Nebraska defeats women's hoops in season-opener

While they didn't exactly prove their doubters wrong, the results of the women's basketball team's season debut did not diminish the optimism of a new season.

Princeton (0-1) opened its season with a trip to Nebraska (2-0) to play a game that few gave it any chance of winning. And while the Tigers would indeed fall, 75-61, their play demonstrated that they will not be a pushover for any team.

Not surprisingly, it was youngsters who led the charge. Freshman forward Casey Lockwood began her career with a 20-point, eight-rebound performance, while classmate Katy Digovich chipped in 12 points. Sophomore guard Katy O'Brien had a strong all-around night as well, contributing 13 points, eight boards and five assists.

At the onset, the squads appeared to be evenly matched; the game was knotted at 20 after roughly nine minutes of play. But the Tigers would only manage to sink two more field goals in the rest of the half, allowing the Huskers to mount a 13-0 run from which Princeton would never recover.

The explanation for the offensive struggles was simple — the Tigers missed far too many easy shots. During the seven-minute Nebraska streak, Princeton missed seven layups and four other wide-open shots. If they had converted on all those shots, the Tigers, not the Huskers, would have held the lead at halftime. Undeniably, one stretch determined the outcome.

"We played pretty much even — or better — for 33 minutes," head coach Richard Barron said. "We played well enough to win, but we just didn't make our shots."

Ironically, the Tigers shot far better from outside the three-point-line than from inside it — a blazing 64 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, as a result of the botched open looks, they shot just 30 percent on two-point attempts.

In addition to missed shots, turnovers plagued Princeton during the first half, as Nebraska converted Tiger miscues into 14 points. O'Brien's otherwise stellar performance was tarnished by a game-high six turnovers.

On the bright side, Princeton managed to regroup enough at halftime to play the Huskers evenly throughout the second stanza. While they never were able to cut the lead to single digits, the Tigers continued to play with enough intensity to avoid a blowout. Their spirit caught the attention of Nebraska head coach Connie Yori.

"I felt like they played harder than us," she said.

Defensively, Princeton played quite well, especially in half-court situations, by forcing Nebraska to shoot from the outside — the Huskers made just four of 20 three-point attempts. Some of the effort was squandered, however, by the inability to contain Nebraska in transition.

Alexa Johnson, who played on the U.S. team at the World University Games this summer, led the balanced Husker attack with 15 points. Kiera Hardy and Margaret Richards each chipped in a dozen.

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For the Tigers, the play of the freshmen was certainly a bright spot. Digovich, Lockwood and guard Shelly Slemp all started, and forward Kelli Hughes and guard Elyse Umeda also saw significant minutes off the bench. In fact, at one point, all five were on the floor at the same time. While they may have been anxious at the start of the game, any butterflies disappeared quickly.

"I think all the freshman were a little nervous — it was kind of surreal," Digovich said. "Afterwards, I couldn't believe we just played, but I had a lot of fun."

Certainly, a lineup full of starry-eyed freshman is daring under the best of circumstances, not to mention in a season-opener on the road. As Michigan's fabled Fab Five proved, however, a team of freshmen can indeed carry a team to the top. Princeton's older players — well aware of this fact — counseled the freshman to play without fear.

"It's exciting to watch the progression," Barron said. "The upperclassmen realize that [the freshman] need to be on the court for us to be successful."

Although in many ways the game must be viewed as a lost opportunity for the Tigers, they'll have several more chances to upset teams from power conferences before beginning Ivy League play. After one game, Princeton is on the road to exceeding expectations.

"We did a lot of good things," Barron said. "We certainly belonged on the court."