Men's Basketball Defeats Rutgers In 83-82 Thriller at Never Forget Tribute Classic

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NEWARK, N.J. – In a contest that saw 17 lead changes, a layup by junior Caden Pierce with 00:05 remaining pushed the Princeton University men's basketball team past Big Ten opponent Rutgers in the Never Forget Tribute Classic inside Prudential Center Saturday afternoon, 83-82, as the Tigers defeated the Scarlet Knights for the second straight season.

WILD ending to Princeton-Rutgers ??@PrincetonMBB hangs on to win! pic.twitter.com/QvUNfmkulx
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 21, 2024

Despite trailing 82-81 with 00:17 on the clock, Pierce's layup with 00:05 the clock sealed the win for Princeton in front of 10,148 fans.

Princeton moves to 77-46 all-time against the Scarlet Knights, and 4-1 since Mitch Henderson took over as Franklin C. Cappon-Edward C. Green '40 Head Coach.

Pierce recorded his 24th career double-double, tying the team-high in points with 21 on 10-for-17 shooting and pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds. Junior Xaivian Lee tied Pierce with 21 points and also had a double-double with a game and career-high 11 assists. Lee also had four rebounds for the Tigers. Senior Blake Peters added nine points and made three three-pointers, bringing his career total to 155 which is tied for No. 11 all-time in school history.

While the Scarlet Knights raced out to an 11-6 lead, the Tigers would battle back and tie it up, 20-20, with 12:06 on the clock after a layup by freshman Malik Abdullahi. A three-pointer by sophomore Dalen Davis followed by a senior Philip Byriel layup gave the Tigers a 25-12 lead with 10:39 left in the half.

Back-to-back dunks by Abdullahi and Pierce put Princeton ahead, 29-24, with 8:02 remaining in the half, but a 7-0 Scarlet Knight run put Rutgers back in front at 6:24, 32-29. A tip-in layup by Abdullahi saw the Tigers take a 44-42 advantage with 1:06 on the clock, but the Scarlet Knights took a 46-44 lead into halftime.

Rutgers extended its advantage to six with 16:25 remaining, but a pair of free throws by Lee with 15:54 on the clock ignited a 7-0 run that gave the Tigers a 56-55 lead with 14:10 left to play. The second half, much like the first, became a back-and-forth battle with Rutgers battling back and taking a 62-59 advantage with 11:36 left to play, but a second chance layup by Pierce at 11:09 sparked a 6-0 run that saw Princeton jump back in front, 65-62, with 9:59 on the clock.

Byriel's second three-pointer of the contest put the Tigers up four, 77-73, with 5:04 remaining but a late 7-0 Rutgers run swung the momentum back the Scarlet Knight's way as they gained a 82-81 lead with 00:17 remaining.

On the Tigers' final possession, Pierce backed his defender down then scored to put Princeton ahead 83-82 with 00:05 on the clock. A last second heave by Rutgers fell short and the Tigers held on for the thrilling triumph.

Up Next
The Tigers host Akron (6-4) on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. inside Jadwin Gymnasium.

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