PRINCETON — Mitch Henderson has said over and over that he really likes coaching this particular group of players. It’s why he has to believe that shoulders won’t slump even as his Princeton is losing both the battle of attrition and basketball games. That latest blows came threefold: First ne ws that sophomore sharpshooter Jack Stanton’s season was over after he broke his left foot in the first half at Penn. Then the Tigers were blown out by Cornell for a second time on Friday night. Then another gut punch when Columbia, a rival Princeton had beaten 13 straight times, came into Jadwin Gymnasium, where it had not won since February of 2014, and made one backbreaking 3-pointer after another on its way to a 75-65 victory on Saturday night. That’s three straight losses that now have the Tigers (8-17, 4-6) on the outside looking in at the top four with four games to play. “This has been a tough stretch, but they have responded all season,” Henderson said. “They play really hard, but the league is really competitive and physical. Two weeks ago we were on fire in that game (at Columbia). It’s crazy how things happen really quickly.” A team already lacking depth — there isn’t a single senior on the roster — has been battered all season by injuries. Leading scorer Dalen Davis missed nine games in the non-conference with an ankle injury, Malik Abdullahi had a toe injury that cost him a pair of games and now Stanton’s done for the year. It’s fair to wonder if it’s all catching up with them now. “Our discipline has been really important to us and it’s just been evaporating,” Henderson said. “Maybe that’s part of that.” On Saturday night, the Tigers couldn’t stop the Lions (15-9, 4-6) in the second half. Columbia made seven of its 10 tries from beyond the arc and finished the half at 64% shooting overall (16-of-25). All the bounces even went the visitors’ way. A 3-pointer by Kenny Noland that caromed high off the rim, kissed the top of the backboard and landed through the hoop; a Blair Thompson trey that rolled around the cylinder once before dropping; and a dagger triple by Connor Igoe, a big man who had made just nine prior 3s all season, with the shot clocking winding to make it an eight-point game with 2:05 left. “When you are trying to get back in the game and they make a play like that you tell yourself next play, but, obviously, you feel a little bit type of way,” said Abdullahi, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. “It’s basketball.” On the offensive end, Princeton had season lows in 3-point makes (3) and attempts (13). The source of scoring was isolation basketball, which produced 36 points in the paint but only five assists on 25 made baskets. Dalen Davis finished with a game-high 19 points and Jackson Hicke added 18. “They were really aggressive on staying on the 3-point shooters with no help,” Henderson said. “It was very different from (Friday) night. It was 31-30 at half and they had that big explosion. They had one shot that touched the top of the backboard and still went in. We have to give them credit. They made some big plays.” Next up is a trip to last-place Brown before hosting Harvard and Dartmouth in a back-to-back and finishing at Yale on March 7. The Tigers are still just one game back of fourth. As Henderson pointed out, things can change quickly. But does a black and blue Princeton have enough left in the tank? “We want our guys to be fully healthy, but someone else has to step up whether that’s the starters who already playing or someone who really hasn’t played much,” Abdullahi said. “I think that’s focus within this team right now. Everyone has been preparing and staying ready to provide what the team needs.” ...read more read less