Tigers look to stretch streak

Since junior guard Katy O'Brien arrived at Princeton, the only team the women's basketball team has been unable to beat is Columbia. Two weekends ago, the Tigers (12-11 overall, 4-6 Ivy League) lost by just four points to the Lions (11-12, 4-6), and this Friday when Columbia visits Jadwin Gym, Princeton will be motivated to capture the elusive victory.

After a disappointing loss at the Palestra on Tuesday night, the Tigers will look to regain their momentum with strong play at home this weekend. After facing Columbia, which is tied for fifth place in the league with the Tigers, Princeton will play last-place Cornell (2-21, 0-10) on Saturday night.

"We need to continue to bring the intensity and aggression that we brought out against Brown and Yale this last weekend to our next two games," junior center Becky Brown said.

Although the Tigers recently sparkled against Brown and Yale, just two weekends ago, Princeton lost to Columbia, 61-57, and just squeaked by Cornell, 78-74. For the Tigers, both games were frustrating, since one was a loss they might have won, and the other was a win they almost lost.

Against Columbia on Feb. 11, Princeton was up by two points with just over a minute to go, but clutch three-point shooting and execution from the foul line sealed the win for the Lions. The Tigers will look for revenge and to prove they are capable of winning close games. Many of their losses this year have come down to the last few plays when a few more made free throws or grabbed rebounds could have swung the game in Princeton's favor.

"I think that if we handle the pressure well and really attack the basket, we will put ourselves in a good position to win," Brown said.

Columbia is led by the senior duo of forward Adia Revell and guard Susan Kern. Revell has been on fire as of late, posting career highs of 19 points and 17 rebounds in a loss to Dartmouth last weekend. Kern has been a steady leading scorer for the Lions, averaging 10 points per game on the season.

The last time Princeton played Cornell, the Tigers didn't take the opportunity to put their opponent away and instead let the game get close. Although Princeton pulled out the victory, the team hopes to pull away early and maintain a significant lead from start to finish.

The Big Red will be hungry for its first Ivy League win of the season, especially after losing to second-place Harvard by just 10 points last weekend. Cornell guard Gretchen Gregg starred last weekend, scoring a team-high 10 points against Dartmouth.

The Tigers have a solid core of offensive weapons, led by the steady inside-outside combo of Brown and O'Brien. Since freshman forward Meagan Cowher went down with a stress fracture several weeks ago, freshman forward Ariel Rogers has stepped up for the Tigers. She was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week after posting a career high 14 points in her first college start against Brown last Saturday night. Princeton will also look to sophomore forward Casey Lockwood, who has recently returned from injury and led the Tigers with 14 points against Penn.

Two wins this weekend would guarantee Princeton a winning overall record this season, which was one of the team's established preseason goals. Additionally, it would give the Tigers a chance to improve to .500 in the league heading into the final weekend of league play. Finally, Princeton has much to gain in the Ivy standings, as two wins would at least allow the Tigers to take sole possession of fifth place in the league.

"We just need to go and put it all out there this weekend," O'Brien said. "That way, going into Harvard and Dartmouth the following weekend, all the pressure will be on them, and we can play relaxed and loose."

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The Tigers will need to display last weekend's dominance to secure victories this weekend, as they look to end their drought against Columbia and prevent Cornell from snapping its own winless streak.