Men's Basketball Opens Season With 68-61 Victory Over Rutgers

Calendar

No Upcoming Events

TRENTON, N.J. – In the first meeting between the two programs since 2013, the Princeton University men's basketball team overcame Rutgers, 68-61, in its 2023-24 season opener Monday night inside CURE Insurance Arena in the Jersey Jam.

The win improved Franklin C. Cappon-Edward C. Green '40 Head Coach Mitch Henderson's all-time record against the Scarlet Knights to 3-1 and the Tigers' to 76-45.

Senior Matt Allocco was honored as the Jersey Jam MVP after finishing with a game-high 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting and nine rebounds. Allocco's 21 point tied his career-high, which came against Brown on Jan. 14, 2023. Sophomore Xaivian Lee also added a career-high 16 points and a game and career-high five assists, while senior Zach Martini had 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 shooting from three. Junior Blake Peters also added nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from deep, marking his third game in the past four with at least three made three-pointers. The game was led in rebounds by sophomore Caden Pierce, who pulled down 15.

With the Scarlet Knights up 5-4, a long three-pointer by Allocco with 18:06 on the clock ignited a 7-0 run that put the Tigers in front, 12-4, at 15:53. The Scarlet Knights tied it up at 14-14 with 10:48 remaining in the half then the two teams would trade the lead back and forth. A pair of Allocco layups saw Princeton go up 20-18 with 7:58 remaining in the half, but Rutgers would jump out to a 28-25 lead at 1:50.

The Tigers got hot to end the half; an Allocco layup with 1:29 remaining sparked a 7-0 run. As time expired, Allocco pulled up from mid-range and drained the buzzer beater to send Princeton into halftime with a 32-28 advantage.

Lee opened the second half with a step-back three-pointer at 18:23, and a pair of junior Blake Peters three-pointers put Princeton up nine, 41-32, with 17:17 remaining. The Scarlet Knights would battle back, using a 6-0 run to knot the score at 45-45 with 10:36 remaining.

With 10:13 remaining, a three-pointer by Martini ignited an 8-0 run that saw the Tigers surge ahead, 53-45, with 8:45 on the clock, before a Lee jumper gave Princeton a double-digit lead, 57-47, at 7:16.

Rutgers refused to lie down, using an 8-0 run to narrow the deficit to two, 57-55, with 4:39 on the clock. Baskets by Lee and Pierce gave the Tigers a four-point lead, 61-55, with 3:44 remaining. From there, Princeton held onto the lead. Allocco drilled another jumper with 00:46 left to play, and the Tigers held on for the 68-61 victory.

Up Next
The Tigers take on Hofstra (1-0) at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 in Hempstead, New York.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results