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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Marshall
Players Mentioned
Second-Half Comeback Falls Short For Tigers, Marshall Hangs On For 66-60 Win
December 22, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Princeton's 68% second-half shooting was almost good enough for a comeback at Marshall Saturday afternoon, but the Thundering Herd held on for a 66-60 win in front of 4,409 at the Cam Henderson Center after the Tigers made it a one-possession game in the final minute.
The Tigers (2-9) trailed 32-22 at halftime and 59-51 with 2:50 left, but Lincoln Gunn's three-point shot banked in with 34 seconds left to make it 61-58 with 34 seconds on the clock. Marshall's Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes would make only one of two free throws on his team's next possession, but Marcus Schroeder's three-point attempt for Princeton was off the mark with 15 seconds left.
Princeton made 15 of 22 second-half shots, many of them layups thanks to backdoor cuts and drives, and shot 50% from the field (23 for 46) for the second-straight game.
"We've been playing good competition and it's led to us playing catch-up, maybe a bit too often," said Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson. "I thought today we played really well throughout and did a good job of playing catch-up, but we weren't able to get over the final hump."
The Tigers were forced to play catch-up thanks to a 10-0 run for Marshall (6-3) in an eight-minute span late in the first half. Princeton, which had trailed by eight points earlier in the half, had cut its deficit to just 22-20 with 8:20 left in the half after a driving layup by junior Michael Strittmatter.
Marshall's Tirrell Baines began his team's run with a jumper in the paint, and Princeton would miss its next nine shots, five of which came from three-point range. The Tigers broke that string when Strittmatter scored on an offensive rebound with 48 seconds left in the half.
"You miss a few shots, have a few turnovers that lead to transition baskets and it hurts, especially on the road when the crowd can really make a difference as well," said Johnson. "We've had those stretches in recent games."
Princeton then had a strong start to the second half, scoring eight of the half's first 10 points to make it 34-30 on a Schroeder backdoor layup five minutes in, but the Herd would then score six straight, the final three coming from Markel Humphrey, to go back ahead by 10 points three minutes later.
Kyle Koncz, playing in front of a host of family members and friends who made the short trip from his native Ohio, led Princeton with 12 points, all of which came in the first half. Koncz drilled three three-point shots in the game's first nine minutes, the final one pulling Princeton within 20-18 midway through the half.
Humphrey had game highs of 19 points and seven rebounds for the Herd, which also shot 50% from the field (22 for 44), including 59% in the first half (13 for 22). Marshall shot 19 for 25 from the foul line, including 15 for 20 in the second half.
"He's an all-conference kid and you can see why," said Johnson of Humphrey. "He can shoot from mid-range and from deep and is an unselfish kid who makes smart decisions and helps his teammates.
An impressive four Tigers scored in double figures, including two players off the bench. Kevin Steuerer not only had 10 points but also four assists and two steals while playing 32 minutes, while Strittmatter had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in just 20 minutes off the bench.
Schroeder also had 10 points for Princeton, including a three-point shot midway through the second half that ignited a mini-run after the Tigers had fallen behind by double digits. He also had two assists and a steal.
Princeton had nine assists and four turnovers in the second half after a first half that featured three assists and seven turnovers. 11 of Princeton's second-half field goals were layups, five of which were backdoor plays with assists.
The Tigers play at Monmouth next Sunday at 4 p.m.