking in depth. Nine Tigers made the box score, but only Davis, Hummer and Bray scored more than two points. Junior center Brendan Connolly made an impact with eight rebounds and strong post defense on Anosike, but the other Tigers – including senior forward Pat Saunders, who missed all five of his three-point attempts – did not provide enough support.

Princeton’s 31 three-point attempts stand out in the box score, but the Tigers converted those shots at a high rate (42 percent). With their conventional post sets not working and shooters constantly open on the perimeter, the visitors’ reliance on threes was certainly understandable, and a final rate of 59 points on 62 possessions almost exactly matched their season average.

“I think 31 threes is a lot, but they were coming from guys that we like shooting the ball,” Henderson said. “It just seemed like we settled a little bit for threes against the zone, and we probably have to get the ball inside more.”

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The Tigers’ second-half problems, rather, revolved around their inability to stop Hymes and the rest of the Saints. Princeton forced only six turnovers and Hymes finished with a team-high 22 points.

“We had no answer for [Hymes],” Henderson said.

As Princeton heads into its final three games before conference play, the Tigers’ biggest concern – scoring depth – is still somewhat unanswered. Bray’s recent play has provided a partial solution, however. The point guard, who has set a new career scoring high in each of his last three games, ran Princeton’s offense with more confidence and energy than he showed at the beginning of the season, finishing with 15 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

“When teams throw zones at us, I have to be guy who distributes the ball,” Bray said. “When shots come my way, I have to step in and take them.”

But with a trip to Florida State next on Princeton’s schedule, the Tigers are likely to start Ivy League play no better than .500.