On Saturday afternoon, Princeton men’s basketball (14–5 overall, 3–1 Ivy League) fell to Cornell (11–6, 3–1) 85–76 in front of a packed crowd at Jadwin Gymnasium. Following a nail-biting win over Columbia on Monday, Princeton hoped to continue their seven-game win streak. However, a combination of a slow start to the game and a lack of discipline by the Tigers ultimately led to their downfall.
“We lost because we fouled,” head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 told The Daily Princetonian in a press conference after the game. “It made it very difficult for us to make a comeback in that game.”
Reminiscent of the large deficits the Tigers suffered in the game versus Columbia on Monday, the first half was a constant chase as Princeton scrambled to close a huge gap on the scoreboard. Strong play by Cornell guard Nazir Williams allowed the Big Red to jump out to an early lead at Jadwin.
Princeton made a few early subs, adjusting to Cornell’s style of play. Around the 4:30 minute mark, junior guard Jack Scott received the ball from the opposite side of the arc, swishing it in for Princeton’s first three-pointer of the game to narrow the score 8–7.
After this early burst of offense, the Tigers sputtered to a stop as the Big Red continued to punish them for their missed shots. With Williams spearheading the offense, Cornell’s shots continuously hit their mark as the lead began to get out of hand.
Now down by 16 points, Princeton called a timeout and returned to the court with renewed energy. Senior guard Blake Peters made his first three-pointer of the game, bringing the score to 23–10 around the 11-minute mark.
As Cornell cooled down after this initial offensive onslaught, the Tiger offense heated up in a hurry. An 11–0 run down the stretch brought the Tigers within two late in the half. While converted free throw attempts by Cornell put the pressure on Princeton, critical three-pointers by Lee and Peters brought the sides level at 32–32.
To the delight of the packed crowd at Jadwin, Princeton continued to gain momentum as the seconds ticked down on the clock. On the last possession of the half, Scott threw it to Lee, who made a darting run right under the basket, flicking it in to make it 37–36, finally giving Princeton their first lead of the game.
The Tigers returned from the locker room ready to build on their narrow lead. Princeton and Cornell traded baskets and free throws as Princeton maintained a slight lead over the Big Red until two threes by Peters and Pierce extended Princeton’s lead to 55–49.
In perhaps the game’s biggest Tiger highlight, the crowd roared as two missed free throws in a row by Cornell led to free Chick-Fil-A for all in attendance. The energy was further amplified after Peters made a basket to bring the score to 61–57.
However, Williams continued his dominant play, netting a three to narrow the gap to 61–60 with 7:30 remaining on the clock. A minute later, Peters shot another three-pointer off Lee’s assist, making the score 64–62. The Big Red then made another basket to tie up the score 64–64 with just over six minutes left.
After a foul was called on an incredulous Lee, Cornell forward AK Okereke made the second of his free throws, bringing Cornell up by one for their first lead of the half. While Princeton briefly regained the lead after a basket and converted free throws by Pierce, they were ultimately unable to overcome successive three-pointers by Cornell, failing to ever retake the lead.
With his fifth foul in the final minutes, Lee fouled out and was removed from the game. While Cornell’s lead allowed them to calmly convert their free throw chances, Princeton’s rushed three-point attempts and a scramble of energy at the end of the game were not enough to cut the deficit. The Tigers ultimately lost to Cornell 85–76, defying a century-long record of domination over the Big Red (154–85 since 1902) and a 90–28 home advantage.
“It just comes down to how you prepare for a game,” Jack Scott told the ‘Prince’ regarding the loss. “The discipline, the competitiveness, the fire, and the hunger is something that this team has in them, but it’s lacking right now.”
The upcoming schedule only gets tougher for the Tigers, with home bouts against Yale (11–6, 4–0) and Brown (9–8, 1–3) before a trip to Philadelphia to play the rival Penn Quakers (6–11, 2–2). Needing wins in these key games to keep pace at the top of the Ivy League, the Tigers hope to quickly put this loss behind them.
“I’m still processing this one,” Henderson told the ‘Prince.’ “We’ve been on an elevator to the top of the penthouse, but that elevator has been broken, and we like the ride, but we gotta get back to the basics. And we will.”
Leila Eshaghpour-Silberman is a Sports contributor and contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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