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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Northeastern
Players Mentioned
Men's Basketball Holds Off Northeastern 65-63
December 30, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Though there were bumps along the way, for the most part the Tigers improved as the game went along.
Holding Northeastern scoreless for more than seven minutes in the second half, the Tiger men's basketball team withstood a late rally to defeat the Huskies 65-63 Wednesday night at the UCF Holiday Classic.
Princeton (10-3) will have a tough task when it returns to the floor for a 7:30 p.m. tip Thursday night in the tournament championship against host UCF, which improved to 12-0 with a 71-53 win over Furman (8-3) in the evening's first game.
In recognition of their undefeated start, the Golden Knights are ranked No. 19 in the nation in the AP poll and No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.
It will be the first meeting between Princeton and UCF as the Tigers aim for their first win over an AP-ranked team since 1997 and their first title at an in-season tournament since 2000.
"We're excited about that," Johnson, the Franklin C. Cappon-Edward G. Green '40 head coach, said of facing the ranked Knights. "But we realize we have to have a much better effort to be competitive and have the chance to win the game tomorrow."
Getting to Thursday night's championship game wasn't without some late drama. After going on an 18-2 run during the Northeastern field-goal drought in the second half, taking a 49-33 lead with 9:59 to play on a dunk by Kareem Maddox, the Huskies roared back. Maddox finished with a team-best 19 points as one of four players in double figures, and the Tigers needed them all.
Princeton still led by 10 with 1:20 to play at 63-53, but Northeastern scored the next six points to make it a four-point game at 63-59 with 57 seconds to go.
A split at the free-throw line by Ian Hummer left the door open for a bucket at the other end by Northeastern's Kauri Black to make it a one-possession game at 64-61 with 34 seconds left, and a turnover led to a Chaisson Allen layup to pull Northeastern within 64-63.
Dan Mavraides split at the line on Princeton's next possession, but the Tigers held on when Joel Smith's drive to the basket didn't fall as the final seconds ticked away.
"I just think we came to play," Johnson said of the game as a whole. "There was a little bit of a spark in us. I'm disappointed because I don't think we did that the entire game and that's why you saw that run. They kind of came after us after that run. We didn't respond well, and we've got to learn from it."
Missed opportunities from the free-throw line were a theme for the Tigers, who were 9 for 19 from the stripe. All five players who attempted a free throw missed at least one as well.
Though the ending was less than tidy, Johnson's 100th game comes one contest after he earned his 50th win leading the Tigers last week at Towson. After starting 6-23 in 2007-08, Princeton is 45-26 in the last two-plus seasons and has won 30 of its last 38 games. That includes the present eight-game winning streak, the program's longest since 2004.
Northeastern (4-7) had won back-to-back games after losing six straight. Allen led his team with 19 points, tying Maddox for the game high.