NCAA Bound!!!! Princeton Tops Yale 74-65 In Ivy Tournament Final

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Princeton, up five. Clinging to the lead. A little more than a minute to go, shot clock winding down. Matt Allocco pulls up from the foul line. No good. If Yale gets it, then it's very likely about to become a one-possession game going to the final minute.

Instead, rising above three white jerseys comes Princeton's Caden Pierce, who corrals the offensive rebound, gets fouled and makes two huge foul shots. Instead of a chance to cut it to three or even two, now it's a seven-point Princeton lead. Game over. Cue the confetti and the scissors to cut down the nets.

On a day when Princeton made every big play it needed to, it was Pierce's offensive rebound and subsequent foul shots with 1:14 to play that pretty much ended any chance Yale had at taking this one. Instead, the final score for the Ivy League men's basketball championship game was Princeton 74, Yale 65.

Princeton is headed to the NCAA tournament and will find out its seed, opponent and destination in the Selection Show Sunday at 6.

For the first time since 2017, @PrincetonMBB is going dancing! ?? pic.twitter.com/2cgSTddlCg
— ESPN (@espn) March 12, 2023

The victory came exactly 52 weeks from when Princeton suffered a heartbreaking 66-64 loss to Yale in the Ivy tournament final after the Tigers had won the league's outright championship. This year, Princeton and Yale were co-champs, and Yale had swept Princeton in the regular season, with margins of 22 and 10, the second in overtime.

Princeton's Tosan Evbuomwan was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after his second 21-point game in two days, including Saturday's 77-70 semifinal win over Penn. Pierce, the Ivy Rookie of the Year, made the all-tournament team after his 26 points and 22 rebounds in the two games.

Pierce's offensive rebound late in the game wasn't his only huge moment of the day. He was also part of the play at the end of the first half that essentially summarized how the day went, which is to say that Princeton had an answer for every Yale move.

Princeton led 9-0 and 12-3 early, but everyone in the large crowd at Jadwin Gym knew the Bulldogs weren't going down with a fight. Yale, in fact, would come back to take the lead three times in the first half, the last of which came at 29-28 with 1:04 left. Pierce then got the rebound on a missed Zach Martini three-point attempt and put it back in, giving the Tigers back the lead at 30-29 with 31 seconds to go.

Yale could have taken a halftime lead, but Bez Mbeng missed a jumper that Evbuomwan rebounded with five seconds to go. What happened next more resembled football (that's American football, as opposed to the kind that Evbuomwan, a Newcastle, England, native, grew up with). Evbuomwan, the quarterback, found his receiver deep, hitting Pierce perfectly. At the same time, Martini, the tight end, and Yale's Isaiah Kelly, the linebacker, inadvertently collided in front of the Bulldog bench. Pierce caught the pass and then beat the shot clock with a deep three, also in front of the Yale bench.

Instead of being up one or down at the half had Mbeng's shot fallen, Princeton was instead up by four at the break. Once again, it was Pierce with the big play.

Princeton would hold the lead the entire second half, building it as high as 11 midway through at 52-41 before Yale made yet another charge, cutting it to three twice, the last time with 2:54 to go. If the Tigers had visions of Yale's 19-point second-half comeback in the overtime win at Jadwin earlier in the season, they only fueled the team's determination.

By the time Yale scored again, the Bulldogs had missed two shots from the field and the front ends of two one-and-ones. Princeton, meanwhile, didn't allow Yale a second chance opportunity, didn't commit a turnover and made its foul shots, building the lead to eight at 66-58 before Yale finally scored again, with less than a minute to go.

Princeton sealed it with 9 for 12 foul shooting in the final minute, including 4 for 4 from freshman Xaivian Lee.

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