Just two seasons ago, the women's basketball team's averaged 50 points a game and never managed to score over 70 points in any of its contests.
A lot has changed since then — a new head coach, two new classes of players — and with these changes, the Tigers (8-13 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) have been trying to reverse their past habits. This season has witnessed improved offensive play.
Ups and downs
Like any good team adjusting to a new style, the women's basketball team has had its share of dramatic ups and downs.
On Dec. 4, the Tigers scored a whopping 97 points, a mark that had only been reached twice before in Princeton women's basketball history — in 1986 and 1988. They topped 90 points two other times this season and scored above 80 another five times.
As one would expect, however, many of these big games have been against below average teams, like Centenary, Tenn Martin, and Yale. Against good opponents that have tough defenses, Princeton's offense has often been overwhelmed by the pressure.
In the game against Harvard three weeks ago, for example, a tough Crimson defense caused the Tigers' offense to crumble and commit 31 turnovers. The Crimson went on to win that game by 36 points, despite only going 6-for-28 from three-point range while the Tigers went four-for-nine.
"We have good shooters," head coach Richard Barron said. "But we don't have a lot of people who create shots. We have to do a better job at manufacturing shots. We tend to stand around and watch the ball instead of move the ball. It's a habit, learning how to move the ball, and get into scoring opportunities." Last season, Princeton relied heavily upon its pressure defense, which created fast-break scoring opportunities at the other end of the court. The strategy had some success, but without strong set offensive plays from half court, the team was not able to win consistently against good teams that could adjust quickly.
At the start of the new season, the Tigers have been working with Barron on their new offense, which focuses on working the ball around the perimeter and eventually penetrating inside to the forwards.
Putting the puzzle together
Right now, the Tigers have all of the pieces of the offensive puzzle.
Freshman post Rebecca Brown has fully transitioned to college basketball, and is quickly becoming one of the league's premier players in her position. She has won Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors three times this season and is generally regarded as the team's most potent offensive weapon.
Brown leads the Ivy League with a .576 field goal percentage, is seventh on the list in points per game (13.7), and is solid on the boards (129 rebounds). Her only problem is over-aggression — and often has to sit out due to foul trouble.
Trifectas galore
The Tigers have also been blessed with three-point shooters who have been performing well throughout the season. Field goal percentage is the only important team statistic in which the Tigers are leading the Ivy League. As a team, they are 127-for-376 from beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard Karen Bolster has sunk a team-leading 36 three-pointers on the year, with a percentage of .414. Junior guard Kelly Schaeffer, however, has a slight edge over Bolster for the league lead in three-point shooting percentage with .426.
With a solid post player and good three-point shooters, it is clear that the Tigers have the pieces of the offensive puzzle that they need. More experience and proficiency with the offensive sets and effectively creating scoring opportunities will be the glue that keeps the puzzle together.
The women will put this offense to the test in two key league games this weekend against rivals Dartmouth and Harvard. After getting blown out by these teams just two weeks ago, the Tigers should enter the game hungry and looking to exact revenge.
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