Princeton’s losing streak extends to four games
HANOVER, N.H. » The Princeton men’s basketball team’s postseason hopes are becoming precarious.
Coming into Saturday in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Ivy League, the Tigers suffered a 72-56 loss at lastplace Dartmouth.
Princeton (11-12, 3-5) has lost four in a row for the first time since early in the 2014-15 season. That has dropped the Tigers into fifth in the conference with six games to play.
Only four teams qualify for the Ivy League Tournament, which Princeton won last season to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Darthmouth (5-16, 1-7) outshot Princeton from the field (47 percent to 39 percent) dominated the rebounding battle (43-24) while overcoming a onepoint halftime deficit with a 47-point second half.
Devin Cannady was the lone Princeton player to score in double figures with 12 points. Darthmouth’s Taylor Johnson led all scorers with 21 points. NEBRASKA 67, RUTGERS 55 LINCOLN, NEB. » Isaiah Roby had 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots and Nebraska opened up 16-point leads in both halves and didn’t let Rutgers get closer than 10 points in the last 14 minutes.
Nebraska (19-8, 10-4) won its seventh Big Ten conference game in its last eight tries. Rutgers (12-15, 2-11) has now lost seven consecutive conference games.
Nebraska used a 10-0 run capped by a pair of Isaac Copeland jumpers to take a 48-32 lead with 14:35 remaining. Then, as they had in the first half, the Scarlet Knights surged back with three straight baskets, cutting the Nebraska lead to 10 on Corey Sanders’ basket with 12:15 remaining.
Sanders finished with 14 points to lead Rutgers. Deshawn Freeman added 12 points and Eugene Omoruyi had 11 points.
VILLANOVA 86, BUTLER 75 PHILADELPHIA » Donte DiVincenzo scored a career-high 30 points, Jalen Brunson had 27 and No. 1 Villanova bounced back from its second loss of the season, rallying past Butler.
Omari Spellman added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (232, 10-2 Big East), who avoided losing consecutive games for the first time since March 2013. The injury-depleted Wildcats were coming off a surprising home loss to last-place St. John’s three days earlier.
Kelan Martin scored 30 and Kamara Baldwin had 25 for Butler (17-9, 7-6), which handed Villanova its first loss of the season on Dec. 30.
TCNJ 94, MONTCLAIR ST. 78 EWING » The Lions upped their record to 18-6 overall and 13-4 in the NJAC behind 39 points from senior guard Eric Murdock, Jr.
TCNJ’s Jordan Glover and Montclair State’s Myles Mitchell-White, who both attended Lawrence High, respectively scored 16 points and 15 points.
TCNJ 62, MONTCLAIR ST. 59 EWING » Samantha Famulare netted 20 points, Jen Byrne added 17 points and TCNJ (19-5, 14-3) won its fifth straight game.