Princeton beats Alabama A&M 56-39
Alot of threes

Box Score

Princeton's win over Alabama A&M Sunday at the BCA Classic had a lot to do with threes. The four threes from Ohio native Kyle Koncz that helped the Tigers take a big halftime lead, and the two threes on the jersey of senior captain Justin Conway that helped the Tigers keep it.

Koncz had 15 of his team-high 19 points in the first half, helping Princeton take a 32-15 lead at the break, and Conway had 11 points, seven rebounds, four steals and maybe a bruise after taking a first-half elbow to the head in a 56-39 Princeton victory in the tournament's fifth-place game at Ohio State's Value City Arena.

Koncz scored Princeton's first nine points, all on three-pointers, to give Princeton (2-1) a lead it would never relinquish in the final 35 minutes, and Conway had his team's final seven points of the half, including a free throw after an intentional foul was called on Alabama A&M's Jonathan Belt after elbowing Conway near the head with 1:32 left.

The Tigers led by as many as 18 points in the second half and never had a lead of less than 11 points in the final 20 minutes.

"I'm happy for Kyle because it's tough to come home to your home area and do well and he did well in all three games here," said Princeton head coach Joe Scott. "Justin makes a big difference for us on the boards and getting his hands on passes on defense, and he and Marcus (Schroeder) did a great job of that today."

Koncz averaged 15 points per game and made a total of 10 three-point shots in Princeton's three games in Columbus, about a two-hour drive from his hometown of Strongsville outside Cleveland. Conway shot 5 for 7 from the field on Sunday and also added two assists in 37 minutes of action.

"I've really concentrated on getting good looks this season and taking advantage of the opportunities I have to make those shots," said Koncz, who made 10 of his 20 three-point shots in the three games in Columbus.

"I think we did a good job of playing hard on defense and on the boards today," said Conway, who was none the worse for wear after the first-half elbow. "It feels good to hold a team that wants to run and score a lot to 39 points."

The Tigers' defensive effort included allowing Alabama A&M (1-2) to shoot just 35% from the field (14 for 40) and 4 for 16 from three-point range. Princeton had 12 steals, including four from Schroeder, and the Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers overall.

Cornelius Hester and Evan Hilton each scored 11 points for Alabama A&M, which forced 15 Princeton turnovers.

Princeton shot 55% in the first half on the way to the 17-point halftime lead. The Tigers fell behind 4-0 and 6-3, but then fashioned a 13-2 run midway through the first half to take a 16-8 lead on a MIchael Strittmatter layup with 9:55 left.

The Tigers made eight three-pointers in 22 attempts. Princeton made 27 three-point shots in the three games at the tournament. Princeton also shot 16 for 20 from the foul line on Sunday after making just 21 of 36 free-throw attempts in its first two games.

The Keydets return to action on Wednesday evening, as they host Virginia Intermont at Cameron Hall at 7 p.m.