Princeton falls short in wild finish

The Princeton Tigers fought back from a big second-half deficit to come within seconds of upsetting Louisville on its home court Tuesday night.

After Princeton guard Ed Persia's slashing layup with 19 seconds remaining in the game, the Tigers owned a 65-64 advantage -- their first lead since the opening minutes. But their edge was short lived.

On the ensuing possession, Louisville junior guard Reece Gaines drove down the lane, and banked a runner over Princeton center Dominick Martin with five seconds remaining in the game.

Princeton guard Ahmed El-Nokali's three-point heave at the buzzer clanked off the rim, leaving the Tigers with a near-miss in their upset bid in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament.

Gaines' last minute heroics would have never been necessary had it not been for a feverish Princeton rally down the stretch.

When Louisville freshman forward Larry O'Bannon sank a pair of free throws to open up a 10-point lead, 53-43, for the Cardinals with 5:49 remaining, visiting Princeton looked good as dead in its first round game of the NIT.

But then the Tigers capable arsenal of 3-point shooters started firing bullseyes from all over the Freedom Hall court. On the night, Princeton nailed 12 of 25 three-point shots, 48 percent -- well above the Tigers season average of 34 percent.

Princeton senior guard Mike Bechtold, who finished with a game-high 24 points including 6 of 11 from behind the arc, immediately answered O'Bannons foul shots with a three-pointer.

Slightly over two minutes later, after a trio of long-range bombs by guard Ed Persia, the Tigers had cut the lead to 57-55.

It was nip and tuck until 1:08, when a pair of foul shots by Bechtold cut the Louisville lead to one, setting the stage for the frantic final minute.

Louisville (18-12) now moves on in the NIT and will play the winner of the Temple/ Fresno State game.

With the loss, Princeton's season is over. The Tigers finish the year 16-11.

The other Ivy League team participating in the NIT is Yale. The Elis (20-10, 11-3 Ivy) will take on Rutgers (18-12, 8-8 Big East) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J.

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