Women's basketball to seek respect against Cornell, Columbia

Looking at their record, it would seem as if members of the women's basketball team don't have much to smile about.

They have one win and 19 losses. They are 1-6 in the Ivy League, and they are currently on a three-game losing streak.

There is one thing that the team can be happy about, however — things can only get better from here.

And everyone associated with the program has no doubt that things will get better. They are not focusing on their current record, or their past losses. They continue to take one game at a time, knowing that each game could be the one that proves that they are a good team — a team that is much stronger than its record shows.

Princeton has another chance to prove itself this weekend when Jadwin Gym becomes the battlefield for games against Columbia tonight and Cornell tomorrow. Although both teams are strong, the Tigers are confident that they can come out with victories.

"We've been playing much better since the win against Yale, and things are finally starting to come together," sophomore forward Maureen Lane said. "We are positive that we can get two wins this weekend."

If the Tigers are going to get those wins, there are a couple of things that they will have to focus on.

The first is actually playing all 40 minutes of the basketball game.

Momentary lapses in concentration have contributed to the Tigers' disappointing record. Many times, they found themselves either leading the opposing team or trailing by only a few points. Princeton was not able to translate its hard work into wins, however, because either its defense or offense failed at key times.

"We really need to work on maintaining our composure for the entire game," junior guard Hillary Reser said. "We have to be ready to play two solid halves with no lapses. Obviously if our offense or defense folds we won't be able to win the game."

Another key determinant in this weekend's contest will be whether or not the Tigers can play with confidence.

Without that confidence, it is harder to hit, harder to move on defense, and harder to play with emotion. Without that confidence, it is almost impossible to win.

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"We have to look to each other, because we don't have anything else to look to," Reser said. "Everyone supports everyone else so much — because of that, we still believe that we can win."

Both Columbia and Cornell are aiming to prove to Princeton that its belief in a win is foolhardy, however.

Columbia is currently 6-14 overall and 4-4 in the Ivy League. It is coming off of a 62-50 loss to Yale this past Saturday. By losing to the Elis, who are last in the Ivy League, the Lions missed the opportunity to move into second place in the Ivy standings. Princeton will have to hold back a team that is looking to rebound from a shocking and disappointing loss.

Cornell, on the other hand, is motivated for a completely different reason. Last weekend, it swept Yale and Brown to bring its record to 11-10 overall, and 4-4 in the Ivy League. Those victories marked the first time Cornell beat both Yale and Brown in a single weekend since the 1995-96 season. The Tigers will have to work hard to stifle the momentum of the Big Red, who are still emotionally exhilarated after those momentous successes.

In spite of the odds against them, the Tigers will go into both games looking for wins.

"Obviously, this has been a disappointing season, but we have to make the most of it," Lane said. "The first win boosted team morale a lot, and another win will help us too. We just need to play with heart, and never give up."

If the Tigers can translate their tenuous confidence into success on the court, they will have no problems beating Columbia and Cornell.

And then maybe then they will have something to really smile about.