Loyola & Merrimack Up Next For Men's Basketball

Friday, November 15

Princeton, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

Loyola

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November 12, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Game Four: Princeton (3-0) vs. Loyola (3-0) – 11/15, 7 p.m.
Game Five: Princeton (3-0) at Merrimack (1-1) – 11/17, 1 p.m.

Loyola
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Merrimack
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PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton University men's basketball team will aim to earn a 5-0 start for the second-straight season as it hosts Loyola on Nov. 15 inside Jadwin Gymnasium before making the trip to North Andover, Massachusetts, to face Merrimack on Nov. 17.

Last Time Out
The Tigers overcame a seven-point deficit to defeat Northeastern on Nov. 10 inside Matthews Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, on Nov. 10. Malik Abdullahi made the go-ahead jumper with 00:05 remaining then iced the game in the final second at the free throw line. Sophomore Dalen Davis recorded a career-high 25 points and senior Blake Peters a career-high 18.

All-Time Series Against Loyola
Princeton and Loyola have only met once previously, on Nov. 10, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio, inside Value City Arena at the Black Coaches Association Classic.

Scouting Loyola
The Ramblers, who made the Final Four in 2018, are 3-0 in 2024-25. Most recently, Loyola defeated Eureka, 105-53, inside Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois. In 2023-24, the Ramblers earned an NIT berth, went 23-10 overall and 15-3 in Atlantic-10 play

All-Time Series Against Merrimack
The Tigers will face the Warriors for the first time in program history.

Scouting Merrimack
Merrimack is currently 1-0, having defeated Vermont on Nov. 9 in North Andover, Mass., 65-61. Prior to facing the Tigers, Merrimack will take on VCU on Nov. 13 in Richmond, Virginia. In 2023-24, the Warriors went 21-12 and 13-3 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play.

All-Around Game
Through the three victories, Xaivian Lee averaged 17.3 points-per-game, 7.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

Floor General
Lee, who through one week of play is leading the Ivy League in assists-per-game with, became the first Princeton player to record seven or more assists in consecutive games since Tosan Evbuomwan '23 had seven against Bucknell (Dec. 7, 2021) and eight at Lafayette (Dec. 11, 2021).

Davis' Career Night
Davis' 25 points against the Huskies, exceeding his previous career-high of 21, set on in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal against Brown on Mar. 16, 2024. Davis' nine made field goals were a career-high, while his four made three-pointers tied his career-best.

Picking Up Where He Left Off – And Then Some
After averaging double figures over the final 10 games of his freshman season, Davis is averaging 17.3 points on 45.2% shooting from the field, 40.0% from three and 100% from the free throw line.

Peters' Career Night
Peters poured in a career-high 18 points against Northeastern, besting his previous career-high of 17 which he recorded on three different occasions. Peters went 6-for-8 from three, with his six makes from long range also a career-high.

Entering The Top-20
With 131 career three-pointers, Peters moved up to No. 19 all-time at Princeton for most three-pointers. T.J. Bray '14 currently ranks No. 18 with 139 three-pointers.

Jersey Jam Most Outstanding Player
Caden Pierce was named Most Outstanding Player at the Jersey Jam after finishing with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting and five rebounds.

The 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year
Pierce is averaging 15.0 points on 55.2% shooting, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists through three games.

Strong Start For Abdullahi
Abduallhi's freshman season has gotten off to a strong start, averaging 6.7 points on 81.8% shooting and 2.0 rebounds while also recording three steals.

Bench Production
The Tigers have gotten 28 bench points in their wins over Duquesne and Northeastern.

On The Hunt For A Four-Peat
The 2024-25 season will see Princeton aim to win its fourth-straight Ivy League title, its fifth in the past nine seasons and its 31st total.

Receiving Votes
Princeton received two votes in the Associated Press (AP) Poll announced on Oct. 14.

One Of Four
Princeton is one of four teams to win at least three-straight conference regular season titles. The others include Colgate, who has four-peated, Vermont and Toledo.

Top-Five Most Titles Won
Princeton's 33 Ivy titles are the fifth-most regular season championships of any program in NCAA DI men's basketball. The Tigers need five more championships to tie Penn and six earn the No. 4 spot.

The Henderson File
Along with the Tigers' historic Sweet Sixteen run in 2023-24, Mitch Henderson has led Princeton to four Ivy Championships, two Ivy Tournament Championships, three NIT appearances, seven 20-win seasons and 11 wins over high major opponents. A Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award Finalist in 2024, He's a two-time NABC District 13 Coach of the Year (2022, 2017), a two-time Ivy Coach of the Year (2024, 2017) and was a Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award in 2017.

Almost The Second-Winningest Coach In School History
With 235 career victories, Mitch Henderson ranks No. 3 all-time at Princeton for wins. With 15 more wins he would tie Franklin C. "Cappy" Cappon for No. 2 all-time and with 16 would earn the No. 2 spot behind Pete Carril.

ESPN Preseason Top 100
Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce were both included in the ESPN Preseason Top 100 Players ahead of the 2024.25 season. Pierce was tabbed No. 76 and Lee No. 82.

CBS Sports Top 100
Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce were both included in the CBS Sports Best 100 Players entering the 2024-25 season. Lee was ranked No. 70 and Pierce No. 82.

From Rookie Of The Year To Player Of The Year
After being named Ivy Rookie of the Year in 2023, Caden Pierce was named Ivy Player of the Year in 2024. 2024 also saw Pierce named First Team All-District, First Team All-Ivy and First Team All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA). He was named to the Lou Henson Mid Major All-America Team and was a Lou Henson Mid Major National Player of the Year Award Finalist. Pierce was honored as Ivy Player of the Week five times and MBWA Player of the Week twice. Additionally, he excelled academically and was named College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District.

Karl Malone Power Forward Of The Year Top-20 Preseason Watch List
Pierce was one of 20 players named to the Naismith Starting 5 - Karl Malone Power Forward Of The Year Top-20 Preseason Watch List. This prestigious award honors the best power forwards in men's college basketball and is presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame, highlighting the elite talent in the sport.

Pierce's Historic 2023-24
Pierce became the only Ivy League player and one of eight underclassmen in the last 30 years to average at least 16 points-per-game, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal. In 2023-24, he was the only underclassmen in the nation to average those numbers.

Up There With The Nation's Best
Of players used on at least 24% of possessions ranked, Pierce ranked 10th in the nation in offensive rating (123.3). He also ranked 16th in the nation in defensive rebound percentage (27.3%), 20th in defensive rebounds-per-game (7.24) and 26th in double-doubles (14).

Top Ten In Everything
Pierce ranked second in the Ivy League in defensive rebounds-per-game, third in rebounds (268), third in points (482), fifth in points-per-game (16.6), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), fifth in free throw percentage (76.7%), seventh in field goal percentage (54.6%), eighth in assists (93), eighth in assists-per-game (3.2) and eighth in steals (35).

Pierce Milestone Watch
With 788 career points, Pierce needs to score 212 more to reach 1,000. He is also sitting on 68 makes from three, requiring 32 more makes to get to 100.

Generational Rebounder
With 525 career rebounds, Pierce requires 36 more to enter the program's all-time top-10. He would surpass Myles Stephens '19, who ended his career with 561 rebounds.

The Rise Of Xaivian Lee
Xaivian Lee rose to national prominence in 2023-24, declaring for the NBA draft before electing to return to Princeton for his junior year. He earned an invite to the NBA G League Elite Camp and workouts with several NBA teams. Lee was named First Team All-District, First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-MBWA and to the Lou Henson Mid Major All-America Team and was a Lou Henson Mid Major National Player of the Year Award Finalist. Lee was also a two-time Ivy Player of the Week. His 495 points rank No. 11 all-time at Princeton for most in a season, his 108 assists No. 18 and his 52 made three-pointers No. 44.

Scoring Machine
With two 30-point games in 2023-24, Lee became the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since Myles Stephens '19 in the 2017-18 season. Lee also became the first Tiger to record a 30-point game since Jaelin Llewellyn '22 on Mar. 7, 2020, when he scored 30 against Northeastern on Nov. 25, 2023.

Lee's Increased Output
After averaging 4.8 points as a freshman, Lee improved his scoring average to 17.1 as a sophomore. He also improved his rebounding average from 1.8 to 5.7 and his assist average from 0.9 to 3.7.

Ivy Leader
Lee led the Ivy League in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and ranked second in points (495), third in assists (108), fourth in assists-per-game (3.7), fourth in points-per-game (17.1), fourth in free-throw percentage (79.8%), sixth in rebounds (166) and eighth in rebounds-per-game (5.7).

Xaivian Milestone Watch
With 699 career points, Lee needs 301 to reach 1,000. He is also 29 made three-pointers away from 100 makes as he currently sits on 71.

Dynamic Duo
Pierce and Lee were one of five underclassmen in the nation to average at least 16 points-per-game, five rebounds and three assists while appearing in at least 25 games in 2023-24.

A Strong End To 2023-24 For Dalen Davis
A two-time Ivy Rookie of the Week in 2023-24, Dalen Davis had an outstanding end to his freshman season. Over the last nine games of the season, Davis averaged 10.2 points-per-game on 44.3% shooting from the field, 43.2% from three and 93.3% from the free throw line. Davis exploded offensively in the Ivy Tournament against Brown, scoring a season-high 21 points and shooting 4-for-5 from three.

Blake P3ters
Blake Peters started all 29 games in 2023-24 and ranked fifth in the Ivy League in made three-pointers (64), sixth in made three-point field goals-per-game (2.2) and made at least three three-pointers in 12 games. He also excels in the classroom and was named to the NABC Honors Court in 2024.

International Experience
Pierce and Davis represented Team USA in the FIBA U23 3x3 Nation's League in Mexico City, Mexico.