On the heels of a disappointing trip to Myrtle Beach, the Princeton Men’s Basketball team (7–3, 0–0 Ivy League) traveled to Philadelphia on Tuesday to face off against the St. Joseph’s Hawks (5–3, 0–0 Atlantic 10). In a thrilling contest featuring the first triple-double in Tiger history, Princeton pulled ahead late in the second half and upset the Hawks, 77–69.
“This was our best game of the season so far, and I’m grateful that it all clicked for us,” junior guard Xaivian Lee told The Daily Princetonian. Lee was the star of the night, contributing in all facets of the game on his way to his historic triple-double. His effort registered the first triple-double in the program’s 123-year history as well as breaking a thirteen-year five-loss streak to the Hawks.
Last year, Princeton also played away at St. Joseph’s, falling 74–70 for their first loss of the season. At the time, the faceoff seemed to be an NCAA tournament preview, with each team playing like they were dreaming of March. After both teams ultimately failed to get bids last year, the Tigers have seemingly regressed while St. Joe’s has opened the year even stronger.
Widely recognized as one of the best mid-major teams in the country, St. Joseph’s has had a notable start to the season. With wins over traditional powerhouses Villanova and Texas Tech, the Hawks are already positioned to make a run at the top of a loaded Atlantic 10 conference. Princeton already faced off against two teams from the A-10, defeating Duquesne (1–7, 0–0 A-10) before falling to Loyola-Chicago (7–0, 0–0 A-10).
On the Hawks’ first possession of the game, junior guard Derek Simpson opened the scoring with a three-pointer. From that moment on, the Hawks never led again in the first half. Tiger senior guard Philip Byriel answered right back with a three of his own, followed by a dunk from freshman center Malik Abdullahi. Building on these efforts, Princeton raced ahead to an early 13–8 lead.
Throughout the first half, the Tigers seemed to have an answer to every Hawks play. Lee was all over the court, draining buckets, grabbing rebounds, and even securing a pair of steals. As time went on, buzz began to build about Lee’s proximity to a milestone no Tiger has ever reached: a triple-double.
Though his career at Princeton has been impressive thus far, Lee was on track to write his name into the history books. With six points, eight rebounds, and seven assists at the half, he was already more than halfway there.
“I definitely knew I was really close because, after the first half, I had a lot of rebounds and assists and knew I had to get the triple-double today,” Lee told the ‘Prince.’ “When you’re actually playing, though, that’s not really what you’re thinking about.”
The Tigers led by as many as 12 points in the first. Byriel, finally seeing consistent playing time after seasons spent on the bench, led the team with nine points in the first half. In the last two minutes, the Hawks rallied to cut the lead to five, 41–36, at the half.
In the second half, the Hawks battled the Tigers to a tie before pulling ahead 53–52. St. Joseph’s maintained a slight lead for the next few minutes, leaving many of the Tigers faithful to wonder whether the game could slip away. Instead, Byriel once again willed the Tigers forward, assisting a layup by sophomore guard Jackson Hicke before nailing a three-pointer to go up 61–58.
With the Hawks’ Rasheer Fleming having a huge night reaching twenty points with four minutes left in the game, Princeton clung to a mere 63–62 lead. Staring down Fleming on the other end, he shot from well beyond the arc and drained a massive three, putting the Tigers up four.
As the two mid-major heavyweights continued to search for a knockout blow, Lee and Byriel combined for another big play. Lee, already with 17 points and 13 rebounds, dished the ball to Byriel, who hit his sixth three of the night — a career-high in points for Byriel. The play was massive for the Tigers and Lee, putting them up six and putting Lee one assist away from Tiger history. On the next possession, he got it.
With 90 seconds to play and the ball in his hands, Lee pulled up for a jump shot, but at the last second, he let the ball spin out of his hands and into those of a waiting Caden Pierce, who cashed in a quick layup. This left Lee at 17 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and one magical triple-double.
“I was aware I was two assists shy, and thankfully it just went our way down the stretch,” Lee told the ‘Prince’ after his historic performance. “It was a pretty incredible experience to have this be the game when it happened.”
Down six points, the Hawks desperately needed a basket on the next possession to keep a slim chance of victory. Instead, an errant three-pointer was recovered by the Tigers, setting off the customary carousel of fouling that ends almost every college basketball game. After a few minutes of free throws, the buzzer sounded and the Tigers secured a 77–69 win in enemy territory.
With five years of repeated losses to St. Joseph’s, the Hawks have long had the Tigers’ number. Going into Philadelphia as heavy underdogs and pulling off a victory, the Tigers have taken back control.
The Tigers’ season continues on Saturday in South Carolina, as the team takes on Furman (8–1, 0–0 Southern). Last year, the Tigers defeated the Paladins in one of the most thrilling games of the season, with Matt Allocco ’24 hitting a buzzer-beating three in front of a packed Jadwin Gym. Riding high, Lee and the Tigers will look to carry the momentum forward into another out-of-conference rematch.
Joe Uglialoro is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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