Men's Basketball Wins Second-Straight Ivy Title in OT Thriller Against Penn

Saturday, March 4

Princeton, N.J.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

19-8,10-4Ivy League

Penn

17-12,9-5Ivy League

OT 1

Penn

Princeton

Men's Basketball Wins Second-Straight Ivy Title in OT Thriller Against Penn

March 04, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PRINCETON, N.J. – For the 29^th time in program history and the second straight season, the Princeton University men's basketball team are Ivy League Regular Season Champions after the Tigers overcame a 19-point deficit to clinch at least a share of the title with a 77-69 overtime victory over the University of Pennsylvania, Saturday afternoon inside Jadwin Gymnasium.

Along with the title being the Tigers' 29^th, it was also the third under the guidance of Franklin C. Cappon-Edward C. Green '40 Head Coach Mitch Henderson as he also led Princeton to the Ivy Championship in 2021-22 and 2016-17.

REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS! ????

The Tigers clinch at least a share of the 2023 Ivy League Regular Season Title!

It's the 29th in program history and the second straight! #MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/FiLhrbdo0C
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 4, 2023

A pregame ceremony was also held honoring the Tigers' Class of 2023; Tosan Evbuomwan, Ryan Langborg, Keeshawn Kellman, Konrad Kiszka and Jacob O'Connell.

Four finished in double digits for Princeton including freshman Caden Pierce, who had a double-double with a team-high 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Evbuomwan added 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting along with seven rebounds and a game-high six assists, bringing his career total 297 and moving up to No. 9 all-time in school history. Langborg had 13 points. Junior Matt Allocco also finished with 12 points for the Tigers.

Princeton took an early 8-4 lead, after Langborg sank a three-pointer with 16:45 on the clock, then a three-pointer by Evbuomwan put the Tigers up, 13-8, with 14:50 remaining in the half.

14:50 1st | Princeton 13, Penn 8

Driller.@Tosan_Evb steps into the three-pointer!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/GX0dqTlWU7
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 4, 2023

A 16-0 run put Penn in front, 24-13, at 9:27, before the Quakers took a 28-15 lead with 7:34 remaining in the half. A three-point play by Langborg with 7:15 on the clock narrowed the deficit to 28-18, but Penn continued to stay in front and took a 32-21 lead at 5:37. Going into halftime, the Quakers led 42-25.

Princeton trimmed the lead to 10 early in the second half, with an Evbuomwan layup followed by a freshman Xaivian Lee three-pointer making it a 48-38 contest with 14:16 on the clock. A three-pointer by sophomore Blake Peters kept it a 10-point game, 53-43, at 12:41.

The Tigers continued to chip away at the lead, with another Peters three-pointer with 9:01 remaining making it a single-digit game, 57-48. Lee's second three-pointer of the game narrowed the deficit to six, 59-53, with 7:08 remaining.

7:08 2nd | Penn 59, Princeton 53@xaivianlee, from long range! #MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/WS21aY4YvH
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 4, 2023

The two teams continued to battle back-and-forth, with a pair of junior Zach Martini free throws at 3:27 igniting an 8-0 run of which the Tigers closed out regulation with. An Allocco layup with 0:45 remaining tied it up at 66-66, which was enough to send the game to overtime.

A pair of Lee free throws with 1:58 remaining led a 5-0 overtime run, giving the Tigers a 73-67 lead at 0:28 after a made free throw by Langborg. Princeton closed the game out with free throws by Langborg and Pierce, holding on for the 77-69 victory.

Up Next
The Tigers open play at the 2023 Ivy League Tournament in the semifinals on Saturday, March 11, inside Jadwin Gymnasium.