Nov. 27, 2005
Box Score | Photo Gallery
PRINCETON, N.J. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette led nearly the entire game and held Princeton to 13 first-half points en route to a 57-46 win on Sunday afternoon at Jadwin Gymnasium.
The win marked the second straight Lafayette victory at Jadwin Gymnasium. The Leopards topped the Tigers in another low-scoring affair, 47-44, back on Dec. 22, 2003. Lafayette has now won two of the last three meetings between the two schools.
Both teams struggled to find the iron in the opening minutes, but once Lafayette did the team built a solid lead it would not relinquish. The Leopards led by as many as 10 twice during the first half, but did not allow Princeton a field goal over the final 4:19 of the session. Lafayette led 23-13 at the intermission.
The Leopards bothered the Tigers early in the second, holding Princeton scoreless over the opening 5:42 of the half. Overall, Lafayette's defense did not allow a Princeton field goal over 10 minutes spanning both halves, a period in which the Leopards out-scored the Tigers 13-2.
Lafayette's lead grew to as many 19, 32-13, on a three-point bucket from guard Bilal Abdullah with 15:23 remaining. However, Princeton did not go away, as leading scorer Noah Savage got hot late in the action. Trailing 45-31 with 6:22 remaining, the Tigers used a 10-4 run to cut the lead to eight, 49-41, at the 3:21 mark. Savage claimed eight points during the stretch.
Consecutive buckets from senior forward Andrei Capusan and a pair of Abdullah free throws halted the Princeton surge and rebuilt a 12-point cushion with 1:24 left in the game.
"I knew Princeton would make a run," said head coach Fran O'Hanlon. "I thought we did a great job of staying poised and answering right away."
A patient Lafayette offense shot 46 percent (21-of-46) from the floor, led by a season-high 15 points from Abdullah. The sophomore also ripped down a season-best seven rebounds. Also in double figures for the Leopards was sophomore forward Ted Detmer with 10 points to go with eight boards. Capusan also reached a new season high with 10 points.
After a scoreless first half, Savage finished with a game-high 17 points. Scott Greenman poured in 14 points, including 3-of-8 from behind the arc.
"Our system is similar to Princeton's, but today we did a great job of contesting shots," O'Hanlon said. "We understood the flow and got back on defense the best we have all year."
The win put the Leopards at 2-2 on the season, while Princeton fell to 1-2.
The Leopards return home to take on Cornell on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Princeton's 46 points were the fewest allowed by the Lafayette defense in a win since Lafayette's 76-40 win over Army Jan. 14, 2004.
-The Leopards registered a season-high five blocks in the game. Abdullah's two swats were a team-best.
-For the second consecutive game, Lafayette out-rebounded its opponent. The Leopards hauled down 32 boards to Princeton's 22.
-The Maroon and White had a good showing in a crowd of 2,811, as six Lafayette players hail from New Jersey.
