Bucknell University
2-4
Princeton (CBE Classic)
2-2
Late Runs in Each Half Lift Princeton Past Bucknell 66-55 at CBE Classic
11/23/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2010
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Douglas Davis and Dan Mavraides scored 16 points apiece to lead Princeton to a 66-55 victory over Bucknell on Tuesday in the James Madison subregional of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. G.W. Boon scored 17 points to lead the Bison, who could not sustain a strong start.
Bucknell's frontcourt accounted for 41 of its 55 points, but after lighting it up from outside in Monday's blowout of Presbyterian, the starting backcourt went just 3-for-20 from the field. The team finished 2-for-14 from 3-point range against a Princeton squad that led the nation in scoring defense last year.
Princeton (2-2) prevailed thanks to big runs at the end of both halves. After falling behind by 11 points in the first half, the Tigers closed with a 17-2 run to take a four-point halftime lead. In the second half it was Bucknell's turn to rally, trimming a 13-point deficit down to two inside five minutes remaining, but Princeton outscored the Bison 14-5 in the final 4:17.
Much like in Monday's win over Presbyterian, the Bison came out of the gates quickly against Princeton. Bryson Johnson's 3-pointer highlighted a 9-2 run to open the game, and after the Tigers pulled back within two at 15-13, Bucknell ripped off nine straight points to go up by 11.
Joe Willman had four points in that run, and Boon scored inside and Johnson hit a second 3-pointer, this one from the left corner. Willman's deep jumper gave the Bison a 24-13 lead and forced a Princeton timeout, but the Tigers got going when play resumed.
Princeton answered Bucknell's 9-0 run with nine straight points of its own, which led to a 17-2 surge over the final 6:46 of the half. Mavraides was the catalyst, scoring eight straight points during one three-minute stretch. His free throws tied the game at 26, and then Mavraides hit two straight pull-up jumpers to give Princeton its first lead of the game.
After starting the game 10-for-15 from the field, the Bison finished the first half 1-for-9 as Princeton took a 30-26 lead at the break.
Bucknell had some success going inside in the second half, with its first five buckets coming in the paint. But the Bison cooled off from the outside, and Princeton stretched a five-point lead up to 13 with an 8-0 run keyed by 3-pointers by Davis and Mavraides. The latter gave the Tigers a 49-36 lead with 10:46 to play.
Davis hit another trey with 9:13 left to make it 52-39, but the Tigers would go five minutes before their next field goal, and the Bison scored 11 points in a row to pull back within two. Boon scored eight straight Bucknell points, the latter on a left-wing jumper that made it 52-50 with 4:42 to play.
Princeton went inside to Kareem Maddox to stop the run, and Bucknell came up empty on its next four offensive possessions despite some good looks at the basket. Two free throws by Mack Darrow and one by Davis put the Tigers back up by seven at 57-50 before Boon converted a 3-point play.
After draining the shot clock, Darrow hit a dagger 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:18 to play to make it 60-53. Bucknell turned it over, then Princeton finished another long possession with a Maddox dunk with 37 seconds left. The Tigers then iced it with four free throws in the final 31 seconds.
Muscala finished with 10 points for the Bison, while Colin Klebon (eight points on 4-for-6 shooting) and Willman (six points on 3-for-3 shooting) played well down low off the bench. Bucknell scored more than half its points in the paint and outscored the Tigers 28-16 in the lane.
Darryl Shazier continued his recent production in the assists category with six against only two turnovers in 37 minutes. The Bison shot 38.6 percent from the field overall despite a 46.2 percent first half. Rebounding was a major factor as well, with Princeton finishing with a 40-28 edge on the glass.
Darrow gave the Tigers a list off the bench with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and his late 3-pointer was arguably the biggest shot in the game. Princeton shot 42.9 percent overall and went 8-for-18 from the arc.
Bucknell wraps up play at the CBE Classic on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against subregional host James Madison, which pulled out a one-point win over Princeton on Monday night.
