At a sold out Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Mass., Princeton pounced on a highly touted Harvard team, defeating the Crimson by a narrow 56-53 margin.
The Tigers earned their stripes Friday in the first test of what will likely emerge as the battle for second place.
Princeton felt the heat from the Crimson in only the opening and closing minutes of the game. A 12-point run late in the first half allowed Princeton to enter the locker room ahead by nine.
Sporting a double-digit lead for 16 minutes during the second stanza, the Tigers were in control until three-pointers from Jeremy Lin and Kyle Casey (named Ivy Rookie of the Week) brought the Crimson within two.
With under a minute to play, the fouling dance began and the Tigers expanded their lead to four.
Though the Crimson took the ball with 11 seconds remaining, not even the highly-celebrated Lin could make the necessary long-ball as the clock expired.
Four games into its Ivy season, undefeated Princeton sits atop the Ivy standings along with Cornell.
The two teams square off Saturday in what may be the marquee League matchup of the season. The Tigers will claim home court advantage against a rolling Big Red team.
Big Red movin’ on up
Things just keep getting better for Cornell, which hopped up three spaces to No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll after besting Yale and Brown at home this weekend.
Senior Jeff Foote was once again the determining factor in the wins, averaging a double-double — 16 points and 11 rebounds — to complement his 3.5 assists and two blocks on the weekend. For his efforts, Foote was awarded his third Ivy Player of the Week honor.
When the Bulldogs came to town, Cornell was propelled by pinpoint perimeter shooting. The team was 13-for-27 from downtown. Senior forward Jon Jaques shot 64 percent from the floor, hitting four from range.
Yale, by comparison shot 3-for-16 — a measly 18.8 percent — from behind the arc.
Brown still struggling
The Bears are trying to paw their way out of a deep 1-5 hole after dropping road games to Cornell and a less daunting Columbia team this weekend.
Against the Lions, Brown posted a nine-point lead at the break but succumbed to a second-half surge from Columbia guard Noruwa Agho, who boasted 18 points and 10 rebounds on the night.
Practically the only bright spot on the Brown stat-sheet this weekend was senior Matt Mullery.
The 6-foot-8 forward rained in 38 points on the road trip, shooting 54 percent from the floor.
The Bears will take on a Dartmouth team Friday that is still hungry for its first win of the Ivy season.
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