Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
16/16 Wake Forest
Wake Forest Pulls Away Late for 61-42 Win over Princeton
December 17, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2005
Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Every college basketball team has the capability of making a run that quickly changes a game in its favor. Teams like 16th-ranked Wake Forest have the capability of making their runs spectacular and game-ending.
The Deacons scored 15 straight points in a five-minute span late in the second half, including eight points on a dunk and two three-point shots in a span of less than a minute, on the way to a 61-42 victory over Princeton before more than 14,000 at Joel Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
Princeton (2-6) trailed just 40-34 after a Geoff Kestler three-point shot with 14 minutes left and was still within single digits at 46-37 on a Kyle Koncz three-pointer with 7:50 left, but Wake Forest (8-2) then put the game away in emphatic fashion, scoring 10 points in a two-minute span thanks to dunks by Eric Williams and Trent Strickland and consecutive three-pointers by Justin Gray.
The Tigers went without a field goal for more than six minutes in the same span before Harrison Schaen's three-pointer with 1:30 left.
"We were not able to sustain what we wanted to do for enough of the game," said Princeton head coach Joe Scott. "It was an eight-point game midway through the half and we stopped them on three straight possessions, but we didn't score when we had the ball to get it any closer. I thought their game plan was to wear us down, and that's clearly what happened at the end." Princeton missed seven consecutive shots from the field in Wake Forest's 15-0 run and had turnovers on two other possessions in that time.
"I felt like we got tired at the end," said Koncz, who scored a game-high 17 points but just three in the second half. "When we were able to run our offense a lot of good things happened.
Princeton had assists on 14 of its 15 baskets, with Schaen's putback basket in the final 30 seconds the only Tiger basket that came without an assist. The Tigers also forced 17 Wake Forest turnovers.
The Tigers, who were playing without senior guard Scott Greenman (back injury) and junior forward Luke Owings, fell behind 7-0 but quickly got back into the game thanks to their three-point shooting. Koncz had two threes within two minutes to tie the game at 12 with 12:12 left, then hit another with 11:01 left to give Princeton its first lead at 15:12 with 11 minutes left.
Wake Forest then made its first important run of the game, however, hitting two huge three-pointers in the final minute of the half. The first came from Michael Drum with 54 seconds left and gave Wake a 30-24 lead, and the second came from Chris Ellis in the final seconds and gave the Deacons a 33-24 halftime lead.
"That stretch was really big in the game," said Scott. "We had things going our way and it gave them some momentum heading into the second half."
Koncz had 14 first-half points and made five of seven three-point shots and six of eight field-goal attempts overall for the game. He also had a career-high three steals.
Williams led Wake Forest with 15 points and eight rebounds, shooting 7 for 8 from the field against the smaller Princeton frontcourt. Gray had 14 points and Strickland 13 points and nine rebounds for Wake, which shot 55% for the game from the field.
Schaen tied a career-high with 10 points for Princeton, which shot 10 for 22 from three-point range but just 5 for 22 on two-point shots.