Cornell, Columbia drop women's hoops into fifth

The results of the women's basketball team's two games this weekend illustrate the unpredictable nature of Ivy League women's hoops.

First, on Friday, the Tigers (9-18 overall, 4-9 Ivy League) fell at Cornell, 64-50, even though they had narrowly defeated the Big Red on Feb. 8, 66-63. The following night, the Tigers lost at Columbia—a team to whom they had previously lost, 75-66, on Feb. 7—by the same narrow score of 66-63.

This unpredictability—the trend that losses do not generally indicate the better team, but rather which team happens to be playing better that particular game—is the reason why Cornell and Columbia, despite beating Princeton this weekend, share sixth place in league rankings behind the Tigers. Princeton is currently No. 5 in the league, behind Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth, and Penn, respectively.

Friday was not one of Princeton's good nights. The Tigers fell behind the Big Red early and never recovered on the road to their 64-50 defeat. They came out cold, shooting just 26 percent from the field in the first half and digging themselves a hole that reached as deep as 14-points. At the half, Cornell led Princeton, 31-20.

Senior forward Maureen Lane and junior forward Kelly Schaeffer, who have consistently scored in double-digits this season, were quiet on the evening. In thirty minutes of playing time apiece, Lane put in nine points, six of which were free throws, while Schaeffer managed only two.

Not all the Tigers were cold, however. Senior guard Allison Cahill and freshman center Rebecca Brown combined for more than half of Princeton's points. Cahill poured in 14 while Brown contributed 12. The veteran-rookie pair also led the team on the boards with six and eight rebounds, respectively. Cahill dished out a game-high six assists.

The Big Red's attack was more balanced, with four players contributing double digits. Cornell also out-rebounded the Tigers, snatching 50 boards to Princeton's 32.

On Saturday against Columbia the Tigers discovered the hidden reserves of energy they had lacked the night before.

Although Princeton could not squeeze out a victory, as the 63-60 final score conveys, the game was a close one.

The Lions showed up for their final game of the season with a spark that never died down. They grabbed the lead for the duration of the game, the seniors in particular not wanting to relinquish the opportunity to finish the season with a win.

The Tigers, however, matched their intensity, most notably during a 13-point comeback at the end of the second half. Princeton whittled the margin to one point with just over six minutes to play and traded baskets with Cornell until the final buzzer.

On the Princeton side it was not the seniors who led, but rather Brown. The rookie scored 18 second-half points and finished with a game-high 31 points.

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Brown earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for her performance against Columbia. On the weekend she averaged 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting .545 from the field.

This marks the fourth Rookie of the Week award for Brown, who is the top-scoring freshman in the League.