12/22/02

No. 10 Texas 57, Princeton 54

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	Deginald Erskin

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Chris Ogden hit the go-ahead 3-pointer and T.J. Ford made four free throws over the final 21 seconds as Texas (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) avoided Princeton's upset bid with a 57-54 victory Sunday.

Put in the game late as a shooting spark, Ogden swished his only basket from deep in the right corner to put Texas up 51-48 with 3:57 left.

Princeton (3-5) had a chance to tie it at 53 when Kyle Wente got fouled as he made a backdoor layup but he missed the free throw. Ford grabbed the long rebound and iced the game from the foul line.

Princeton had the ball with six seconds left and one chance to tie but Ed Persia was off-line on a desperation 3-pointer.

Brandon Mouton led Texas (7-2) with 21 points and Ford added 10.

Wente had 14 points and Spencer Gloger added 11 for Princeton.

The Longhorns went 18-of-22 from the foul line and outrebounded Princeton 39-22.

Texas, which was ranked as high as No. 2 this season, looked befuddled against the Ivy Leaguers with the reputation of giant killers.

Princeton hasn't beaten a ranked team since knocking off No. 18 Wake Forest in 1997, but the Tigers' win over defending champion UCLA in the first round of the 1996 NCAA tournament ranks as one of college basketball's biggest upsets.

	T.J. Ford

Princeton led 21-18 at halftime behind a zone defense that refused to allow the Longhorns any easy entry passes under the basket and forced 10 turnovers. Ford, who led the nation in assists last season as a freshman, struggled with three turnovers against the scrappy Tigers defense and teammates who seldom anticipated his passes.

Even when Texas got a good look at the basket, the Longhorns struggled to connect, shooting 6-of-26 in the first half, including 3-of-11 from 3-point range. The Longhorns finished 17-of-48 (35 percent) for the game.

Princeton, meanwhile, did what it does best: The Tigers were stingy on defense, patient on offense and knocked down open shots. The Tigers were 4-of-9 on 3-pointers in the first half and Wente hit two jumpers in the final minute for the lead.

Mouton's 3-pointer keyed a 9-2 run that put Texas up 27-25 with 14:35 to play. Princeton answered with a 3-pointer from Gloger before Ray Robins hit another 3 and drove past Brad Buckman for a dunk.

Texas finally grabbed the momentum when Ford hit a driving layup, James Thomas finished a midcourt steal with a fast-break dunk and Ogden drained the 3-pointer to give the Longhorns the lead for good.

POSTGAME QUOTE SHEET

TEXAS HEAD COACH RICK BARNES

	Brandon Mouton

ON HIS EXPERIENCE PLAYING PRINCETON …
"This was the third time I have played Princeton, and it is like having a root canal with no novacaine. Defensively we were very good, but where we hurt ourselves early was when we turned the ball over 10 times to allow 10 points off the turnovers. However, I thought we showed a lot of character and we had some good plays when we needed them. This was a great experience to understand that you have to grind it out with NCAA teams."

ON THE OFFENSE …
"You have to get one possesion at a time, and in a game like this the guys taking three-pointers have to be the best shooters. I kept saying to them that we needed to attack the middle of the zone, and it can not always be off the pass, but also needs to be off the dribble."

ON CHRIS OGDEN…
"He understands what he is doing and he has a great feel for the game. I told him last semester that he would need to be ready because I knew they would play the zone well. He is the best player we have to play against the zone. We put him on a guard and put Royal Ivey on a post player."

ON BRANDON MOUTON…
"I thought he did what he does. He got back to keeping it simple with one dribble and a jump shot. I thought defensively this was his best effort. We were determined to pressure the ball."

CHRIS OGDEN

ON HIS THREE-POINT SHOT …
"Coach put me in to establish some ball movement. I tried to get lost in the zone during the play. I set a pick, opened up, and let the ball fly. Fortunately the ball went in."

BRANDON MOUTON

ON THE GAME …
"I knew it was going to be a low-scoring game. Princeton executed well throughout the game. It was just two good ball teams that played well."

PRINCETON HEAD COACH JOHN THOMPSON

ON T.J. FORD …
He is a terrific player and we wanted to keep him in front of us and limit his opportunities in the game."

ON THE FINAL SECONDS OF THE GAME …
We had six seconds left to win the game. We need to be able to open it up. Texas has players that can hurt you on the inside and the outside.

ED PERSIA, PRINCETON GUARD

ON THE GAME …
I thought we played well both offensively and defensively, but Texas killed us in the second half. We played the game we wanted to play it just didn't turn out right."

ON T. J. FORD …
T.J. and I played against each other a lot in AAU ball because we were on rival teams in Houston. He stayed in the game and that's what good players do."