The Princeton men’s basketball team (10–4 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) hosted the Akron Zips (7–5 overall, 0–0 Mid-American Conference) at Jadwin Gymnasium on Dec. 29 for their final game of 2024.
Despite trailing by 13 with eight minutes remaining and junior forward Caden Pierce stepping off the court with an ankle injury, the Tigers, led by junior guard Xaivian Lee’s 19 points and sophomore guard Dalen Davis’s 17, escaped with a scrappy 76–75 win thanks to a Davis triple at the death.
“It’s unbelievable,” head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 said after the game. “Dalen’s shot there at the end, and just to get to the point where we were tied. We were completely outplayed almost the whole game.”
First-year forward Malik Abdullahi, senior forward Philip Byriel, and Lee all notched points in the first four minutes to build a 5–3 lead before their momentum was halted. Pierce drove for a layup against Akron’s Amani Lyles who landed on Pierce’s right ankle, forcing him to limp off in pain.
Pierce is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, Ivy League Player of the Week, and Lute Olson National Player of the Week.
“He’s a talker, and we have a slightly reserved group,” coach Henderson said about Pierce. “Absolutely no excuses, but you can see the importance of him on a lot of different levels for us.”
His absence noticeably impacted the Tigers offense, as they recorded their third-lowest offensive rebounds this season at only five, compared to Pierce’s seven alone in their last game against Rutgers. In that matchup, Pierce scored 21 points and 14 rebounds in addition to the game winner.
Without Pierce, Akron built a 10-point lead 28–18 by exploiting the Princeton defense with efficient long-range shooting. The Tigers were all out of place, stepping out of bounds three times in a row.
“I remind the guys the white line is out of bounds,” coach Henderson said. “I’m joking, but that was brutal. We had 12 turnovers.”
The Zips had 10 points off those turnovers in the first half as the Tigers were unable to regain their footing. Despite formerly being 19th in the nation for three-pointers per game, the Tigers could not manage a single triple in the first half, while the Zips made five of their own, leaving the Tigers down 41–30 at half-time.
The second half started off even worse, as the Zips extended their lead to 15. Byriel finally scored the Tigers’ first three-pointer of the game; senior guard Blake Peters followed suit, scoring his 156th career three-pointer to tie the ninth all-time Princeton record.
17:47 2nd | Akron 45, Princeton 35
— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) December 30, 2024
A 5-0 run!
Philip Byriel buries the corner three!
💻: https://t.co/ttHDA754SJ #MakeShots 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/48dqAYnB6E
After cutting their deficit to 50–41, the Tigers pushed back with a 5–0 run that saw Davis swish an open three, Lee weave in through two defenders, and sophomore guard Jackson Hicke, who was in for Pierce, make a commanding block over the Zip’s top scorer Nate Johnson.
“No one is gonna be [Pierce],” Hicke said postgame. “Just staying confident in myself and knowing what I can do, and it might not fit my normal role, but I have faith in our whole team.”
Hicke ended the game with the most blocks in a single game for the Tigers this season at three, and is already tied for most blocks this season despite having been a rotation player.
“[Hicke] was terrific tonight,” coach Henderson said postgame. “You measure something that’s basically intangible, it’s deflections and loose balls, and [Pierce] is the highest and then [Hicke] is right behind him, and it’s not really close to who’s third. He’s been terrific and very deserving.”
The Zips continued to push, with Johnson putting up 17 points, putting them at a 13-point lead 66–53 with just eight minutes left. The Tigers turned up the intensity with Lee, whose shifty layup and tough three-pointer sparked a 7–0 run for the Tigers. Further offensive work by Hicke helped the Tigers climb back to just a three-point game, 70–67.
“We talk a lot about steadily going through the process of getting back into a game,” coach Henderson said. “You’re down 12, you don’t have to get those 12 points on that next possession. You just need to get one basket … I always believe we’re going to win and I think the guys do, too.”
With 56 seconds on the clock, Akron’s James Okonkwo drove towards the rim only to be denied yet again by a soaring Hicke. Davis converted two massive free throws to tie it up, before Okonkwo tipped in a shot at the other end for a 75–73 Akron lead with 10 seconds to go.
With time ticking down, Hicke fed the determined Davis, guarded by Johnson, on the perimeter. Davis took one dribble forward and sank a three-point jumper with 1.8 seconds on the clock, lighting up all of Jadwin.
.@DalenDavis2, FOR THE WIN! 🔥
— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) December 30, 2024
The Tigers come back from 15 down to defeat Akron, 76-75!
💻: https://t.co/ttHDA754SJ#MakeShots 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/W3EGU6EfSb
The game was not yet sealed for the Tigers, however, as Davis’s shot was contested. For six long minutes, the referees over video footage to judge whether Davis’s foot was on the three-point line when he shot, ultimately determining that it was indeed a three-pointer.
“I prayed,” Davis said jokingly about the call. “My right foot’s always tilted when I shoot, so when I saw the video, I’m like, ‘It’s got to be a three-pointer.’”
At the end, the Zips launched the ball cross-court in a desperate attempt to tie but could not reach the rim, ending the game 76–75 to the Tigers.
Despite the win, Pierce’s injury looms over the Tigers’ future.
“I don’t think that there’s really a replacement for [Pierce],” coach Henderson said post-game. “But [Hicke] knows what he’s doing, knows what the expectations are … his acumen and feel for the game is really terrific.”
The Tigers will play one more non-conference game against the Kean University Cougars (5–7 overall, 3–2 Eastern College Athletic Conference), a Division III team, at Jadwin Gymnasium on Jan. 4 at 11:30 a.m.
Bryant Figueroa is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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