Winter break recaps

Welcome back, Tigers! Here's all you missed in sports while you were away.

Men’s basketball: 4-2 over winter break

The men’s basketball team had a busy winter break, with six games and a road trip of over 10,000 miles. The Tigers played games against Cal Poly and Southern California to start the break, winning both to add an impressive USC win to their non-conference resume. Then, they traveled to the nation’s 50th state where they played in the Diamond Head Classic over Christmas. The Tigers took fifth in that tournament after going 2-1 with back-to back-buzzer beater games against Middle Tennessee and Akron. The Tigers finally returned east and took on Penn in their Ivy League opener, but Princeton dropped the game against the Quakers 76-70. Post-break, the Tigers are 7-8 on the season, 0-1 in league play and getting ready for the heart of their Ivy League schedule.

Men’s hockey: 0-2-2 over winter break

Princeton men’s hockey had a brutal winter break schedule as they faced teams ranked No. 1, No. 5 and No. 17 by the NCAA over a four game span. Princeton hosted No. 1 St. Cloud for a double header before New Years, where they tied back to back games in thrilling 3-3 and 2-2 contests. The Tigers hit the road to start 2018 where they lost 7-1 to No. 5 Cornell and 4-0 to No. 17 Colegate. The men are now 3-7-2 in ECAC league play as they get ready for an upcoming road trip to Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend.

Men’s volleyball: 1-3 to start the season

Men’s volleyball opened their season last week and kicked off along west coast road trip against some of the nation’s best teams. The Tigers lost to No. 12 USC and No. 2 Long Beach State before defeating No. 8 Stanford 3-2 to earn their highest ranked win in over 20 years. The Stanford game was an early season highlight for the Tigers, who then headed to take on No. 11 CSUN in their final game of the California trip. Now 1-3, the Tigers prepare for their home opener against IPFW.

Wrestling: Midland Championships and Matches in Indiana

Princeton continued their tour of the Big Ten over winter break, first competing in the Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern and then in West Lafayette, Indiana against ranked Purdue and Michigan. Princeton finished eighth in the Midlands Championships, earning 73 points across the two days of action. Then, they suffered tough losses to Purdue (29-17) and Michigan (28-10) dropping their record to 0-5 in single team matches. The Tigers head home to face Rider and Franklin & Marshall this weekend, hoping to get their first win of the year.

Women’s basketball: 5-0 over winter break

Like the men’s team, the women had a busy winter break, playing five games and winning all five. The Tigers opened winter break with a win at Wagner, then traveled to Gainesville, FL to play in the Gator Holiday Classic. There, they won both of their games against Chattanooga and St. Joe’s. Heading back to NJ, they took on UMBC on New Year’s Eve, earning a dominating victory to close out 2017. The Tigers picked up 2018 right where they left off, earning a statement 70-55 victory over Penn to open Ivy League play. The Orange and Black are now 11-3 and 1-0 in league play looking to sweep this week’s home games against Cornell and Columbia.

Women’s hockey: 2-1-1 over winter break

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A big winter break for women’s hockey, who improved their record to 6-10-4 with a couple of home victories. The team went 1-0-1 against Boston University to close out 2017, winning 4-1 in the first meeting and then tying the Terriers 1-1 in the second. Then, Princeton defeated No. 5 Cornell 5–2 in their best performance of the season this past Friday. The Tigers followed that up with a thrilling but disappointing 3–2 loss to No. 4 Colgate as the Tigers aimed for back to back victories over ranked opponents. Up next for the Tigers are two more home games this weekend against Brown and Yale.

Performances of the Week

Bella Alarie —18 points 7-11 FG%, 12 rebounds, 8 blocks

Sophomore Bella Alarie recorded her fifteenth career double-double in Princeton’s victory over Ivy League rival Penn. In addition to her efficient scoring, Alarie also made her presence felt on the defensive end, grabbing 12 boards and blocking eighth shots — one shy of the Princeton record held by Ellen DeVoe ’86.

Devin Cannady — 21 points

Despite losing to the Quakers in the first Ivy League match of the season, junior Devin Cannady put up a noteworthy performance. Cannady led the Princeton offense with 21 points, shooting 54 percent from the field. In addition, his 21 points put Cannady past the 1000-point mark, making him the 33rd Tiger to have scored 1000 points for Princeton.

Greg Luck — 21 kills, 10 digs, 6 blocks

Princeton’s historic win over No. 8 Stanford saw a series of heroic performances from the Tigers. However, it was sophomore outside hitter Greg Luck who put his stamp on the match. Luck spearheaded the Princeton offense with a career-high 21 kills. In addition, Luck also registered career-highs in digs and blocks.