The women's basketball team has lost each game this season by an average of 20.6 points per game.
The Tigers have broken the 50-point barrier in only one game this season.
With these statistics and an 0-5 record, things are looking bleak for Princeton.
To remedy this problem with offensive production problem, the Tigers need only look to two sophomores, forward Lee Culp and forward Maureen Lane.
"The sophomore class is extremely important to our success, both in terms of talent and numbers," head coach Kevin Morris said.
The Tigers, who have only three upperclassmen, must rely on these younger players in order to find success. Lane and Culp have stepped up and are leading the team in scoring.
In fact, the two sophomores have combined for 50 percent of Princeton's points in the first five games.
Both also add size to what is a short Tiger team. Culp is five-feet, eleven-inches, and Lane measures 6-0.
Doubles
While other Tigers have consistently had off days and seen shots clank off the rim, Lane has proven herself on the offensive end of the court.
The only Tiger averaging double digits in points — at 12.8 per game — her production is badly needed by this offensively challenged team.
"She is very impressive and she comes to play every day," sophomore guard Allison Cahill said. "She can shoot the lights out, and she can battle at the post. She's a real crossover player."
Her scoring abilities make her the only Tiger to have received league honors this year. She has twice been named to the Ivy Honor Roll.
Though Lane did not start the first game of the season, she is now the heart of the offense, consistently putting more than 10 points on the board every game.
"She is doing what the rest of the team can't, and hopefully the rest of us will catch up and produce more for the team," Culp said.
Culp is doing her part to help the team on both ends of the court. She is scoring nine points per game and averaging 7.4 rebounds.
Against Kansas State on Nov. 25, she recorded a double-double, the team's first of the season.
"She is one of our most consistent players," Morris said. "We expect high production from her [in both scoring and rebounding.]"
"She can do a lot of the little things the rest of us can't," Cahill said. "She's a great rebounder because she's so athletic. She laughs at herself as a shooter, but she takes the right shots."
At the beginning of the season, Cahill was expected to join Lane and Culp as another sophomore leader, but she has been hampered by a back injury.
In Wednesday night's game at Lafayette, she showed that she, too, will be an offensive threat, recording seven points and six rebounds.
It is unusual for sophomores to be team leaders, but Lane and Culp knew coming into the season that their roles would be dramatically increased.
As freshmen, they spent a great deal of time on the bench, and now they are needed on the court.
"[Coming in,] neither of us expected to fill this role so quickly, so it's been hard," Culp said. "This season has been pretty rough on all of us, but we're not going to give up."
If the Tigers hope to improve their record, they need to follow both the lead and the leadership of their sophomores.
The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Jadwin Gym, when they will take on Army.
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