.png&width=24&type=webp)
Wednesday, November 29
Lewisburg, Pa.
7:00 PM
Princeton University
7-0,0-0Ivy League
85
at
71
Bucknell
2-7,0-0Patriot
1
2
F
Princeton
40
45
85
Bucknell
45
26
71
Men's Basketball Gets Past Bucknell 85-71 & Moves To 7-0
November 29, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Propelled by four double-digit scorers, the Princeton University men's basketball team overcame and 11-point deficit and got past Bucknell 85-71 inside Sojka Pavilion Wednesday night to move to 7-0 on the season. The Tigers' 7-0 start is the program's best since 1997-98.
Princeton have now started at least 7-0 five 12 times in school history.
Senior Matt Allocco led the way for the Tigers, tying the game-high in points with 22 on 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 shooting from three. Allocco also led the game in assists with eight, tying his career-high. In addition, sophomore Caden Pierce finished with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting and also added a game and career-high three blocks.
Senior Zach Martini went 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from three for a career-high 15 points and also pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Rounding out the Tigers' double-digit scorers was sophomore Xaivian Lee who had 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Lee also tied for Martini for the team-high in rebounds, pulling down five.
The Tigers took an early 7-4 lead with 17:43 on the clock thanks a Pierce layup followed by a pair of Lee free throws, but the Bison would battle back and get ahead, 9-8, with 15:28 remaining in the half. Bucknell extended its lead to 14-12 at 13:35, but a three-pointer by Allocco then a layup by Martini gave the Tigers a three-point advantage, 17-14, with 12:29 left in the half.
Determined to protect home court, the Bison rallied with a 9-0 run and went up, 23-17, with 9:09 on the clock. Princeton would eventually battle back and reduce the deficit to one, 31-30, after a put-back dunk by freshman Jacob Huggins then a three-pointer by Allocco at 3:54. Bucknell got hot to end the half and would take a 45-40 advantage into halftime.
The Bison came out of halftime and extended their lead to 50-40 with 18:14 left to play, then got up by 11 with 16:54 on the clock, 53-42. Princeton showed its resilience; a jumper by Lee with 14:53 remaining ignited a 10-0 run that narrowed the deficit to one and made it a 55-54 contest after a Martini three-pointer at 12:10.
The game of runs continued as Bucknell used a 6-0 run to take a 61-54 advantage with 11:18 remaining. A three-pointer by Allocco with 8:50 on the clock ignited a 9-0 Princeton run that saw the Tigers surge ahead, 66-55, after an Allocco jumper with 7:09 left to play.
Princeton would soon extend its lead to nine after a three-pointer by Martini at 6:32 led a 10-0 run that saw Princeton go up 76-67. Pierce would take over down the stretch, scoring eight-straight points to give the Tigers an 83-69 advantage with 1:19 on the clock after a powerful two-handed slam. From there, Princeton would hold on for the 85-69 victory.
Up Next
The Tigers host Furman (3-3) inside Jadwin Gymnasium at 2 p.m. on Dec. 2.
Princeton have now started at least 7-0 five 12 times in school history.
Princeton. 7-0.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 30, 2023
Senior Matt Allocco led the way for the Tigers, tying the game-high in points with 22 on 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 shooting from three. Allocco also led the game in assists with eight, tying his career-high. In addition, sophomore Caden Pierce finished with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting and also added a game and career-high three blocks.
Senior Zach Martini went 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from three for a career-high 15 points and also pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Rounding out the Tigers' double-digit scorers was sophomore Xaivian Lee who had 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Lee also tied for Martini for the team-high in rebounds, pulling down five.
The Tigers took an early 7-4 lead with 17:43 on the clock thanks a Pierce layup followed by a pair of Lee free throws, but the Bison would battle back and get ahead, 9-8, with 15:28 remaining in the half. Bucknell extended its lead to 14-12 at 13:35, but a three-pointer by Allocco then a layup by Martini gave the Tigers a three-point advantage, 17-14, with 12:29 left in the half.
Determined to protect home court, the Bison rallied with a 9-0 run and went up, 23-17, with 9:09 on the clock. Princeton would eventually battle back and reduce the deficit to one, 31-30, after a put-back dunk by freshman Jacob Huggins then a three-pointer by Allocco at 3:54. Bucknell got hot to end the half and would take a 45-40 advantage into halftime.
The Bison came out of halftime and extended their lead to 50-40 with 18:14 left to play, then got up by 11 with 16:54 on the clock, 53-42. Princeton showed its resilience; a jumper by Lee with 14:53 remaining ignited a 10-0 run that narrowed the deficit to one and made it a 55-54 contest after a Martini three-pointer at 12:10.
The game of runs continued as Bucknell used a 6-0 run to take a 61-54 advantage with 11:18 remaining. A three-pointer by Allocco with 8:50 on the clock ignited a 9-0 Princeton run that saw the Tigers surge ahead, 66-55, after an Allocco jumper with 7:09 left to play.
12:44 2nd | Bucknell 55, Princeton 51
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) November 30, 2023
A 7-0 run!@DalenDavis2 steps into the three!
??: https://t.co/D76IXTIPUk #MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/YxF0iYjEXw
Princeton would soon extend its lead to nine after a three-pointer by Martini at 6:32 led a 10-0 run that saw Princeton go up 76-67. Pierce would take over down the stretch, scoring eight-straight points to give the Tigers an 83-69 advantage with 1:19 on the clock after a powerful two-handed slam. From there, Princeton would hold on for the 85-69 victory.
1:19 2nd | Princeton 83, Bucknell 69@CadenPierce_3, with authority!
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) November 30, 2023
??: https://t.co/D76IXTIPUk #MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/0MOy3ETKJN
Up Next
The Tigers host Furman (3-3) inside Jadwin Gymnasium at 2 p.m. on Dec. 2.
Team Stats
PU
Buck
FG%
.589
.510
3FG%
.435
.500
FT%
.818
.800
RB
23
23
TO
4
10
STL
6
2
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballReflections from the Princeton Athletics Class of 2025
Tuesday, May 27
Hard Cuts | Season 7 - Episode 16
Thursday, March 13
Hard Cuts | Season 7 - Episode 15
Tuesday, March 04
Hard Cuts | Season 7 - Episode 14
Wednesday, February 12