Fill-in is fine in PU win

Finley is fine in split

By: Justin Feil
   While freshman teammates Marcus Schroeder and Lincoln Gunn were fixtures in the Princeton University men’s basketball starting five through five games, Zach Finley was coming along on a more typical course.
   After playing 17 minutes in the season opener, Mr. Basketball of South Dakota in 2005-06 played a total of just 14 minutes over the next four games as he adjusted to the Princeton center spot.
   "It’s different for any big guy," said Princeton head coach Joe Scott. "He possesses all those talents you need. He had them in high school. He just wasn’t asked to do those things. Now he’s being asked to have the ball in his hands and he’s being asked to dribble.
   "Those other guys, the transition was easier because they did some of that and they were coached extremely well. Everybody is really learning how important every little thing is."
   Finley got his opportunity to show how quickly he has picked up those lessons after starting Tigers center Justin Conway was injured in a 57-50 loss to North Dakota State in the first game of the Pepsi Blue and Gold Classic at Marquette on Friday. Finley played just four minutes and had an assist and a turnover in the loss.
   Saturday, he played 27 minutes, snared a season-high eight rebounds and scored eight points on a perfect 3-for-3 effort from the field while recording an assist and a steal in the Tigers’ 53-51 win over Northwestern State to earn a split of the weekend games.
   "I have a lot of confidence in the kid," said Scott, whose team improved to 5-2. "I know he’s going to be a good player. It’s a matter of getting him minutes so he knows what it means to be a good player. He went out and played extremely well. He played 27 minutes and did well. It’s good for our team.
   "Justin being out isn’t good for our team, but if it means that Zach is getting more minutes and it means that Mike Strittmatter is getting more minutes, that’s OK because those guys are going to be really good players. It’s going to make us a good team down the road."
   The Tigers right now are happy to be 5-2 on the road. Princeton will play its first home game of the season 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when they host Lehigh. The Tigers were encouraged by the play they got out of Finley in place of the injured Conway, who tore a muscle in his rib cage in the final five minutes of Friday’s game.
   "I don’t see him playing Wednesday," Scott said. "It’s going to be how much he can withstand. It’s important he gets back to 100 percent. I don’t want it to be one of those lingering injuries. It’ll be better if he gets back to 100 percent. That’s what makes him most effective.
   "You don’t want him out. And Marcus Schroeder got in foul trouble for the first time and he missed the last 15 minutes of the first half Saturday. We played out there without two of our most stabilizing forces. It shows the level of perseverance and toughness in our team as a whole."
   The Tigers had a chance to pull out Friday’s game. Princeton actually led North Dakota State by 15 points with 6:08 left in the first half, but couldn’t hang on. A 38-19 rebounding disparity did not help. North Dakota State had 15 offensive rebounds. Kyle Koncz had 13 points to lead the Tigers.
   "It was a weekend where we generally played pretty well, but our achilles heel showed up again, rebounding," Scott said. "It was in our first game and then we paid attention to it and took care of it. Then we didn’t Friday and we found out we can’t afford to not zero in and concentrate on it.
   "We know if we’re not killing ourselves to be good at it, we’re not doing enough. We made a winnable game a loss."
   Things looked worse when Conway went out at the end of the game and Princeton was forced to give Finley his first big meaningful minutes against a proven tournament team.
   "The second night was an extremely hard game against a team that has won 26 and 22 games the last two years," Scott said. "They started four seniors and a junior that were in those games and won a game in the NCAA Tournament last year. We were tougher. It’s a sign our perseverance level is way up.
   "Just generally we’ve continued to improve. We’ve continued to get tougher. We’ve continued to understand how important that toughness is in areas where we have to be good."
   The Tigers were led offensively by Luke Owings, who made 7 of 9 field goals on his way to 19 points. His biggest shot was a baseline jumper with 21 seconds left that gave Princeton a 53-50 lead. Princeton then fouled in order to take away the opportunity for a three-point shot, and after Luke Rogers made the first, Finley grabbed the rebound on Rogers’ second shot to end the game. It was his eighth, and biggest, of the game.
   "I think it’s all related to how comfortable you are," Scott said. "Once he starts playing more and starts being more comfortable, you’re going to see some blocked shots, you’re going to see a very long-armed body in there, you’re going to see some rebounds. And in time, you’re going to see some scoring in the low post. There’s still a growing process."
   As there is with the Tigers. Saturday, they found out they could win without Conway and without their freshman general, Schroeder, on the court for large parts of the game. Princeton overcame those challenges as well as the challenges of turning the ball over 25 times.
   "It shows that level of perseverance," Scott said. "What helped overcome it? The fact we rebounded it and the defense was good and we shot the ball pretty well."
   Scott would like to see the same sort of effort, minus the turnovers, when the Tigers take on Lehigh. Montgomery High School graduate Adam Hyncik is a captain for Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks are 4-6 overall, 0-4 on the road and they will be Princeton’s first home opponent this season.
   "Our guys know how important it is," Scott said. "It’s another step. There are certain things that good programs have. Being extremely good at home is one of those things. This group of guys has to make us be like that."
   Princeton is looking to continue to improve while getting more consistent with its strengths. The Tigers found another positive to build on in Finley’s first collegiate start. His presence and play helped Princeton top a tournament-tough team.
   "I’m glad Zach played well," Scott said. "He’s been practicing well and it was nice to see it carry over. Now we’ll see if he can practice well (Monday) and (today) and do it again Wednesday. This will make me have more confidence in him."