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PRINCETON — Break out your dancing shoes.
The Princeton men’s basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament.
Tosan Evbuomwan scored 21 points, Caden Pierce had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and the second-seeded Tigers beat top-seeded Yale, 74-65, in the Ivy League championship game on Sunday afternoon in front of a roaring Jadwin Gymnasium.
Princeton (21-8) will play in the NCAA Tournament for the 26th time.
Matt Allocco finished with 15 points and Ryan Langborg added 14 points . Allocco knocked down a mid-range shot that gave the Tigers a five-point lead after the Bulldogs had sliced an eight-point deficit to three. Princeton then got a defensive stop and Pierce converted two free throws after he hauled in an offensive rebound.
Bez Mbeng scored 15 points and Matt Knowling had 14 for Yale (21-8), which had swept the regular-season series and had won 10 of 11 over Princeton.
On the run
Princeton scored the game’s first 12 points and Yale’s tallied the next 11, but the Tigers remained in front until Matt Knowling gave the Bulldogs their first lead at 25-23 with 3:28 left.
Pierce scored Princeton’s last seven points, including a 3-pointer at the horn, to help take a 33-29 advantage into the locker room.
The Tigers put Evbuomwan on John Poulakidas in an effort to slow down Yale’s sophomore guard after he burned them for 49 points in the two regular-season meeting. That proved effective in the opening 20 minutes as Poulakidas attempted just one shot and didn’t score.
Up Next
Princeton will find out its seeding for the NCAA Tournament during Sunday night’s selection show. Yale will play in the NIT.
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