For the Princeton Tigers, the objective was apparent: beat Harvard for the 24th straight time at home, then win out the remaining four games of the regular season, force a playoff or win the Ivy League - and a trip to the NCAA tournament - outright.Thanks largely to a huge effort from senior forward, Ian Hummer, the Tigers took the first step with a 58-53 nail-biter win over the Crimson.
Hummer registered his first double-double of the season, going 8-for-14 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the line for a game-high 23 points, adding a season-high 14 rebounds, four on the offensive end.
The win left the Tigers at 8-2 in the conference with four games left to play, right behind 9-2 Harvard, which has only three games left on the regular season schedule.
In the case the two titans of the Ivy League end up tied, as has occurred in two of the last three seasons, a single-game playoff will determine which squad gets the automatic NCAA bid.
The contest was marked by solid defense, with both teams held to under 41% shooting. Princeton made the only three-pointer of the game - on ten attempts. Harvard was 0-for-8 from outside the arc. Both teams displayed proficiency at the foul line. The Tigers made 19 of 22 free throws; Harvard was 22-for-25 from the stripe.
