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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Lehigh
Players Mentioned
Schroeder's Free Throw With No Time Left Lifts Princeton Over Lehigh, 44-43
December 06, 2006 | Men's Basketball
What turned out to be an exciting basketball game sure had a strange ending. Princeton will take the result.
Fouled on a baseline jump shot as time expired after grabbing an offensive rebound, freshman Marcus Schroeder calmly nailed a free throw with zeroes on the clock, giving the Tigers a 44-43 win over Lehigh before 2,805 in Princeton's home opener Wednesday night.
With the game tied at 43 in the final seconds, Princeton's Edwin Buffmire missed a 15-foot jump shot. Schroeder grabbed the offensive rebound and shot as time expired, and Lehigh's Marquis Hall was then called for the foul.
After Lehigh coach Billy Taylor called a timeout, Schroeder made the first free throw to end the game.
"I wasn't in great position to score when I got the rebound, but I was trying to get fouled," said Schroeder, who played all 40 minutes for the sixth time in eight games this season. "Then when you get to the line in that situation, all you think about is the thousands of times you've done that in your backyard."
"I didn't call a timeout in that situation because I thought if we just ran our offense we could get something good," said Cappon-Green head coach of men's basketball Joe Scott. "Maybe we didn't get the best first shot, but we got a big rebound and something good happened for us."
Princeton (6-2), now off to its best start since the 1997-98 team started 7-1, struggled offensively for most of the game but scored the first nine points of the second half, capped by Lincoln Gunn's three-pointer with 15 minutes left, to take a 25-23 lead.
Lehigh (4-7), which lost for the 23rd straight time to Princeton in a stretch that dates all the way back to 1930, took control again after that, taking a seven-point lead on Kyle Neptune's layup with 10:30 on the clock.
But the Tigers again responded, this time with an 11-0 run to again take the lead. The Tigers took the lead 35-34 on an emphatic dunk by junior Noah Savage with 7:24 left. Gunn, fouled on a three-point shot with 4:47 left, made all three free throws to give Princeton a 38-34 advantage.
Gunn scored all of his game-high 12 points in the second half, making three shots from behind the arc.
"It's an interesting first home game for us," said Schroeder, teammates with Gunn at California's De La Salle High School. "I didn't think I played very well tonight, but it was nice to see Lincoln make some big shots for us and I was glad to get the opportunity to redeem myself at the end of the game."
Neptune led Lehigh with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Jason Mgebroff had 12 points and 11 rebounds, including a three-point play with 54 seconds left that pulled Lehigh to within 42-41 and a layup in the lane with 21 seconds left that tied the game.
The Mountain Hawks shot just 33% from the field, including 2 of 11 from three-point range.
"I thought our defense was good tonight," said Scott. "Our achilles heel has been rebounding, and we let them score too many points off second chances from offensive rebounds."
Princeton also made just 12 of 21 free throws in the game, including three of seven in the first half, but made five of its 11 second-half three-pointers to complete a comeback from a 23-16 halftime deficit.
The Tigers host Rutgers at 4 p.m. Saturday at Jadwin Gym. Princeton defeated the Scarlet Knights in their last visit to Jadwin by a 53-40 score.
NOTES
* Princeton last three wins, against Lafayette, Northwestern State and Lehigh, have come by a combined total of five points.
* The Tigers have allowed an average of 46.2 points per game in their last six games, five of which have been wins. Tiger opponents have shot 27% from three-point range in those six games.
* Lincoln Gunn became the fifth Princeton player to lead his team in scoring in Princeton's eight games. Michael Strittmatter, Kyle Koncz, Luke Owings and Justin Conway have also led the Tigers in scoring in a game this season.
* Conway dressed but did not play after suffering a torn muscle in his abdomen last Saturday. Princeton's captain did not practice either Monday or Tuesday.