After defeating Hofstra, 89-71, Wednesday night, the women's basketball team enters winter break action in a good position to continue its success.
The Tigers are back at .500 (4-4 overall), and they have four more non-league contests over winter break — two games in the Pioneer Classic Dec. 20-21, one against Rider Dec. 30 and one against St. Francis Jan. 5.
The key to Princeton's success as it prepares for Ivy League competition will be to play with the consistency it did in the second half of the Hofstra game. After a cold-shooting first half in which Princeton shot 37 per cent and made a paltry 2 of 13 three-point attempts, the Tigers caught fire in the second half, knocking down 57 percent of all their shots and 9 of 12 threes. Their 58 second-half points are just one point shy of the program record of 59 in a single half, scored back in 1992.
The two-day Pioneer Classic in Denver, Colo. will be a good opportunity for the Tigers to build on that consistency against three challenging teams.
Hosted by the University of Denver, a 2001 NCAA Tournament participant, the Classic also includes Morehead State and Northwestern. Granted, Denver is 2-5, but they are a strong 2-5. The Pioneers have played a tough schedule so far — three of their losses include UConn, DePaul, and Arizona State.
"Denver has been very strong the last three years and has made two NCAA appearances during that time," Princeton head coach Richard Barron said. "They will be the test."
The Pioneers' defense in particular has been effective this season, holding opponents to an average of 60 points.
Morehead State of the Ohio Valley Conference recently grabbed the crown of the Hatter Classic after defeating Hofstra in the championship game, 77-57. With the win, MSU improved to 5-1 on the season.
Northwestern most recently won the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational title against Alabama-Birmingham, Central Michigan, and Yale. The Wildcats are now 3-3 on the season.
"Northwestern from the Big 10 and Morehead State, the pre-season favorite to win OVC (Ohio Valley Conference), will both be very tough teams, no matter which we play in the tournament," Barron said.
After the Classic, the Tigers meet Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J. Last year, Rider rolled over Princeton, 88-64. The Broncs used a 19-3 first-half run to grab the lead and never looked back. Princeton shot a putrid 36 percent from the field in the second half while Rider connected on 59 percent of its second-half field goals.
"The Rider game was one of our worst performances last year," Barron said. "Rider plays a very loose and free game, taking quick shots and lots of threes."
The Broncs most recently lost to Siena College, 72-58. Their other losses were against University of Maryland (104-66) and Maryland Eastern Shore (79-75). Rider has defeated Monmouth (77-74), Morgan State (88-59), and Iona (83-76).
Princeton's final game over the break will be in New York against St. Francis. The Tigers defeated St. Francis last year, 89-80, in their second game of the season after then-junior guard Allison Cahill broke a 40-40 tie with a steal and a three-pointer that put Princeton ahead for good.
St. Francis is currently riding a five-game winning streak, having put away most recently Calumet College, 80-31.
In its first game of the season, the Terriers blew away its opponent, Indiana-University Northwest, 99-31. The team has gone 7-2 since then, dropping games to Kendall College and Bethel College.
"Both the Rider and St. Francis games are games that we can win if we play well," Barron said. "What we need to do in the games in Denver is establish a more consistent effort from game to game. We have been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster where we will play with great passion and intensity in one game and struggle to find that same energy in the next.
"If we can find a way to be more consistent in our mindset each day, then I think we can play with anyone left on our schedule."
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