Unlikely heroes come through for women's hoops

The past few months, and past few years actually, haven't been easy for the women's basketball program at Princeton. Going into last weekend with 11 losses and sporting only three wins, the Tigers have had a less than encouraging season.

In addition, Princeton has not had a winning season for the past four years after winning the Ivy League title in the 1998-1999 season.

Within the last few days, however, Princeton has seen a storied turnaround in its luck as they upset then top-ranked Brown, 66-53, and went on to down Yale by a score of 66-58.

This reinvigoration of the team's record stems largely from the consistent 40-minute play of the team, led by standout sophomores Becky Brown, Katy O'Brien, and Ali Smith, and freshmen Katy Digovich and Casey Lockwood.

The team leader from the beginning of last year, Brown had a phenomenal weekend, leading the team against Yale with a game high 18 points and 12 rebounds. Billed as the leader of the team since the preseason, Brown has truly lived up to the high expectations levied upon her at the onset of the year.

O'Brien provided the offensive firepower against Brown, in the Tigers' biggest upset in several years. Sinking four three-point baskets and racking up a total of 21 points for the game, O'Brien was the most potent weapon for Princeton's offense.

The following day, O'Brien hit two early back-to-back threes to give Princeton a quick burst of momentum and provide a springboard from which they would take the final victory over the Elis. Scoring a total 12 points, she combined for 33 points over the course of the weekend, the highest of any Princeton player.

Smith, who has come on strong in the middle part of the season, connected on two of three from behind the arc against Yale and two of five threes against Brown, providing critical offensive padding and wreaking havoc on the competitions' defenses. Managing 20 points for the weekend, Smith has become a subtly unique and effective offensive device, hitting 50% from long range. On the younger scene, Digovich had proven to be the Tigers' own version of Tim Duncan, consistently providing solid points and rebounds throughout the season. With nine points and seven rebounds against Yale, and a game-high 14 rebounds against Brown, she truly is the goto player to jump-start the team on both sides of the court.

Lockwood, just named Ivy League rookie of the week, has had six double-doubles this season, two occurring during last weekend's important Ivy League games. With 11 rebounds and 17 points against Brown and 10 rebounds and 15 points against Yale, she has demonstrated tremendous skill and an all-around talent level that was needed on this Princeton squad.

With last weekend's victories come higher expectations for the squad, which has seen glimpses of the potential it possesses. Despite their slow start to the season, the Tigers find themselves in third place in the league. Dartmouth and Penn lead the league at 3-0, with the Tigers nipping at their heels at 2-1.

This weekend, Princeton pits itself against the Big Green. A win and a little help from the Quakers would put the Tigers atop the Ivy League standings, an idea that last week seemed as far-fetched as a Cubs World Series victory.

The Big Green have already beaten up league foes Harvard, Columbia and Cornell, none of which are among the cream of the crop in the league.

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While a loss to Dartmouth would certainly not end the Tigers' hopes for a league title, it would bring to an end all the momentum Princeton has built up with this weekend's strong showing. A victory, which would push their league record to 3-1, might mean that the Tigers losing ways are finally coming to an end.