Men's Basketball Takes Down Penn, 77-70, In Front Of Sold Out Crowd

Saturday, February 10

Princeton, N.J.

6:00 PM

Princeton University

17-3,5-2Ivy League

Penn

9-13,1-6Ivy League

Penn

Princeton

Men's Basketball Takes Down Penn, 77-70, In Front Of Sold Out Crowd

February 10, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PRINCETON, N.J. – In front of the first sold out crowd inside Jadwin Gymnasium since Dec. 12, 2001, the Princeton University men's basketball team took down the University of Pennsylvania, 77-70, Saturday night. The victory was the Tigers' 10th-straight over the Quakers.

A full house.

A huge thank you to Tiger fans for tonight's incredible show of support!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/9UHVStE9io
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) February 11, 2024

Princeton was led by sophomore Xaivian Lee, who recorded his second career double-double with a game-high 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting, 10 rebounds and a game-high five assists. The game was also the eighth of the season for Lee with at least 20 points. Sophomore Caden Pierce had his tenth double-double of the season and the 17th of his career with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds while also handing out four assists. Senior Zach Martini finished with 15 points and made a career-high five three-pointers while junior Blake Peters added 12 points and connected on four three-pointers.

As a team, the Tigers shot 16-for-38 from three, with their 16 makes tying their season-high.

"It's so fun to play in an atmosphere like this. We're grateful everyone's coming out and hopefully we'll see another big crowd next weekend."

Hear from @xaivianlee following tonight's 77-70 victory over Penn!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/Ali77polcq
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) February 11, 2024

The Quakers jumped out to a 12-5 lead with 15:31 remaining in the half, but a Pierce three-pointer and a layup by Lee saw the Tigers make it a 14-10 contest. With 12:24 on the clock a jumper by Lee sparked a 7-0 run that gave Princeton the lead, 20-19, after a three-pointer by senior Matt Allocco at 11:42. The momentum stayed with Princeton, as back-to-back three-pointers by Lee and Peters saw the Tigers take a 29-22 advantage with 7:43 remaining in the half. Penn would battle back; at 5:27 the Quakers went on an 11-0 run that saw them jump ahead, 36-32. Penn would then take a 40-36 lead into halftime.

A 7-0 run early in the second half led by a Pierce layup at 18:24 saw the Tigers go up, 43-42, with 16:59 remaining after a pair of Lee free throws. Princeton would soon extend its lead to 51-46 with 12:30 left to play, after a three-pointer by Martini followed by a Pierce dunk. The Quakers battled back to tie it, 56-56, at 8:34, but a three-pointer by Allocco ignited a 10- run that saw the Tigers take a 72-61 lead with 4:13 on the clock after a pair of Peters three-pointers. Penn narrowed the deficit to four, 74-70, with 0:12 remaining but three Pierce free throws down the stretch saw the Tigers secure the 77-70 victory.

Up Next
The Tigers return to Jadwin Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 against Brown (6-16, 2-5).