PRINCETON, N.J. — Tosan Evbuomwan scored 21 points, Caden Pierce added a double-double and Princeton beat Yale, 74-65, on Sunday to win the Ivy League Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 2 seed Princeton’s victory ends top-seeded Yale’s three-year run as league champion. The Tigers will be making their 26th appearance in the Big Dance and their first since 2017. Yale beat Princeton, 66-64, in last season’s championship game.
Evbuomwan sank 8 of 14 shots from the floor for the Tigers (21-8). He added five rebounds and four assists. Pierce, the Ivy League Freshman of Year, finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. It was his seventh double-double of the season. Matt Allocco pitched in with 15 points and seven boards, and Ryan Langborg had 14 points and four assists.
For the first time since 2017, @PrincetonMBB is going dancing! ???? pic.twitter.com/2cgSTddlCg
— ESPN (@espn) March 12, 2023
Sophomore Bez Mbeng paced the Bulldogs (21-8) with 18 points and six rebounds. Matt Knowling, who led the Ivy with a shooting percentage of 63%, scored 14 off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting. August Mahoney hit three 3-pointers and scored 13.
Evbuomwan buried a 3-pointer to cap a 12-0 run to start the game for Princeton. Mahoney answered with a 3-pointer for Yale, sparking an 11-0 spurt that pulled the Bulldogs within a point with 11 minutes, 11 seconds left in the first half.
Mahoney hit another 3-pointer, Knowling followed with a layup and Yale took its first lead, 25-23, at the 3:32 mark. Pierce made two 3-pointers and a layup from there to give Princeton a 33-29 lead at halftime.
The Tigers pushed their lead to 51-41 on Evbuomwan’s jumper with 12:41 left in the game. Mbeng hit a 3-pointer to pull Yale within 59-56 at the 3:30 mark. Allocco and Mbeng traded baskets, but Princeton scored its final 13 points at the free-throw line over the final 1:50 to close out the victory.
Princeton shot 40% from the floor, made 9 of 23 from 3-point range (39%) and 19 of 24 foul shots. Yale shot 44% overall, made 8 of 22 from distance (36%) and 13 of 19 free throws.
Yale beat Princeton twice during the regular season.
