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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Iona
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Gunn Leads Tigers To 66-58 Win Over Iona, 2-0 Start To '07-08 Season
November 14, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Lincoln Gunn said after the game that he, like many college basketball players, has a lot more confidence as a sophomore than he had as a freshman. His performance in a win over Iona Wednesday night at Jadwin Gym certainly proved the point.
Gunn had a team-high 20 points and shot 4 of 6 from three-point range, including a long three from the left wing with 1:10 left that finally put Iona away, and added six rebounds and a career-high six assists to lead Princeton to a 66-58 win over the Gaels and a 2-0 start to the 2007-08 season.
Princeton, which led by 11 points at halftime, saw its lead cut to one point at 49-48 midway through the second half and to four points at 59-55 with two minutes remaining. The shot clock would get down to the final seconds on the next Tiger possession, but Gunn drilled a three-pointer over a defender to make it 62-55 and the Tigers made four of six free throws after that.
"I saw that the shot clock was going down and it was pretty much the only thing I could do at that point," said Gunn, who also made all four of his free throws in 37 minutes. "Coach Johnson talks about finding the next open man, and that was me on that play."
"We expect Lincoln, and all of our guards, to be able to pass, dribble and shoot," said Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson '97, who has led Princeton to its first 2-0 start since the 2003-04 season. "I know it sounds cliche, but sometimes you need someone to make a play and step up, and he did that for us tonight."
Iona (0-2) shot 57% from the field in the second half to make the game a tight one, but the Gaels never took the lead in the second half and never led after scoring the first basket of the game. Big man Dexter Gray had 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while point guard Milan Prodanovic had 16 points.
Kyle Koncz added 15 points for Princeton and was hot from outside the three-point arc in the early going, knocking down three treys in the game's first three minutes to help the Tigers to a 10-4 lead. Zach Finley had another strong game inside for the Tigers, scoring 14 points and tying a career high with eight rebounds while also adding two blocks.
Princeton took a nine-point lead midway through the first half after a three-point shot by Gunn and extended its lead to double digits when Gunn hit another three-pointer with 4:16 left to make it 26-16. The Tigers would lead by as many as 13 points late in the first half after the second of consecutive layups by Finley in the final minute.
Iona quickly made a run in the second half after trailing 35-24 at halftime, scoring the half's first six points, four by Gray inside, to force a Princeton timeout. The Tigers would again extend their lead to nine points at 43-34 on two Gunn free throws with 14:53 left, but Iona then made their run to cut the deficit to 49-48 on John Kelly's turnaround. The Gaels had a chance to go ahead on their next possession, but Devon Clarke's jumper and Rashon Dwight's putback both missed.
The Tigers made 10 of 29 three-point shots in the game. Princeton also made 10 three-pointers in a win at Iona last season. Princeton improved to 6-0 all-time against the Gaels with the win.
Princeton heads to Hawaii Friday morning and begins play in the 2007 EA Sports Maui Invitational on Mon., Nov. 19, against No. 10 Duke at 9 p.m. EST (ESPN2). The Tigers will play either Arizona State or Illinois on the second day, and all three games in the tournament will be nationally-televised by ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.