Princeton battles back to beat Merrimack 68-57

Budd Clark led the Warriors with 24 points

Merrimack saw its first-half lead slip away in the final 20 minutes of Sunday’s 68-57 loss to Princeton at Lawler Arena.

The Warriors led the Tigers 35-33 at the break and had a run with a 14-point lead in the first half.

“I was happy at the half,” said head coach Joe Gallo. “We overcame a sluggish start. Give them credit, they threw it in, threw it out, sprayed 3-pointers. We weren’t caught as much in the makes as the attempts. We had that number really low. We loosened up a bit, lost a little bit of focus, and these teams are so good, if you have one minor breakdown, you’re in trouble. I still think we’re a really good basketball team.”

Budd Clark was outstanding for the Warriors, finishing with 24 points in 37 minutes. Sean Trumper added nine points and seven rebounds, and Matt Becht scored nine points.

The Tigers are picked to win the Ivy League.

“They’re a top-75 team in college basketball and we weren’t far off,” Gallo said. “It was just a couple of stretches that got away from us. We just have to tighten up a few things and sustain our effort.”

Caden Pierce had 18 points for the Tigers (4-1). Pierce also contributed nine rebounds. Dalen Davis scored 16 points and added five rebounds. Xaivian Lee shot 4 for 7, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points.

The Warriors struggled from 3-point range for a second straight game. After finishing Wednesday’s game against VCU 1 for 19 from beyond the arc, the Warriors went 7 for 30 on Sunday (they’re a combined 8 for 49 after going 8 for 18 against Vermont in the opener).

“We had some good looks, we even passed up some good looks,” Gallo said. “We were 1 for 19 against VCU, and even watching the film [Saturday], two of them got blocked and we took five or six bad ones. Heat of the moment it’s hard for me to say, but I don’t remember taking a lot of bad shots.

“We just have to keep letting it fly,” Gallo said. “We see [us making shots] every day, so I’m a little surprised right now that they’re just not going in.”

Princeton’s offense shot 53.1 percent from the field.

The Warriors are on the road this week. On Wednesday, Merrimack will face nationally ranked Rutgers, a Power 4 opponent. Then, on Friday, they will face Butler from the Big East.

“Defensively, this could have been a game where we held them to 60,” Gallo said. “We were there defensively. Pierce is a handful. We tried to make him get 50 and take away everyone else. They adjusted a little and played different in the second half and it opened up some shooters.”