NEW HAVEN, Cannes. – Princeton was in first place in the Ivy League until Yale selected him in their victory at Jadwin Gymnasium last month.
Now it’s the Tigers’ turn to return the favor.
They did.
Tosan Euboumwan and Ethan Wright together scored 49 points, and Princeton refrained from beating Elle 81-75 at the John J. Amphitheater. Lee on Saturday night and come out on top in the league standings.
“I told myself inwardly that it was a magical college basketball game to watch,” coach Mitch Henderson said. “It was really played at a high level, it was very physical and we were a draw and they didn’t have a turnaround. I am proud (Tosan and Ethan) in particular because we stayed with it and we struggled. We have been talking about such a victory for years. This is a really determined group to get better. “
Euboomwan scored 18 of 26 points in the second half, and Wright finished from 23 in shooting 9 to 16. The Tigers hit the ball at Euboomwan in the beginning and often in the second half – he scored their first eight points of the period on the bed in less than four minutes .
“The main thing was to get out (in) the second half quickly and put pressure on them,” Euboomwan said. “We’ve really doubled (the defense) and we’ve talked a lot about it. It really came to life in the second half. “
Princeton (19-5, 9-2) broke through with a score of 15-2 in the middle of the second half, but was still forced to rest when Yale (15-10, 9-2) rallied to reduce the deficit to two after as Jalen Gabidon scored a 3-point with a score of 1:11.
Euboothwan then shared a pair of free throws 41.1 seconds before the end, and the Tigers clamped a couple of stops around Drew Freeberg’s two free throws to make the game better. Princeton held Yale at 28.6% off the field in the second half after the hosts scored 50% in the first half.
Wright, in particular, worked well, chasing Azar Swain on the field, and contributed to the fact that the top scorer of the “Bulldogs” needed 21 shots for his 18 points.
“The defense has finally come to life for us,” Henderson said. “We are more connected by helping each other, we are more in tune with the scout and how it can help us win. It’s a really tough team to help. We both have 1-2 in the standings of attack and defense, but this is our defense.
The win puts Princeton in the pole position for the regular season title, remaining in three games. It also broke the skid in seven games against Yale.
“I’ve never beaten El,” Wright said. “Usually with us they are the best team in the league, so we really wanted to achieve them. It was great for us. “
