Gamecenter: Princeton 73, VMI 68

Value City Arena – Columbus, OH	Boxscore

Keys to the Game
Key sequence	VMI staged a furious late rally, scoring on eight consecutive possessions to whittle an 18-point Princeton advantage to just two in less than five minutes. Just when things appeared to be slipping away for the Tigers, freshman Lincoln Gunn nailed a huge three-pointer with the shot clock running down to make it a 67-62 game with 33 seconds left.
Key sign it was over	A Reggie Williams three-pointer had pulled VMI to within 69-65 with 14 seconds left when Justin Conway hit both free throws to put the margin back at six. The Keydets’ quick strike offense got another three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to make it a single-possession game, but Kyle Koncz converted both free throws to give Princeton a five-point lead. When Chavis Holmes missed from three-point range in the final seconds, the Tigers could breathe easy.
Key performance	Holmes came off the VMI bench to score a game-high 29 points and four steals in just 21 minutes. He played a big role in the Keydets’ comeback, scoring 12 points in the final 5:11.
Key statistic	In a relatively evenly matched game, Princeton’s dominance of the boards was the difference. One game after getting pounded on the glass, the Tigers grabbed 14 of 32 rebounds on offense (43.8 percent), and held VMI to just 20.7-percent defensive rebounding.


Notes
–	It was a matchup of contrasting styles, as VMI ranked 16th in the nation in pace of play last season at 72.8 possessions per game, while Princeton was dead last in Division I in that department at 53.7. With 73 possessions per team, the game was played at the Keydets’ pace.

–	Princeton’s 43.8-percent offensive rebounding was its second-best performance on the offensive glass in the Joe Scott Era. It came less than 24 hours after the Tigers grabbed just 18.5 percent of rebounds on their offensive end in a loss to Loyola University.

–	Princeton got balanced scoring from its starting frontcourt. Conway led the team with 15 points, while Luke Owings added 14 points in just 16 minutes, and Koncz chipped in 13 points.

–	Freshman Marcus Schroeder played the full 40 minutes for the second straight game, and while he only scored three points, the point guard did a great job of finding his teammates. Schroeder notched seven assists, including a critical one on Gunn’s momentum-changing three-pointer.

–	VMI’s outside shooting fortunes were a tale of two halves. The Keydets shot just 1 of 11 (9.1 percent) from distance in the first 20 minutes, then hit 7 of 14 (50.0 percent) from three-point range after halftime.

–	Princeton faces Alabama A&M in the BCA Classic fifth-place game on Sunday, November 12, at 2:00 pm ET.

Basketball U.