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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Penn
Players Mentioned
Men's Hoops Holds Off Penn Rally, Awaits Selection Sunday
March 09, 2016 | Men's Basketball
| Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Penn (11-17, 5-9) |
Princeton (22-6, 12-2) |
| Points | 71 | 72 |
| FGM-A | 28-56 | 26-64 |
| FG% | 50.0% | 40.6% |
| 3 FGM-A | 6-17 | 9-18 |
| 3 FG% | 35.3% | 50.0% |
| FTM-A | 9-13 | 11-14 |
| FT% | 69.2% | 78.6% |
| Rebounds | 32 | 39 |
| Assists | 11 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 16 |
| Blocks | 3 | 2 |
| Steals | 8 | 7 |
| Individual Leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Penn | Princeton |
| Points | M. Howard - 15 | H. Caruso - 13 |
| Rebounds | D. Nelson-Henry - 8 | P. Miller - 10 |
| Assists | T. Hamilton - 3 | S. Weisz - 6 |
| Steals | M. Howard - 3 T. Hamilton - 3 |
3 tied at 2 |
| Blocks | D. Nelson-Henry - 3 | P. Miller - 2 |
Princeton led by 18 points early in the second half, but the Tigers had to hold off a late Penn rally and sweat a final possession before emerging with a 72-71 win Tuesday night in Jadwin Gym.
The victory allows the Tigers to finish the regular season at 22-6 overall and 12-2 in the Ivy League, a run that includes a 13-0 record at home to set a new program mark for most home wins without a loss in a season.
The Tigers shot 48 percent in the first half but just 35 percent in the second, and Penn's trend was the reverse with a 38-percent clip before the break and 63 percent after. Princeton's lead still stood at 14 points at 63-49 with seven minutes to go in the game, but the Quakers went on a 10-0 run to cut it to four points in a span of less than three minutes. From there, the teams were never more than five points apart and Penn kept Princeton off the board for the game's final 72 seconds.
Devin Cannady's two free throws put Princeton ahead 72-68 with 1:12 to go before Penn answered right back with a Tyler Hamilton bucket with 53 seconds left to make it 72-70. The Quakers got the ball back with 28 seconds after an empty possession for the Tigers, and an Amir Bell foul put Hamilton at the line with 13 seconds to go and the chance to tie.
Fortunately for the Tigers, Hamilton only split from the line, retaining the lead for Princeton at 72-71. The the next break, though, went Penn's way when the front end of a 1-and-1 by Bell didn't fall, and Penn grabbed the rebound and raced back downcourt, calling timeout with 3.2 seconds to go.
Penn couldn't get off a shot on its last possession. After the inbounds pass went to the arc, Quaker big man Darien Nelson-Henry caught a pass under the basket but had it knocked out of his hands by
Spencer Weisz, and the clock ran out as the ball went loose.
Princeton will now await Sunday's selection shows, first with the NCAA selection announcement on CBS at 5:30 p.m. ET and then the NIT selection at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.