This holiday season was one to forget for the women's basketball team.
During the break, the Tigers failed to win a game, dropping two decisions at the Pioneer Classic in Denver before Christmas, and another three back in New Jersey after Christmas break.
Their record now stands at 4-9.
"Over break the team really worked hard, but I think some of our problems came with just being consistent in how we attacked other teams," freshman forward Rebecca Brown said. "We lost a few games we definitely should have won."
The 0-5 record does not tell the whole story behind the team's break. The Tigers oftentimes did play pretty solid basketball, where everything seemed to go right.
But unfortunately for the team, these moments only came in small spurts, and usually only came in the first half.
In the second halves of its first three games played during break, Princeton gave up an astounding 53 points to Denver (4-6 overall), 55 points to Morehead State (6-3), and 59 points to Rider (6-3), as the Tigers dropped all three otherwise close matches.
To top things off in their penultimate game, the Tigers dropped a 69-64 decision to a winless St. Francis (1-7) team after leading 42-33 at the half. Their final game wasn't much better — the Tigers lost to Lehigh last night, 66-61.
"We just need to get mentally tougher," senior guard and co-captain Allison Cahill said. "We take ourselves out of games as soon as things get tough."
For their first break matchup, the Tigers headed to Denver, Colo. to take on the home team in the first round of the Pioneer Classic.
The Tigers got off to a shaky start in the first half against Denver, sinking only 28 percent of their shots from the field and only putting in half of their free throw attempts. The Pioneers, however, also started off cold, shooting only 31 percent from the field, and managed to build only a five-point lead at the half.
In the second half, while the Tigers continued to struggle, Denver came alive, securing the lead with the help of a 15-4 and a 9-0 run. Denver was blazing hot from three-point range, sinking 8 of its 11 three-point attempts, while the Tigers only managed to sink 1 of 10 attempts before the Pioneers pulled away to a 86-58 win.
The Tigers came out strong the next day against Morehead State in the consolation game of the Pioneer Classic, forcing 14 first-half turnovers as they battled back and forth for the lead. At the half, Princeton found itself on top, leading with the score of 44-39.
The Tiger offense continued to play well in the second half, with sophomore guard Karen Bolster's five three-pointers to lead the way.
However, the Tigers would endure a second half uprising, as Morehead State's offense surged, shooting 75 percent from beyond the arc, and tallying 55 points while handing the Tigers their second straight loss.
Bolster had 23 points on the day. Brown added 22 points for the cause. Junior guard Mary Cate Opila tallied nine assists while Cahill was out with an ankle injury.
After Christmas, the Tigers had their break cut short, matching up against Rider University at Rider on Dec. 30.
Bolster once again had the hot hand, putting away five first half three-pointers as the Tigers came out strong.
Once the score was tied at 13, Princeton went on a 19-2 run, building up a 32-15 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the half.
The Broncs, however, went on their own 18-point run to recapture the lead, but the Tigers fought back to take a 40-36 lead into the half.
After coming out of the locker room, Rider did to the Tigers what was done by the Tigers' past two opponents — dominate the second half offensively. The Broncs scored 59 second-half points, while going 8-for-9 from three-point range, and shutting down Bolster.
The Tigers' 27 turnovers were the major factor in allowing Rider to rally to the 95-85 victory.
Princeton's final game of break was perhaps the most devastating.
The Tigers played well in the first half, building a 42-33 lead while shooting 52 percent from the field against the winless Terriers.
But after eight minutes ticked away in the second half, nothing seemed right for the Tigers, who saw a 12-point lead disappear in the next 10 minutes. The Tigers managed only to score four field goals in the second half, as the Terriers rallied for the 69-64 win.
Things didn't seem to be looking any better for the Tigers at the beginning of their final break game against Lehigh.
The Mountain Hawks dominated the first five minutes of the game, shutting down the Tiger offense and taking a 12-0 lead.
Scoring was scarce in the next four minutes, but Lehigh regained its stride first, and with seven minutes left in the half, the Mountain Hawks had built a 29-5 lead.
At this point, the Tigers came alive, and started to play like their past four opponents had played in the second half. Princeton managed to score 13 points before the end of the half, cutting the Mountain Hawk lead to 36-18.
After the half, the Tigers continued to play well on the offensive end, as they slowly but surely climbed out of the hole they dug in the first half.
Despite senior forward and co-captain Maureen Lane's 11 second half points, the Tiger rally fell just short, as they lost to Lehigh. 66-61.
The strong second half effort against Lehigh seemed to mark a turnaround for the Tigers, who had fallen apart in the second halves of their previous four games.
"The girls on the team haven't had a winning season since we've been here," Cahill said. "We let ourselves fall back into the 'shoot this is happening again' mentality. We need to have a winning attitude. We just have to believe in ourselves."
The Tigers will working hard to piece together their mental game before opening the Ivy season on Jan. 11 against Penn.
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