Princeton Beats Buzzer to Defeat Zips, 64-62

Saturday, December 23

Honolulu, HI

6:30 p.m.

University of Akron

6-4

Princeton

6-7

Princeton

AKRON

December 23 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic • Tournament Brackets: Eastern Standard Time | Hawaiian Time

Honolulu, Hawaii – Princeton's Myles Stephens grabbed a loose ball in the paint and threw it off the backboard as time expired to lift the Tigers past the Zips 64-62 on Saturday at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

The 40-minute back-and-forth battle featured nine tied scores and eight lead changes as fifth-year senior Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ohio) poured in 18 points to lead Akron (6-4). Duvivier scored 15 points in the second frame, including the Zips final nine points on three contested 3-point shots down the stretch.

Freshman Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) followed in scoring for the Zips with 16 points. He led Akron's first-half offensive attack, scoring all 16 points during the initial 20 minutes. Parrish was perfect from behind the 3-point arc, knocking down three triples and finished the game shooting 6-of-9 from the field.

Parrish started the Zips' scoring with an old-fashioned 3-point play and followed with a reverse layin to give Akron their first lead, 5-4. Duvivier added a deep strike from the top of the key, and Akron led 8-4 at the first media break, 15:50.

Over the next three minutes, Akron shots wouldn't fall, and Princeton took full advantage with six consecutive points in the paint to establish a 10-8 advantage at the under-12 break. During that stretch, Akron was 2-of-8 from the field.

When the Zips stepped back on the floor, Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) responded with back-to-back triples, giving Akron its second lead of the game, 14-10. Utomi finished the game with 13 points and six rebounds.

The Tigers, Amir Bell scored eight-straight points as Princeton regained the lead, 16-14. The lead didn't last long as Parrish buried back-to-back long-range buckets for a 20-16 Zips' advantage at the 7:17 mark.

Parrish continued to attack the Tigers' defense, scoring the first 13 of the Zips' 22 points with five minutes remaining in the half. Only three other Zips managed to find the bottom of the net until freshman Virshon Cotton (Milwaukee, Wisc.) buried two free throws with 27 seconds remaining in the half.

Parrish finished the half with 16 points, just one point away from a career-high scoring mark, while Utomi collected nine points and Duvivier (3), Cotton (2), and freshman Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio, 2) followed. The Zips led 32-25 at halftime.

In the second half, Stephens gave Princeton their first five points on a layin and a 3-ball as the Tigers cut the lead to two points, 32-30, and forcing Akron into a timeout.

Duvivier halted the Tigers' run with a deep 3-pointer and junior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) drove the lane for his first two points of the game, pushing the Zips' lead back to seven points with 16:40 left, 37-30. Ivey buried the next bucket from distance in the corner.

Princeton battled back, tying the game at 40-40 on a Stephens free throw. It was the first stalemate since the score was 14-14. On the ensuing possession, Stephens gave the Tigers the lead with two more free throws, 42-40.

From that point on, the two teams played back-and-forth for the final 12:16. Despite tying the game several times, Akron was never able to recover the lead.

For the game, Akron shot 20-of-57 from the floor (.351) and 12-of-30 (.400) from deep, while Princeton went 23-of-52 from the field and 7-of-24 from long distance. The Tigers held a slight edge on the glass, outrebounding the Zips by five boards, 36-31.

Akron is scheduled to play the third game of the Diamond Head Classic on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Game opponent and time depends on the outcome of the second round matchups. The Zips potential second-round opponents include Davidson or Hawaii and game times are either 12:30 or 2:30 p.m. ET at the Stan Sheriff Center.