PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton University men’s basketball team erased an 11-point deficit to defeat Furman, 70-69, Saturday inside Jadwin Gymnasium after senior Matt Allocco connected on a game-winning three-pointer in the final moments of the game. Now 8-0, the Tigers are off to their best start since the 1966-67 season.
With one more victory the Tigers would equal the best start in program history of 9-0, achieved in both 1919-20 and 1914-15.
The game-winner was also the second of Allocco’s career, as he buried a three-pointer at the buzzer in a 72-70 win over Cornell on Jan. 8, 2022.
ANOTHER @MattAllocco JADWIN GAME WINNER!
THE TIGERS DEFEAT FURMAN, 70-69!#MakeShots ???? pic.twitter.com/iDHRaU8gmn
— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) December 2, 2023
Princeton. 8-0.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 2, 2023
Sophomore Xaivian Lee finished with a game-high 24 points, six rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Caden Pierce recorded his fourth double-double of the season and the 11th of his career with 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting, a game-high 15 rebounds, a team-high four assists and three steals. Pierce also recorded 15 rebounds for the third time in the 2023-24 season. Rounding out the Tigers’ double-digit scorers was Allocco who had 13 points, a game-high four steals and three assists.
While the Paladins raced out a to a 6-2 lead with 14:24 on the clock, a three-pointer by freshman Dalen Davis ignited a 6-0 run that put the Tigers ahead with 11:31 remaining in the half, 8-6. The Tigers would use another 6-0 run, this time sparked by an Allocco layup, with surge ahead 14-9 at 8:52 after a Lee layup.
Furman battled back to take a 21-20 advantage with 4:06 on the clock, but Martini drained a pair of free throws then Lee finished a layup for two and Princeton went up, 24-21, at 3:04. A Furman layup with 0:03 remaining saw the Paladins take a 28-27 lead into the half.
The Paladins opened the second half on an 8-0 run, jumping ahead 36-27 with 17:54 remaining. Princeton bounced back, with a layup by leading a 6-0 run that narrowed the deficit back down to three with 16:17 remaining, 36-33. The game of runs would continue, with a 9-0 Paladin run extending Furman’s lead to 11, 48-37, with 12:30 remaining.
Princeton made it an eight-point game, 53-45, with 9:03 left to play after a pair of Lee free throws but Furman was able to extend its advantage to 11 at 65-45 with 4:10 remaining. Undeterred, the Tigers continued to chip away and two more free throws by Lee at 2:40 ignited a 9-0 that tied it up, 67-67, with 1:38 left to play after a Pierce three-pointer.
While the Paladins went up 69-67 with 1:23 left to play, the Tigers would have one more opportunity to win the game. Pierce grabbed an offensive rebound in traffic off a Lee miss with 0:05 on the clock then kicked it out to Allocco, who drilled the game-winning pull-up three with 0:03 on the clock. Allocco’s three-pointer secured the victory for the Tigers with a final score of 70-69,
Up Next
Princeton hosts Drexel (5-3) at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 inside Jadwin Gymnasium.