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Saturday, March 2
Princeton, N.J.
7:00 PM
Princeton University
23-3,11-2Ivy League
79
vs
77
Cornell
21-6,10-3Ivy League
1
2
F
Cornell
35
42
77
Princeton
33
46
79
Photo by: Copyright 2020, Greg Carroccio, All rights reserved.
Men's Basketball Upends Cornell, 79-77, In Front Of Sold Out Crowd On Senior Night
March 02, 2024 | Men's Basketball
PRINCETON, N.J. – Seniors Matt Allocco and Zach Martini had a memorable senior night Saturday night in front of a sold out Jadwin Gymnasium, as the Princeton University men's basketball team completed another weekend sweep with a 79-77 victory over Cornell.
The Tigers' winning streak extended to eight, and Princeton finishes with a perfect 12-0 record at home in 2023-24.
The Big Red used an early 7-0 run to race out to a 9-3 lead with 16:05 remaining in the half, before taking a 10-point lead with 12:39 on the clock, 17-7. A mid-range jumper by freshman Dalen Davis with 12:34 left in the half sparked an 8-0 run that narrowed the deficit to two, 17-15, at 10:32.
Cornell would soon extend its advantage back out to 24-17 with 7:17 remaining in the half, but a Davis three-pointer followed by a pair of Pierce free throws made it a 24-22 contest with 4:53 on the clock. The Tigers and Big Red continued to battle back-and-forth, with an Allocco three-pointer tying it up, 33-33, at 0:43. Princeton would head into the half trailing by two, 35-33.
A short jumper followed by a three-pointer by Lee put the Tigers ahead, 38-25, with 19:14 remaining, then a timely three-pointer by sophomore Jack Scott at 5:47 kept Princeton ahead, 64-63. An 8-0 run by the Big Red saw Cornell re-take the lead, 43-38, at 17:14, but a Davis jumper followed by a Pierce layup put Princeton ahead by one, 47-46, at 14:56. The Tigers soon extended their advantage to seven with 10:15 left to play after a three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Allocco, but a 9-0 Big Red run gave Cornell a 59-58 lead with 7:09 left to play.
The Tigers wrap up regular season play at the Palestra against the University of Pennsylvania (11-17, 3-10) at 6 p.m. on Mar. 9.
The Tigers' winning streak extended to eight, and Princeton finishes with a perfect 12-0 record at home in 2023-24.
Sophomore Caden Pierce finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 shooting from the free throw line, while also recording eight rebounds, a team-high four assists and tying the game-high in steals with three. Allocco poured in 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field, 3-for-6 shooting from three and 6-for-6 shooting from the free throw line and also had four rebounds, two assists and two steals. In addition, sophomore Xaivian Lee had third career double-double, finishing with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds."Can't thanks the fans enough, we rallied off of them. Cornell's a great team & we took their best punch, we're excited for what's to come."
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 3, 2024
Some postgame words from @CadenPierce_3!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/CXKw1yCchG
The Big Red used an early 7-0 run to race out to a 9-3 lead with 16:05 remaining in the half, before taking a 10-point lead with 12:39 on the clock, 17-7. A mid-range jumper by freshman Dalen Davis with 12:34 left in the half sparked an 8-0 run that narrowed the deficit to two, 17-15, at 10:32.
Cornell would soon extend its advantage back out to 24-17 with 7:17 remaining in the half, but a Davis three-pointer followed by a pair of Pierce free throws made it a 24-22 contest with 4:53 on the clock. The Tigers and Big Red continued to battle back-and-forth, with an Allocco three-pointer tying it up, 33-33, at 0:43. Princeton would head into the half trailing by two, 35-33.
A short jumper followed by a three-pointer by Lee put the Tigers ahead, 38-25, with 19:14 remaining, then a timely three-pointer by sophomore Jack Scott at 5:47 kept Princeton ahead, 64-63. An 8-0 run by the Big Red saw Cornell re-take the lead, 43-38, at 17:14, but a Davis jumper followed by a Pierce layup put Princeton ahead by one, 47-46, at 14:56. The Tigers soon extended their advantage to seven with 10:15 left to play after a three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Allocco, but a 9-0 Big Red run gave Cornell a 59-58 lead with 7:09 left to play.
Martini drained a corner three that put Princeton back in front at 6:38, 61-60. The Big Red responded with a 6-0 run, jumping back in front, 69-64, with 4:21 remaining, but a layup then a three-pointer by Lee tied it up at 69-69 with 2:38 on the clock. Cornell took a 71-69 lead with 2:20 left, five-straight Pierce points that included an and one dunk put the Tigers back in front, 74-72, with 1:15 remaining. From there, the Tigers were able to hold off the Big Red for 79-77 triumph.19:14 2nd | Princeton 38, Cornell 35
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 3, 2024
A @xaivianlee three puts the Tigers in front!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/MJIzYDcLw6
Up Next1:15 2nd | Princeton 74, Cornell 71
— Princeton Men's Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 3, 2024
AND ONE!@MattAllocco dumps it off to @CadenPierce_3 who throws it down despite the foul!
??: https://t.co/97CtlNN5rE #MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/AxDYD09FUx
The Tigers wrap up regular season play at the Palestra against the University of Pennsylvania (11-17, 3-10) at 6 p.m. on Mar. 9.
Team Stats
CU
PU
FG%
.475
.441
3FG%
.281
.333
FT%
.714
.783
RB
33
35
TO
10
6
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballReflections from the Princeton Athletics Class of 2025
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