Duquesne & Northeastern Up Next For Men's Basketball

Game Two: Princeton (1-0) vs. Duquesne (0-1) – 11/8, 8:30 p.m.
Game Three: Princeton (1-0) at Northeastern (1-0) – 11/10, 2 p.m.

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PRINCETON, N.J. – After a thrilling 81-80 victory over Iona in its 2024-24 season opener, the Princeton University men's basketball team is set to face Duquesne in a neutral site game on Nov. 8 then Northeastern in Boston, Massachusetts, on Nov. 10.

Jersey Jam
Princeton's game against Duquesne is part of the 2024 Deborah Heart And Lung Center Jersey Jam. It will be played at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey.

Last Time At The Jersey Jam
Princeton opened the 2023-24 season at the 2023 Deborah Heart And Lung Center Jersey Ham on Nov. 6 against Big Ten opponent Rutgers in a contest that saw the Tigers prevail over the Scarlet Knights, 68-61. In that game, Xaivian Lee had 16 points and five assists, and Caden Pierce finished with eight points, 15 rebounds and four assists. Blake Peters went 3-for-6 from three and scored nine points.

Last Time Against Duquesne
The Tigers earned a 70-67 victory over the Dukes inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 15. Lee tallied 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, Peters recorded 11 and Pierce had six along with 11 rebounds.

All-Time Series Against Duquesne
Princeton leads the all-time series against the Dukes, 3-2. It will be the second neutral site contest between the two programs, as they met inside PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 5, 2019. That night, Duquesne prevailed with a score of 94-67. Mitch Henderson is currently 1-1 against Duquesne.

Last Time Against Northeastern
On Nov. 25, 2023, the Tigers earned an 80-66 victory over the Huskies inside Jadwin Gymnasium. Lee finished with 30 points, six rebounds and four assists, becoming the first Princeton player since Jaelin Llewellyn '22 on Mar. 7, 2020, to score 30 points in a game. Pierce recorded nine points and nine rebounds.

All-Time Series Against Northeastern
Princeton is 4-3 against the Huskies, 2-1 on the road and 3-1 under Mitch Henderson.

Season-Opening W
Princeton overcame a 16-point deficit to earn an 81-80 win over Iona inside Jadwin Gymnasium on Nov. 4. Despite trailing 58-42 with 16:31 remaining, the Tigers rallied with help from a 16-0 run and a pair of game-winning free throws by Lee to take down the Gaels.

Clutch Performer
Along with connecting on the game-winning free throws, Lee finished with a game-high 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field and 6-for-7 shooting from the free throw line along with a game-high six assists and four rebounds. Princeton is 4-0 when Lee scores 25 or more.

Iron Man Pierce
Pierce, who played all 40 minutes, had 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, a team-high nine rebounds and a career-high six assists.

Career Night For Huggins
In his first career start, Jacob Huggins scored 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting.

Abdullahi's College Debut
Malik Abdullahi made an impact in his first college game. In nine minutes he scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting and had two rebounds and two steals.

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 233 career victories, Mitch Henderson ranks No. 3 all-time at Princeton for wins. With 17 more wins he would tie Franklin C. "Cappy" Cappon for No. 2 all-time and with 18 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 761 career points, Pierce needs to score 239 more to reach 1,000. He is also sitting on 66 makes from three, requiring 34 more makes to get to 100.

Generational Rebounder
With 509 career rebounds, Pierce requires 53 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 674 career points, Lee needs 353 to reach 1,000. He is also 32 made three-pointers away from 100 makes as he currently sits on 68.

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. His 124 career made three-pointers rank No. 20 all-time in school history and he is 34 made three-pointers away from cracking the program's all-time top-10. Peters' 64 makes from three in 2023-24 also rank No. 24 for most made threes in a season. In 2023-24 he 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.

Scouting Duquesne
The Dukes are 0-1 after falling to Lipscomb in their season opener, 77-72, at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Duquesne was 25-12 overall and 10-8 in Atlantic-10 play in 2023-24. Last season also saw the No. 11 seed Dukes overcome No. 6 seed BYU in the Round of 64 at the NCAA Tournament, 71-67.

Scouting Northeastern
The Huskies are 1-0 on the season, took down Boston University in their season opener on Nov. 4, 80-72. Northeastern ended 2023-24 with a 12-20 overall record along with a 7-11 record in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play.

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