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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Fresno State
Wallace, Three-Point Shooting Lead Tigers Past Fresno State, 72-67, at McCaffrey Classic
December 06, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2003
Box Score
Fresno, CA - With Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril seated just a few rows behind the bench, the Princeton basketball team put on a performance Saturday night that no doubt made the former Tiger mentor proud.
Junior center Judson Wallace scored 15 of his 26 points after halftime, including a key hook shot from the right baseline as the shot clock wound down with 20 seconds left, and Princeton connected on 11 of its 22 three-point attempts for the game as the Tigers defeated host Fresno State, 72-67, on the second day of the McCaffrey Classic in front of 14,420 at the Save Mart Center.
The Tigers (4-1) had assists on 19 of their 25 baskets and shot 53 percent from the field, but didn't put the game away until the final seconds. Fresno State (1-3) had a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds remaining after Princeton was called for an offensive foul trying to inbound the ball underneath the Bulldog basket, but Marcus West's three-pointer was off the mark and Scott Greenman, the shortest player on the court at 5-9, came down with the rebound. Greenman then hit two free throws at the other end to put Princeton ahead by five points. "We did a nice job of keeping our composure in a difficult environment tonight," said Princeton head coach John Thompson. "We ran our offense well most of the night and when they made runs at us, we stayed focused on running our stuff and getting good shots."
Wallace continued his early-season scoring spree by shooting 9 for 15 from the field and 4 for 6 from three-point range. The junior center scored all nine of Princeton's points in a 9-2 run that gave the Tigers a 65-56 lead with 5:22 left, including a three-pointer from the corner and a layup that each came near the end of the shot clock. He then hit the tough hook shot that bounced off the front and back rims before falling to give the Tigers a 70-65 lead with 20 seconds on the clock.
"I love having the ball in those situations, and my teammates look for me to make a play near the end of the shot clock," said Wallace, who is averaging 23 points per game over the first five games of the season. "But we're used to those situations and feel confident in getting a good shot. I was fortunate to get the roll on the hook near the end."
"Judson's play this year has come as a result of hard work the past two years and in the offseason," said Thompson. "He could always shoot the ball, and he has always had excellent skills, and you're seeing that come out this year because of that effort."
Fresno State cut the Princeton lead to 70-67 on two Shantay Legans free throws with 10 seconds left before getting the ball back for the game-tying attempt by West that was off the mark. The Bulldogs cut the Princeton lead to two points four different times in the second half but never led in the final 35 minutes of the game.
Will Venable added 10 points and a career-best nine assists for Princeton, which shot 50 percent or better for the fourth time in five games this season. Venable also had three steals and four rebounds. Konrad Wysocki had all 11 of his points in the first half for the Tigers, who improved to 3-0 all-time against the Bulldogs.
Renaldo Major led Fresno with 20 points, while Legans added 18 points and seven assists. The Bulldogs shot an impressive 57.1 percent from the field (24 for 42) for the game but missed four of five three-point attempts in the final 1:32. Major hit a left-corner three-pointer with 56 seconds left to pull Fresno within three before Wallace's hook shot on the other end.
The Tigers fell behind 9-4 early in the game before using a 14-4 run following the first media timeout to take a 18-13 lead on a Wysocki layup with 11:24 left in the half. Wysocki scored 11 of the Tigers' first 25 points. Princeton then extended its first-half lead to double digits near the end of the half, taking a 40-28 lead on Wallace's third three-pointer of the half with 1:22 left, before Legans scored five straight points to pull the Bulldogs within 40-33 at halftime.
Princeton made at least 10 three-pointers for the third time in five games this season,had seven different players make at least one three-pointer and shot 11 for 12 from the foul line. The Tigers also outrebounded the Bulldogs 22-19, including an 8-6 advantage on the offensive glass.