Crimson, Big Green visit Jadwin

Recovering from a close loss to Penn in double overtime on Tuesday, the women's basketball team is eager to take on conference powerhouses Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend in an attempt to regain their earlier momentum and success. The Tigers (9-7 overall, 1-2 Ivy League) are having one of their best seasons in years, and players and coaches alike do not want to waste this rare opportunity to garner some Ivy success.

Princeton will begin its challenging weekend by hosting Dartmouth at home tonight. The Big Green's overall record of 7-8 may be less than stellar, but it's a reflection of the tough non-conference competition they've faced. More importantly, the Big Green is favored to win the Ivy League — so far Dartmouth is 3-0 in Ivy play, having defeated Harvard, Columbia and Cornell.

Most recently, the Big Green dominated the Big Red, winning 90-57. Freshman Sydney Scott earned the Ivy League Rookie of the Week Award for her performance in the game, in which four Dartmouth starters scored in double digits.

A testament to the Big Green's strength is the blow the team handed the equally talented and strong Harvard squad a few weeks ago. The Crimson (10-6, 2-1) have an impressive overall record and have already defeated both Cornell and Columbia.

"This will be a very challenging weekend. Dartmouth and Harvard are the two most talented teams in the League," head coach Richard Barron said. "We will have to find a way to play with more energy and aggressiveness than we did in our first three league games."

Harvard is led by senior center Reka Scerny, who has averaged 26 points per game in her last two performances. The Crimson will certainly challenge Princeton's wavering ability to maintain its intensity throughout the whole game and come up with big plays in the final minutes of play. After its recent losses to Penn and Brown, both of whom beat the Tigers by two or fewer points, Princeton is trying to avoid the reputation of a talented team that is unable to live up to its full potential.

"While the close losses to Brown and Penn and our conference record indicate that we have improved, we need to take the next step and start winning close games against good teams in the league," Barron said.

Although it is widely acknowledged that the Tigers have improved this season and their several close games have earned nods of approval, "almost winning" won't be enough if they want to improve their record and gain Ivy success.

The Tigers know they have to elevate their level of play yet another notch if they hope to defeat Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend. The only question is whether they will have the intensity and drive to deliver.