Men's Basketball Outlasts Harvard, 58-56

Saturday, February 25

Cambridge, Mass.

2:00 PM

Princeton University

18-8,9-4Ivy League

Harvard

14-13,5-8Ivy League

Princeton

Harvard

February 25, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton University men's basketball team earned its ninth Ivy League win of the 2022-23 season Saturday afternoon inside Lavietes Pavilion, outlasting Harvard 58-56.

Senior Ryan Langborg led the Tigers with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and also grabbed six rebounds, while freshman Caden Pierce added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior Matt Allocco finished with seven points and five rebounds, and senior Tosan Evbuomwan had six points, a team-high five assists along with five rebounds.

After helping lead the Tigers to victory with a team-high 18 points, hear @Ryan_Langborg had to say!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/CukkVzCnmq
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) February 25, 2023

The contest began as a back-and-forth battle, with back-to-back threes by junior Zach Martini and Allocco giving the Tigers a 12-7 advantage with 13:59 on the clock. An Evbuomwan layup with 12:49 remaining in the half sparked a 6-0 run that gave Princeton a nine-point lead at 20-11 with 10:50 on the clock, following a layup by Pierce.

Princeton took an eight-point lead, 23-15, when Langborg buried a three-pointer at 8:30, but Harvard battled back to make it 23-19 with 6:25 remaining in the half. Langborg proceeded to impose his will, with a pair of layups along with a short jumper putting the Tigers up, 32-21, with 4:04 on the clock.

5:22 1st | Princeton 27, Harvard 19@Ryan_Langborg beats the defender backdoor then lays it in!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/kOdV5omlpB
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) February 25, 2023

The Tigers closed out the first half with a sophomore Blake Peters three-pointer and an Evbuomwan layup, and took a 37-23 advantage into halftime.

Coming out of halftime, Princeton took a 42-23 lead with 17:33 after a Langborg three-pointer and a layup by senior Keeshawn Kellman. A three-pointer by Martini would soon make it a 47-29 contest, with 14:54 remaining.

The Crimson used a 7-0 run to narrow the deficit to 11, 47-36, at 13:14. Shortly after, an 8-0 Harvard run made it a 49-44 contest with 9:33 left to play. The Crimson's run was halted by a pull-up jumper by freshman Xaivian Lee with 9:01 left to play.

Harvard made it a two-point game at 51-49 with 5:06 on the clock, but a layup by Lee kept the Tigers in front with 4:42 remaining, 53-49. With 1:04 left to play the Tigers led 53-51, a pair of free throws by Langborg put the Tigers ahead, 56-53, with 0:09 remaining. Pierce knocked down two free throws with 0:04 left and the Tigers held on for the 58-56 victory.

4:42 2nd | Princeton 53, Harvard 49@xaivianlee with the tough finish inside!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/KBIswfvavq
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) February 25, 2023

Up Next
The Tigers host the University of Pennsylvania (13-16, 10-5) in their final contest of the regular season on Saturday, March 4, at 12 p.m. inside Jadwin Gymnasium.