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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
South Carolina
Players Mentioned
Gamecocks Hold On For 54-48 Win Over Princeton In Men's Basketball
December 20, 2006 | Men's Basketball
South Carolina might have won Wednesday night's game against Princeton with an astounding 10-0 spurt in the final 1:57 of the first half. But the Tigers sure made it interesting when the same amount of time was ticking off the clock in the second half.
Led by a season-high 12 three-point shots, including five apiece from Kyle Koncz and Lincoln Gunn, the Tigers cut a 16-point second-half deficit to as little as three points in the final two minutes. But Dominique Archie's dunk after that would seal a 54-48 win for the Gamecocks in front of 12,271 in an entertaining game at The Colonial Center.
Princeton (7-4) trailed 35-22 at halftime after the Gamecocks (7-2) scored those 10 points in the final two minutes of the first half but used a 10-0 run of its own midway through the second half to get back into the game. Gunn made two of his five three-pointers in that run, and fellow freshman guard Marcus Schroeder completed the spurt with a steal and three-point play with 6:02 left to make the score 48-42 South Carolina.
Another three-pointer by Gunn made it 51-48 with 1:56 left, and Princeton then had three more chances to make it a one-possession game again after Archie's dunk after South Carolina's Brandon Wallace missed the front end of two one-and-one situations. But Michael Strittmatter missed two three-point attempts and a driving layup in the game's final minute and the Gamecocks hung on.
"I thought we got away from what we do in the final 2:30 of the first half and they really took advantage of it," said Joe Scott, the Franklin C. Cappon-Edward G. Green '40 Head Coach of Men's Basketball at Princeton. "They're at home, they have good seniors and they gave themselves a big advantage at halftime. In the second half I thought we got them to do some things that we wanted them to do, but they started with a 13-point lead and that made it tough for us."
Princeton was challenged all night by South Carolina senior point guard Tre Kelley, who scored a game-high 24 points on a variety of drives and jumpers in the lane and a pair of three-point shots. Kelley made six of his nine shots in the first half and ended the game 10 for 21 from the field while playing all 40 minutes.
The Tigers, led by Koncz's 19 points and Gunn's season-high 15, made 12 of their 26 three-point shots on the night, including a 5-for-7 performance by Koncz and a 5-for-8 showing from Gunn. Princeton's first five field goals of the game came from three-point range, including one from Koncz six minutes into the game that gave Princeton an early 12-10 lead.
South Carolina still led by just three with two minutes left in the half before going on the quick 10-0 spurt. Bryce Sheldon made a three-pointer quickly on the next Gamecock possession, and Kelley then scored in close after a Princeton turnover. Brandon Wallace then converted a three-point play on a fast-break opportunity with 25 seconds left, and Kelley scored in the lane at the halftime buzzer after another Tiger turnover in the final seconds.
Sheldon had 15 points for the Gamecocks, who were playing their first game in 11 days due to final exams. South Carolina made 13 of its 19 shots in the first half (68%) and finished 20 for 38 (53%) from the field for the game.
"You can't create the speed of the cuts of a team like Princeton in practice," said South Carolina coach Dave Odom, who was on the losing end of a 69-64 decision to the Tigers while coaching Wake Forest in the 1997 Jimmy V Classic at The Meadowlands. "It's sort of on-the-job training in the first 10 minutes. You have to pick your poison, and they made a lot of three-point shots while we were trying to keep them from getting layups."
"I thought we played well for a lot of the game," said Scott. "We're doing a better job on offense every game, and our defense did a much better job of adjusting on Kelley in the second half. He's one of the better guards in the SEC and a senior, and it was a real learning experience for our freshman guard (Marcus Schroeder) having to deal with that."
Princeton had assists on 14 of its 17 baskets and had just nine turnovers in the game. Schroeder, Gunn and Justin Conway each had four assits for the Tigers, who were playing an SEC team for the first time since 1996.
"I think we adjusted well in the second half and played the way we've been practicing," said Koncz, who has 39 points in his last two games after going scoreless in the two previous games. "We have a few days off here for the holiday and when we get back we'll work on getting better for our next game."
NOTES
* Koncz has now made 29 of his 60 three-point shots this season (48%). The Princeton junior has at least three three-pointers in eight of Princeton's 11 games this season.
* Schroeder played all 40 minutes for the Tigers for the eighth time in 11 games. He not only had four assists but also a team-high and season-high six rebounds.
* Wallace had four blocks for South Carolina, including a key swat with 2:54 left on a baseline inbounds play for Princeton that kept South Carolina's lead at 51-45.
* The Gamecocks made just eight of 19 free-throw attempts (42%). Princeton went to the line just three times, making two.
* Princeton next plays in ten days, at Iona Dec. 30.