Box Score

Senior forward Kareem Maddox scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Princeton held off a late rally for a 65-63 win over Northeastern in men's basketball action in the semifinals of the UCF Holiday Classic on Wednesday night at UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla.

After a hard-fought start to the game that featured 10 lead changes, the Tigers (10-3) went on a 13-0 run midway through the second half and built a 16-point lead, but the Huskies (4-7) came storming back to get within one point in the final minute.

Senior guard Chaisson Allen led the Huskies with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals, while freshman guard Alex Harris also hit double figures with 11 points. Sophomore guard Jonathan Lee dished five assists and freshman Ryan Pierson blocked a pair of shots.

Four Tigers reached double figures as Princeton won its eighth straight game. Senior guard Dan Mavraides chipped in 13 points, three assists and two steals and forwards Ian Hummer and Patrick Saunders added 10 points each.

After Mavraides opened the scoring with a layup for the Tigers, Northeastern senior forward Vinny Lima knocked down a jumper to even the score and Harris scored on a pair of fast-break layups to give the Huskies a 6-2 lead.

After Allen drained a three to put Northeastern up, 11-7, Saunders scored a three-pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions to put Princeton up by one. It was three minutes until the next basket came, but it was a three-pointer from sophomore guard Joel Smith to put the Huskies up, 14-12, with 11:36 to go in the first half.

Sophomore forward Mack Darrow banked in a layup to level the score and hit a free throw to put Princeton ahead. Sophomore Dinko Marshavelski answered with a bucket at the other end to give the Huskies the one-point lead and a Harris floater put the Huskies up by three. Junior guard Douglas Davis hit a three for Princeton to tie the game, but Marshavelski responded again, getting a bucket on the next trip up the court to put the Huskies back on top.

Maddox dumped in layups on successive possessions to swing the score back in Princeton's favor. Lima then tipped in an Allen miss and Allen hit a free throw to put Northeastern up, 23-22, with 2:14 left in the first half. After Maddox hit a pair of free throws, Lee drained a jumper, but Maddox hit a jumper in the final second of the half to put the Tigers up, 26-25, at halftime.

Hummer opened the second half by making one of two free throws for the Tigers. Pierson followed with a layup beating the shot clock buzzer that leveled the score at 27-27. Saunders hit a jumper for Princeton, but the Huskies tied the score again as the Tigers were called for goaltending on a Lima layup. Hummer and Pierson traded buckets before another Hummer layup kicked off a 13-0 Princeton run.

After the Tigers built a 16-point lead, the Huskies chipped away and after being down by 10 points with 1:20 to go, Allen knocked down a three to kick off a 10-1 Northeastern run that had the Huskies down, 64-63, after Allen hit a layup with 16 seconds left. Mavraides made one of two free throws at the other end with 13 seconds left to give the Huskies a chance, but a last-chance layup didn't fall.

After a slow start from the floor, both teams shot over 50 percent in the second half, with Northeastern finishing at 42.4 percent (25-of-59) and Princeton shooting 49.0 percent (6-of-15). The Huskies shot 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from beyond the arc. Princeton held a 34-33 edge in rebounding.

The Huskies are back in action on Thursday, facing Furman at 5 p.m. in the consolation game of the UCF Holiday Classic in Orlando, Fla.