Women's basketball on the rebound

Though the temperature outside is dropping and most students will be heading home for a wintry holiday this break, the women's basketball court will be heating up as the team looks to add four wins to its record this vacation.

The Tigers (2-4) will welcome St. Mary's next Tuesday in the first game of the holiday stretch. The Gaels (4-3) will be one of Princeton's toughest opponents over the next few weeks, and the Tigers will need multiple players to step up if they are going to be successful.

St. Mary's senior forward Triola Jackson will be the main individual threat and shutting her down might be a challenge for the struggling Tiger defense. In order to emerge victorious, the Tigers will not only have to control Jackson, who averages 18.5 points per game, but also shoot consistently from the field and capitalize on free throws opportunities.

Consistent shooting will also be the deciding factor in Princeton's next game against New Orleans, which will take place next Friday. The Privateers (1-6) have had a disappointing season thus far, struggling through games riddled with poor execution. However, New Orleans is a very young team, with seven of their ten players in either their freshman or sophomore year, and they are improving every day.

Lead by senior Tomesia Winston, who has been doing a great job of leading the inexperienced squad, New Orleans is not playing as badly as its record suggests, and if the Tigers don't stick to their game plan the Privateers could pose a threat to a Princeton victory. The Privateers' main strength lies in rebounding, which is a dimension that the Tigers have had difficulty with all year. To compensate for this slight inadequacy, Princeton will have to find the net and keep their mistakes to a minimum.

The Tigers will be looking to exploit it's opponent's errors, however, when they travel to Teaneck after Christmas to play Fairleigh Dickinson. After being beaten time and time again by missed opportunities and excessive mistakes, the Knights (1-5), will be relying on their high free throw accuracy and contributions from the bench to challenge Princeton.

Though the Tigers are more than capable of handling this team, a slip could open the door for the Knights. Thus, Princeton must focus on keeping the opposition away from the line. And, while Princeton also has a strong bench, the players will have to keep the pace of the game up to the Tigers' level to eliminate any threat from FDU's bench.

The same basic strategies will hold true for the last game of the break, which will come against St. Peter's of New Jersey. The Peahens (3-3) have been playing well recently, with multiple players scoring in double digits, including team standout Tiffany Jones' 20 points in their last game against Monmouth. However, the team has struggled from the field in the past, and many of its games have come down to last-moment baskets.

In response to this, the Tigers, who have had trouble focusing for the entire 40 minutes of play, will have to control the tempo and not lose concentration. On top of this, a high shooting percentage could put Princeton out of St. Peter's reach, as long as the Tigers don't let up at any point.

If Princeton sticks to its game plan and remains focused on the fundamentals, taking each game at a time and improving day by day, this should prove to be a very merry Christmas for the Tigers.