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/ Men's Basketball21-Point 4th-Quarter Comeback Leads Men's Hoops to OT Win in Italy
August 26, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Postgame Highlights & Comments | Photo Gallery: Day 6 (includes box score vs. Fortitudo Kontatto)
Photo Gallery, Day 5 | Photo Gallery, Days 3 & 4 | Photo Gallery, Days 1 & 2 | Video: Tigers in Rome |Video: Tigers in Florence
Earlier Friday, members of the Princeton men's basketball team climbed nearly 498 steps to the top of the Towers of Bologna, and yet it didn't end up being their most impressive climb of the day.
Starting the 10-minute fourth quarter of Friday night's game down 21 points against Fortitudo Kontatto, the Tigers battled back to within two points on a Devin Cannady bucket with just 14 seconds to go.Â
Fortitudo's Chris Roberts, who played at Bradley in Illinois, was sent to the line on a foul and hit both free thorws to put his team back up four with just 12 seconds left, and yet the improbable comeback still had life. Cannady, quickly fouled to prevent a 3-pointer, hit the first free throw with nine seconds left and sacrificed the second for a chance at a rebound. Pete Miller tipped the rebound back toward halfcourt, and by the time Khyan Rayner recovered it, the final seconds were slipping away. Rayner heaved a shot that banked off the backboard and in, tying the game at 77 apiece and stunning the spirited crowd of better than a thousand and buying five more minutes for Princeton to turn the comeback into a win.
The momentum from Rayner's buzzer beater carried into the overtime, and Princeton never trailed in the extra period, getting out of Land Rover Arena with a 93-87 victory to open the team's three-game, 10-day tour of Italy.
Fortitudo Kontatto is a team in the second division of the Italian pro basketball leagues, and a pair of Americans, Roberts (20 points) and Justin Knox, who played at Alabama and North Carolina (16 points) were two of the team's top three scorers. Matteo Montano chipped in 17 points for the home team.
On the Tiger side, the win saw junior Mike LeBlanc, whose best with the team is 12 points early last season against Lafayette, lead Princeton with 18 points and Amir Bell (13), Henry Caruso (12) and Steven Cook (11) also in double figures. Thirteen Tigers played and 10 scored, with Hans Brase not playing but remaining on track for a season-opening return.
Game Notes
• Princeton went 3 of 17 from 3 in the first half and finished 9 of 32. Fortitudo ended up 10 of 30 after starting 5 of 13 through halftime. Rebounds were all square at 41 apiece (13 o-rebounds for Fortitudo, 11 for Princeton), and the Tigers outshot Fortitudo from the field for the game, 43.5 percent (30 of 69) to 39.7 percent (27 of 68).Â
• Khyan Rayner, including the buzzer beater, was 2 of 2 from the field with the desperation 3 as his only try from distance. He was also 3 of 4 from the line while tying with three others with a game-high four assists.
• Though Devin Cannady struggled from the field, going 1 for 8, he was strong elsewhere, leading the team with five rebounds and dishing out four assists without a turnover. He was also 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.
• Mike LeBlanc went 6 of 9 from the field, 3 of 6 from 3 and 3 of 3 from the stripe to net his 18 points.
• This was Princeton's first game on foreign soil since the 2012 trip to Spain.
• The arena, which seats 5,721, allowed fans in half the seats for the free exhibition, and that half of the arena was mostly full. Donations were accepted for victims of this week's earthquake further south in Italy.
Photo Gallery, Day 5 | Photo Gallery, Days 3 & 4 | Photo Gallery, Days 1 & 2 | Video: Tigers in Rome |Video: Tigers in Florence
Earlier Friday, members of the Princeton men's basketball team climbed nearly 498 steps to the top of the Towers of Bologna, and yet it didn't end up being their most impressive climb of the day.
Starting the 10-minute fourth quarter of Friday night's game down 21 points against Fortitudo Kontatto, the Tigers battled back to within two points on a Devin Cannady bucket with just 14 seconds to go.Â
Fortitudo's Chris Roberts, who played at Bradley in Illinois, was sent to the line on a foul and hit both free thorws to put his team back up four with just 12 seconds left, and yet the improbable comeback still had life. Cannady, quickly fouled to prevent a 3-pointer, hit the first free throw with nine seconds left and sacrificed the second for a chance at a rebound. Pete Miller tipped the rebound back toward halfcourt, and by the time Khyan Rayner recovered it, the final seconds were slipping away. Rayner heaved a shot that banked off the backboard and in, tying the game at 77 apiece and stunning the spirited crowd of better than a thousand and buying five more minutes for Princeton to turn the comeback into a win.
The momentum from Rayner's buzzer beater carried into the overtime, and Princeton never trailed in the extra period, getting out of Land Rover Arena with a 93-87 victory to open the team's three-game, 10-day tour of Italy.
Fortitudo Kontatto is a team in the second division of the Italian pro basketball leagues, and a pair of Americans, Roberts (20 points) and Justin Knox, who played at Alabama and North Carolina (16 points) were two of the team's top three scorers. Matteo Montano chipped in 17 points for the home team.
On the Tiger side, the win saw junior Mike LeBlanc, whose best with the team is 12 points early last season against Lafayette, lead Princeton with 18 points and Amir Bell (13), Henry Caruso (12) and Steven Cook (11) also in double figures. Thirteen Tigers played and 10 scored, with Hans Brase not playing but remaining on track for a season-opening return.
Game Notes
• Princeton went 3 of 17 from 3 in the first half and finished 9 of 32. Fortitudo ended up 10 of 30 after starting 5 of 13 through halftime. Rebounds were all square at 41 apiece (13 o-rebounds for Fortitudo, 11 for Princeton), and the Tigers outshot Fortitudo from the field for the game, 43.5 percent (30 of 69) to 39.7 percent (27 of 68).Â
• Khyan Rayner, including the buzzer beater, was 2 of 2 from the field with the desperation 3 as his only try from distance. He was also 3 of 4 from the line while tying with three others with a game-high four assists.
• Though Devin Cannady struggled from the field, going 1 for 8, he was strong elsewhere, leading the team with five rebounds and dishing out four assists without a turnover. He was also 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.
• Mike LeBlanc went 6 of 9 from the field, 3 of 6 from 3 and 3 of 3 from the stripe to net his 18 points.
• This was Princeton's first game on foreign soil since the 2012 trip to Spain.
• The arena, which seats 5,721, allowed fans in half the seats for the free exhibition, and that half of the arena was mostly full. Donations were accepted for victims of this week's earthquake further south in Italy.
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