First place at stake this weekend for w. hoops

Mason Cooley once said, "Irony regards every simple truth as a challenge." This weekend, in what has turned out to be one of the biggest ironies of the year, women's basketball, after suffering a more than rocky start, will face the tremendous challenge of both Dartmouth and Harvard with a chance to propel themselves into first place in the Ivy League.

In a season that has proven to be anything but simple, the Tigers (5-11 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) will take on the biggest test of their time, first playing league-leading Dartmouth (10-6, 3-0) and then facing a veteran Harvard (8-8, 1-2) team. With both games on the road, Princeton hopes to use the momentum from last weekend's victories over Brown and Yale to accomplish this daunting task and mix up the "simple truths" of Ivy League play that have relegated them to a minor competitor for the past few years. This year, the Tigers have proven themselves to be a viable contender for the Ivy League crown.

"Our performance last weekend definitely can only help," sophomore post Becky Brown said. "We struggled a little bit early on, and those wins are huge for both our confidence and our motivation."

Having lost eleven games prior to last weekend, the Tigers have had a season more disappointing than Versace's spring line, but with their win against then-league-leading Brown, they finally have something to play for as they prepare for their long trip to Dartmouth.

"It was great to just see our potential finally come together and manifest itself," Brown said. "There was a lot more energy than we've seen in previous games. We'll definitely be bringing that energy into this weekend."

Despite the excitement, though, the Tigers have a huge task in front of them. Dartmouth, currently leading the Ivies, lately has been playing with more energy than J. Thaddeus Toad in a motorcar, riding a six-game winning streak.

Harvard is returning every starter from their Ivy League-championship team last year, and though the Crimson stumbled earlier in the year, losing to Dartmouth, they have come back with a series of wins, proving they are still in the hunt.

While Princeton is aware of the threat posed by both the Crimson and the Big Green, there is also a sense of cautious confidence among the Tigers.

"Dartmouth and Harvard are definitely two of the best teams in the league," Brown said. "All we can ask for is to bring the same energy out. I think if we do that, we have a really good chance at beating both of these teams."

Energy and confidence, however, aren't the only assets Princeton will be bringing with them as they take to the road. The Tigers have been preparing for these games more intensely than country clubs prep for their deb parties.

"We've been watching a lot of film and getting ourselves prepared for their personnel," Brown said. "Really, we've just been trying to sort out what we know about Dartmouth and Harvard. We'll be as prepped as we can. It just has to happen on the floor."

And happen on the floor it has, as Princeton, helped by the talent of its freshmen, has finally come into their offensive own. Freshmen Katy Digovich and Casey Lockwood have bolstered the Tigers' scoring abilities more than Alan Greenspan encourages Wall Street.

Young guns

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"We've had quite a personnel change — dramatically for the better," Brown said. "The freshmen have shown a lot of maturity and really added to our game with their intensity and focus."

And it's not just focus that has been helping this team. Last weekend, Lockwood had two double-doubles, with a combined 21 rebounds and 31 points against Brown and Yale. Digovich has been on fire as well, with 14 rebounds against Brown and nine points against Yale.

With the help of these young upstarts and the surge from last weekend, the Tigers now hold their fate in their own hands. From last weekend's performance, Princeton finally can say that they are a real competitor in the Ivy League. From this weekend's performance, the entire league will be able to test whether that assertion is actually true.

Simone Weil once said, "A test of what is real is that it is hard and rough. Joys are found in it, not pleasure. What is pleasant belongs to dreams."

This weekend, while definitely rough and hard, will be a chance for Princeton to finally take its dreams into the realm of fact, to turn a pleasant hope into a joyful reality.

"Everyone with us now is really excited about where the team is going," Brown said. "We're not afraid to hit a few bumps in the road. Now, we're looking to overcome those bumps, play hard, and, most of all, come out with two Ws to end the weekend."