Princeton Men's Basketball Team Falls Short In NCAA Tournament Upset Bid Against Notre Dame

BUFFALO, NY — The Princeton University men’s basketball team didn’t make it easy for Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish, the No. 5 seed in the West Region, survived a late scare from the 12th-seeded Tigers and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 60-58 win on Thursday at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.

After a close first half and a slight six point halftime lead, Notre Dame opened up an 11-point lead in the second, thanks to a 10-0 run. However, Princeton was able to fight back ultimately cutting the lead to 55-54 on a Steven Cook three-pointer with three minutes, 22 seconds left in the game.

Bonzie Colson hit a two-pointer and two more free throws to expand Notre Dame’s lead to five, 59-54.

A Pete Miller layup with 55 seconds left to cut the lead to 59-56. Then, with 19 seconds left, Miller’s putback of a missed three by Cook cut the lead to 59-58.

Princeton had one more shot, but missed a three-point attempt as time expired. A late foul put Steve Vasturia at the free throw line, where he went 1-for-1 for the final 60-58 score.

Weisz led Princeton with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocked shots. Myles Stephens had 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Cook had 11 points, seven rebounds and a steal.

Colson led Notre Dame with a game-high 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocked shots.

Although the game pit a 12 seed against a 5 seed, a matchup that has produced an upset in 25 of the last 28 years, many experts weren’t giving Princeton much of chance at the upset, but the Tigers were nearly able to pull off the surprise.

Princeton finished the season with a record of 23-7. It was the first Ivy League team ever to go 16-0 in the conference, thanks to two wins in the conference’s inaugural tournament last weekend. The loss to Notre Dame snapped Princeton's 19-game winning streak.

Notre Dame improved to 26-9 and advanced to the second round, where it will play No. 4 West Virginia, an 86-80 first round winner over No 13 Bucknell.

Princeton is now 13-29 in 25 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Tigers last won a tournament game in 1996, when they defeated UCLA, 43-41, in the first round. It's best performance was in 1965, when it advanced to the Final Four. It has never won a national title.

Photo Caption #1: Notre Dame Austin Torres, right, defends Princeton guard Myles Stephens, left, during the first half of a first-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Photo Caption #2: Princeton forward Will Gladson (13) goes up for a shot against Notre Dame during the second half of a first-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Photo Caption #3: Notre Dame guard Rex Pflueger (0) drives past Princeton forward Spencer Weisz (10) during the first half of a first-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Photo Caption #4: Notre Dame forward Bonzie Colson (35) and Princeton forward Steven Cook (25) go for the loose ball during the first half of a first-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)