Tigers knock off UMBC for first road win of season
By: Justin Feil
In winning its first two games of the season, the Princeton University men’s basketball team proved just what most people already knew the Tigers are tough to beat at home.
In the prior three seasons, Princeton has been 27-7 at Jadwin Gym, but only 18-20 on the road. Princeton got a boost when it defeated University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 68-56, Tuesday as the visiting team for the first time this season.
The win helped Princeton improve to 3-0, the first time its been unbeaten at this point since the 1997-98 season, when it won its first seven games and went 27-2.
"I think particularly our execution was very good, just as it has been the first couple of games," said PU head coach John Thompson. "I think we rebounded better than the last couple games. That’s something we’re going to have to continue to do. They’re a very good team. It was the fourth-largest crowd in attendance down there. We got up early and they made a run to get them back into it."
Princeton led, 13-2, early and stretched that bulge to 18-5 before the Retrievers rallied to trim the margin to five points in the first half. Judson Wallace again led the Tigers in scoring with 16 points, and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Konrad Wysocki had a season-high 15 points. Andre Logan saw his first action in 27 games. The junior forward had three free throws, two rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes of play.
There was little time to relish the road win, as Princeton returned home late Tuesday night, had an early practice Wednesday before flying out to Fresno, Calif., to play in the McCaffrey Classic. Princeton opens with a first-ever meeting with UC-Irvine 8:30 p.m. tonight in a game that can be heard on WPRB. The Anteaters are 2-2 on the young season. The Tigers then face host Fresno State 11 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs are 0-2.
"It was nice to open at home, but now we have this stretch on the road," Thompson said. "It’s difficult. It’s tiring on your body. It’s college basketball also. You do it to get the opportunity to see other parts of the country and get to see teams from other conferences. It’s what everyone does."
Princeton, which then will have a week off before playing at Rutgers, will get a different sort of test this weekend. UC-Irvine and Fresno State make the McCaffrey Classic a bigger road challenge.
"They both are big physical teams," Thompson said. "In that regard, physically, it will be a step up. They’re very aggressive offensively and defensively."
The Tuesday win over UMBC was the first game this season in which Princeton has out-rebounded a team. The Tigers held a 30-25 advantage after both Colgate and Holy Cross had out-rebounded them in the first two games of the season.
"Down through the years here, we always have been out-rebounded," Thompson said. "And we’ve had success. We’ve literally been consistently out-rebounded. But we don’t want to give them second shots. We need to get some more defensive rebounds. We need to not give up second shot after second shot after second shot. It’s something we talk about, and we’re trying to take care of now."
Logan’s return means another experienced player with the size who can help. Logan averaged almost four rebounds per game as a sophomore before a knee injury cost him 40 of the Tigers’ next 43 games.
"It may help," Thompson said of his return, "And as some of the freshmen get confidence and experience, that will enable us to put a bigger lineup out there."
For a scary minute Tuesday, it looked like Princeton might be forced to a taller lineup when 6-feet tall point guard Ed Persia, a senior co-captain, fell to the floor clutching his knee. Trainer Mike Derosier had Persia back in the game minutes later, however, after a minor adjustment.
"Eddie is a tough kid," Thompson said. "He goes down and he’s clearly in some pain, so a ‘little worried’ is an understatement. He was in tremendous pain for two minutes, but he was back in and the good thing is there was no swelling (before Wednesday’s practice). But you look at Eddie laying there three games into the season and think, ‘Here we go again.’"
Instead of worrying about injuries, the fourth-year coach is instead concerning himself with getting a complete game out of the Princeton. Though the Tigers have won their first three games rather significantly, it could have been even easier with sustained play. That’s another point of emphasis out West.
"I just think we have to stay focused for a whole game," Thompson said. "In every game we’ve gone through in Colgate I called it a lull a period where we haven’t had it. Be it a minute, five minutes, 10 minutes or two minutes, we went through a period where we didn’t do the things we need to do to win. We need to make sure we don’t have lapses."
That responsibility, Thompson added, falls on everyone coaches and players. And it’s made all the more difficult because the Tigers will be playing in front of hostile crowds on the road, where they hope to be as good as they’ve shown at home.