Dec. 7, 2002
Final Stats
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - The Princeton men's basketball team used a scorching shooting attack to down Lafayette, 89-75, on Saturday night at Kirby Sports Center. The Tigers finished the night with a 64-percent field goal percentage, while Lafayette finished at 45 percent from the floor.
Princeton (3-2) raced out of the gates to a 14-7 lead behind eight points from guard Will Venable just six minutes into the game, but the Leopards came roaring back with some sharp shooting of their own. Andrew Pleick drilled a mid-range jumper and Drew Dawson buried a three-pointer to bring the Leopards to within 14-12 at 11:57.
Spencer Gloger and Venable rebuilt a 21-16 Princeton lead, but Winston Davis drained a three-pointer to again bring the Leopards to within two, 21-19 at 8:56. Lafayette connected on four of its first eight three-point attempts.
The Tigers then went inside to Ray Robins who scored nine points in a three-minute span, helping stretch Princeton's lead to 36-28 with 4:46 to play.
Princeton took a 46-28 lead into the locker room after shooting 67 percent from the field and 64 percent from behind the arc in the first half. Venable, Gloger and Robins combined for 40 of the Tigers' 46 first-half points.
The Leopards (0-5) sliced into the lead with a 8-1 run to open the second half, making the score 47-36 with 17:07 to play. Rob Dill scored four points, with Mike Farrell and Pleick each adding buckets during the spurt.
Gloger and Venable continued their hot-shooting touch, allowing Princeton to open up a 60-44 advantage at 12:17. Princeton went on a 13-3 run, pushing the score to 73-47 with 7:25 to play.
Three-pointers by Davis and DeBerry along with two Davis free throws cut the lead to 73-55 with six minutes remaining, but the Tigers did not allow the Leopards to get any closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
Farrell led the Leopards with a season-high 17 points, while Pleick added 14 points and four assists. Davis tallied 13 points and DeBerry tossed in 12.
Venable sparked the Tiger attack with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Gloger added 22 points and Robins chipped in with 18.
Lafayette does not return to action until Ursinus visits Dec. 17 for a 7:30 p.m. game at Kirby Sports Center.
