PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Xaivian Lee has won enough games for Princeton that there was no doubt what he was going to do. The junior guard curled off a screen and caught the ball beyond the 3-point line and faced up against the Ivy League’s Defensive Player of the Year. He went to his signature step ba ck, the same one he used to propel the Tigers to January victories over Dartmouth and Columbia. Only this time the ball clanged off the rim as time expired and an underwhelming season fell shy of the NCAA Tournament berth so many expected with a 59-57 loss to Yale in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon here at the Pizzitola Sports Center. “I got to make that shot,” a somber Lee said. How the Tigers battled in a way they hadn’t in the first two meetings against the Bulldogs — they spotted them the first 12 points of the game and trailed by 12 with 11:16 remaining before taking the lead twice in the final four minutes — made it sting even more. “I thought we competed really hard today and I’m proud of the way my guys played,” Lee said. “I thought we shoed a lot of toughness and matched their physicality. It didn’t go our way today, but I thought we put ourselves in the position we wanted to be in to win that game. Sometimes things like that happen.” Yale’s John Poulakidas, right, catches the ball as he’s defended by Princeton’s Blake Peters, left, during an Ivy League Tournament semifinal game on Saturday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, R.I. (Ivy League Photo) Yale (21-7) is seeking to become the first No. 1 seed since Princeton in the inaugural edition to win the ILT and needed big shots from its stars Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidas to survive and advance to Sunday’s championship game. CJ Happy’s 3 gave the No. 4 seed Tigers (19-11), who needed victory on the final day of the regular season just to assure themselves a spot in the ILT, their first lead with 3:24 to go, and they had two chances to extend it but Happy and Caden Pierce both had 3s rattle out on consecutive trips. Mbeng finally answered with a three-point play, and then after Lee (14 points, seven rebounds, six assists) put Princeton back on top with a sweet crossover into a 3, Poulakidas nailed the biggest shot of the game — a 3-ball from the wing over the outstretched arm of Blake Peters with one minute left. “I was just trying to guard him and make it a tough shot,” said Peters, who later became emotional talking about his senior season. “He’s a great player. I know him well. It will eat at me forever, but things like that happen.” Thanks to Peters’ defense, the explosive Poulakidas was held in check to 13 points and was 5-of-13 from the field, but he made all three of the Bulldogs’ treys — they were 3-of-15 — including that shot that ended up the game winner. Mbeng and Nick Townsend finished with 12 points each. “All the work that I put in is for moments like that,” Poulakidas said. “So I can step into those shots with as much confidence as I have. Thankfully, it went in.” Pierce’s attempt to tie the game was swatted away by Samson Aletan, and after Yale grabbed the rebound what followed was a bizarre sequence. With a tight differential between shot and game clock, Princeton played out the possession instead of fouling. Coach Mitch Henderson was screaming for his team to foul, but both Lee and Peters and had four fouls and didn’t want to commit their fifth. “We were trying to foul early and we got into a situation where we didn’t foul and it worked out,” Henderson said. “We got the shot clock violation in plenty of time with the ball back. It didn’t work out for us the two previous possessions, but they made huge plays. We had great looks to put the game out of reach or up four at least. I felt really good about what we were able to do there in the last two minutes of the game.” Yale seemed surprised by the lack of a foul because Poulakidas ended up taking a shot clock violation (the clock was reset to 6.6 seconds after review, which left coach James Jones perplexed at the math). “There was only a three-second differential shot clock and game clock and when they didn’t (foul), I guess I was a little bit surprised,” Poulakidas said. “I should have been more cognizant of the shot clock and if I’m put in that position again I will be.” “Can anybody explain to me why there were six seconds instead of three?” Jones asked rhetorically. Princeton had one more shot. The right guy had the ball. It just didn’t go in. “We had a shot at the end of the game to win the game,” Henderson said. “I’m happy about that. We didn’t play great, but right there.” Princeton’s Xaivian Lee, right, looks to move the ball around Yale’s Nick Townsend, left, and Bez Mbeng, center, during an Ivy League Tournament semifinal game on Saturday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, R.I. (Ivy League Photo) *** Peters completed an outstanding four-year run with 14 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. He got emotional reflecting on his time on Old Nassau. Peters was part of three regular-season title teams and an ILT championship squad that went on to the Sweet 16. “I was really proud to get to play with some Princeton legends,” Peters said. “These guys will be in my life for awhile. So many memories we made … it’s hard to put into words. This was my dream my whole life. I got to live that out every day.” *** After getting outscored by 50 points in the paint in the first two meetings, Princeton didn’t get overrun in that area. A key to staying competitive: Yale only held a 34-22 advantage. “I thought this was as resilient as we’ve looked all season,” Henderson said. *** With his six assists, Lee moved past Tosan Evbuomwan and William Ryan for the most assists in a single season by a Princeton player with 165. ...read more read less