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Princeton University
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Dartmouth
Men's Hoops Completes Weekend Sweep With 57-52 Win Over Dartmouth
February 01, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2003
Final Stats
PRINCETON, N.J. - Kyle Wente scored nine points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out seven assists and committed only one turnover to lead the Princeton men's basketball team to a 57-52 win over a gritty Dartmouth squad in front of 5,747 fans at Jadwin Gym Saturday night. It was the 16th straight home win over Dartmouth and the seventh straight time Princeton started the Ivy season 2-0.
The Tigers played without Friday's leading scorer, Will Venable, who sat out of the game with a deep thigh bruise. His replacement, Ray Robins, scored 14 points and hit 6 of 7 free throws to help guide the offense. Spencer Gloger bounced back from a tough shooting night on Friday to lead all scorers with 16 points; Gloger saved his best for the defensive end, limiting Dartmouth's Charles Harris to six points in 40 minutes. Both teams struggled offensively early, although Princeton was able to find its game first and held a 17-4 lead following a three-pointer by Ed Persia at the 8:05 mark of the first half. A three-pointer by Gloger would give Princeton another 13-point lead later in the half, but Dartmouth was able to trim the lead to eight points by halftime.
The Big Green stayed close throughout the second half and finally tied the score following a 13-2 surge over the span of 4:36 late in the game. Consecutive three-pointers by Jason Meyer and Steve Callahan, the latter coming on a double-clutch shot, and then a jumper by Callahan evened the score at 47-47 with 4:18 remaining.
Wente hit a close turnaround jumper to open a two-point lead, and then it became a free-throw shooting contest. Princeton would make four of the next six free throws and held a five-point lead before Calvin Arnold hit a three-pointer at the top of the arc to bring the score to 54-52. Robins hit two crucial free throws, and Jason Meyer and Charles Harris each missed three-pointers on the ensuing possession, sealing the win for Princeton.
"Wins are very good, period," Princeton head coach John Thompson said. "The nature of conference play is that anybody can beat anybody. [Dartmouth] played terrific tonight. They came in here to win. It's a good sign that for the second night in a row, when we needed a big play, guys stepped up and executed."
Princeton will travel to Columbia on Friday for its first Ivy League road game of the season.