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Princeton University Athletics
Streaking Tigers Down Rutgers In OT, 66-60
December 12, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 12, 1999
Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Bill Carmody said it's time for Princeton to play straight-ahead basketball, and he has the right guy leading the charge.
Despite smashing into bodies and sprawling on the floor most of the game, Mason Rocca played the entire 45 minutes and scored a career-high 28 points with 13 rebounds as Princeton defeated Rutgers, 66-60, in overtime Sunday.
Princeton (5-4) won its fourth straight overall and second straight overtime game while Rutgers (6-2) snapped its four-game winning streak.
The Tigers are 4-1 since Rocca, their lone senior, returned from a groin injury and 4-0 since he got in the starting lineup. Rocca calls it a coincidence, others beg to differ. "As soon as he came back, we started winning the close games," said center Chris Young, who had 11 points and seven rebounds. "When you're missing your only senior, it makes a difference. The way he plays rubs off on the rest of us, and we've been a much tougher team since he's been back."
"He's just been great," Carmody said. "He makes everyone else braver out there. We have some young guys who are a little wide-eyed out there, and he just plows ahead and makes everybody a little tougher."
Which typifies the type of style Carmody is seeking. Princeton is shooting less three-pointers and backdoor layups these days, and driving a little harder to the basket. That resulted in 33 free throws Sunday after Princeton shot 66 in its first eight games.
"When we had guys like (Gabe) Lewullis and (Brian) Earl, that was beautiful to watch," Carmody said. "But now we've got to win a little differently. Maybe not muscle ball, but a little more straight forward.
"We had to simplify things today. Instead of being cutie-pie out there with all these little cuts, we had to go straight ahead. What can you say about Mason? He has a groin pull and tendinitis in his ankle, but he was something special today. He'd make a good tight end in the NFL."
Which is only fitting after his effort against Rutgers. "I feel like I just played in an NFL game," Rocca said. "I hit the floor a lot."
After Jeff Greer missed a baseline jumper that would have won it in regulation for Rutgers, Princeton used a 13-6 run in the final 2:32 of overtime to win it.
"We were trying to curl Dahntay (Jones) off a screen or look for Rashod (Kent)," Rutgers coach Kevin Bannon said of Greer's shot. "But they did a good job defending it and Jeff just had to try and make something happen."
Dahntay Jones, who had 24 of his 27 points in the second half and OT, hit a jumper in the lane to give Rutgers a 54-53 lead with 3:02 left. Rocca then found Ahmed El-Nokali for a backdoor layup to make it 55-54 with 2:31 left. It was the 14th and final lead change of the game, as it started Princeton on a 9-1 run and 62-55 lead with under 20 seconds left.
Chapman finished with 13 points while Nate Walton had six assists for Princeton.
Greer had 13 points but only one in the second half. Despite his scoring output, Jones had nine of Rutgers' 20 turnovers. Kent added nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and his defense helped shut down Rocca during the later stages of the game.
"We did make some adjustments late in the game and began doubling Mason more," Bannon said. "But every team could use a Mason Rocca. He's not only a good player, he's a warrior."