Women's basketball look to continue unbeaten run

This weekend, the unstoppable Princeton women’s basketball team will look to extend its undefeated record as it hosts rivals Dartmouth and Harvard as the first part of a four-game homestand. The Tigers (23-0 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) are the only women’s team in the nation still undefeated and are ranked No. 16 in the nation in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and 17th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Dartmouth and Harvard games will be played at 6 p.m. in Jadwin Gymnasium on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The Tigers currently have the highest national ranking of any Ivy League team in conference history and have one of the statistically best offenses and defenses in the country. The Tigers have the highest three-point shooting percentage in the nation (42.5 percent), rank second in field goal percentage (49.8 percent) and are third in scoring margin (25.7 points). The Tigers are also ranked 13th in scoring (77.9), 19th in assists (16.8) and 20th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.17). The Tigers are coming off of a pair of wins on the road last weekend at Brown and Yale, respectively.

The Tigers have a deep and talented roster, led by senior guard Blake Dietrick. Dietrick has the 15th highest three-point field goal percentage in the country (44.1 percent) and leads the Ivy League in assists per game (5.0). Dietrick has been named to the Nancy Lieberman watch list for an award given to the best point guard in the nation and the Naismith Trophy Midseason 30, given to the best collegiate basketball players. Dietrick has also received five Ivy League Player of the Week awards this season and is the first player in program history to have been named the United States Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week, receiving her second honor on January 6th.

Junior guard/forward Annie Tarakchian was named Ivy League Co-Player of the Week this week after standout performances in last weekend’s matchups against Brown and Yale in which Tarakchian netted her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season. Tarakchian leads the Ivy League in three-point percentage (50.0 percent), is second in free-throw percentage (81.4 percent) and rebounding (8.9 percent), and ranks ninth in field goal percentage (46.7 percent).

Junior guard Michelle Miller also has made a huge impact on the successes of the Tigers this season with consistently strong showings. Miller averages 12.1 points per game with 4.5 rebounds per game, shooting .482 on field goals and .484 on three-point shots. Junior forward Alex Wheatley averages 10.8 points per game and 5.0 rebounds, shooting .607 on field goals.

Earlier this season, the Tigers faced off against the Big Green and came away with a 83-65 victory. Dartmouth is currently ranked No. 7 in the league with an 11-11 overall record and a 2-6 record against Ivy League opponents. Dartmouth split its games last weekend, falling to Cornell on Saturday but rallying to beat Columbia in overtime on Sunday.

When the Tigers last faced the Crimson on Jan. 30, they came away with a 96-46 win. Harvard comes into the weekend tied for No. 5 in the Ivy League, with a 10-12 overall record and a 3-5 record against Ivy League opponents. The Crimson also split their games last weekend, falling to Columbia on Saturday but beating Cornell on Sunday.