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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Drexel (Preseason NIT)
Drexel Defeats Princeton, 54-41, in NIT Season Tip-Off First Round
November 14, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2005
Box Score
Dominick Mejia scored 18 points to lead three Drexel players in double figures and the Dragons outrebounded Princeton 46-17 for the game, including 19-4 on the offensive glass, on the way to a 54-41 win over the Tigers in the season opener for both teams in front of 2,352 at Jadwin Gym in the NIT Season Tip-Off first round.
Chaz Crawford added 13 points and Bashir Mason 10 for the Dragons (1-0), who trailed by as many as seven points midway through the first half before fashioning a game-changing 17-0 run. Randy Oveneke had 14 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, and Crawford had six of his nine rebounds on the offensive end.
Princeton (0-1) went nearly nine minutes without scoring after taking a 16-9 lead, committing five turnovers and missing five consecutive shots as Drexel scored the 17 consecutive points to take a 26-16 lead. The Tigers then cut a nine-point halftime deficit to 36-32 with 12:11 left after a Kyle Koncz three-pointer, but Bashir Mason's layup then started a 9-1 Drexel run that put the game away.
"We simply did not play the game aggressively enough on either end of the court," said Princeton head coach Joe Scott. "We settled for three-pointers offensively and obviously let them be more physical than us on the boards."
Noah Savage led the Tigers with 15 points, shooting 5 for 8 from three-point range, but he was the only Princeton player in double figures. Princeton took 30 of its 46 shots from three-point range, making 10 of those three-pointers, but shot just 33% overall from the field for the game. Drexel made 18 of 25 free throws, while the Tigers had just three free-throw attempts and made one.
The Tigers started the game hot from behind the arc in the early minutes, and Geoff Kestler's layup with 15:11 left gave Princeton a 13-5 lead. Harrison Schaen's three-point shot then gave the Tigers a 16-9 lead with 9:14 left, but Princeton wouldn't score again until the final minute of the half, a Savage three-pointer.
Schaen had nine points and three rebounds in 25 minutes in his first game back in a Tiger uniform after a year away from school. All nine of his points came from three-point range.
Princeton plays at Lehigh on Sunday at 3:30. The Tigers have won 21 consecutive games against the Mountain Hawks dating back to the 1930 season.