No. 7 Rutgers visits Sunday

In the women's basketball team's two home games so far this season, Princeton has attracted an average of fewer than 300 fans. But with an instate rival and national top-10 team visiting Jadwin Gym this weekend, the Tigers hope their supporters will finally show up in force.

"It would be a real shame if Rutgers outdrew us in our own gym," head coach Richard Barron said, "but they certainly will be bringing a big group down with them."

Tonight, Princeton (4-2 overall) travels to West Point, N.Y., to taken on Army. But the weekend's real test comes Sunday afternoon, when the Tigers host Route One rival Rutgers (6-0), the No. 7-ranked team in the nation.

"We hope to have a great turnout from the students and the community," Barron said. "It is the women's equivalent of someone like UNC or Duke coming to play the men."

The Tigers are looking to attract more than 3,289 fans and, in doing so, top the record-breaking crowd at last year's Princeton-Harvard home game.

While a victory would rally the fans and constitute a major upset, the Tigers' primary focus is on mustering a competitive performance.

"Rutgers is a great team — well coached and very athletic," Barron said. "We're just hoping to play a solid competitive game."

With no clear weakness, Rutgers is fresh off a Dec. 6 win over Brown. In that matchup, the Scarlet Knights beat the Bears, 58-45, after holding Brown to just 14 points in the second half. Rutgers is riding high on hyped-up media attention courtesy of its undefeated record.

Guard Cappie Poindexter, who averages 20.7 points per game, leads the Scarlet Knights' offense. Poindexter is complemented by forward Michelle Campbell and guard Matee Ajavon, both of whom average in the double digits.

Before Princeton faces off against Rutgers on Sunday afternoon, however, the Tigers will need to fight through Army, a team that Princeton defeated last season, 64-53.

Given Army's recent 64-41 loss to Cornell, by no means one of the powerhouse teams in the Ivy League, Princeton seems to have a good chance of another victory against Army this year. Still, Barron emphasizes that the Tigers cannot afford to relax or underestimate this opponent.

"It is very dangerous when you start playing the comparative score game," he said. "Every game is different."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Though the Black Knights may not boast a program of Rutgers' caliber, Army's ability to put points on the board makes it a formidable opponent.

"We'll have to pick up the ball early and play the passing lanes in transition," Barron said. "When we are intense with our team defense, we're pretty good. Hopefully, we focus on our defensive strategies which are not game-specific — just do what we do well."

Successful defense will hinge on Princeton's ability to prevent Army's hot hand, guard Cara Enright, from draining too many shots. Thus far this season, Enright leads the team by averaging 18.3 points per game, shooting 33 percent from downtown.

The Tigers have a powerful offensive arsenal to counter both species of Knights, though. Princeton's three starting post players, senior Becky Brown, sophomore Meagan Cowher and junior Casey Lockwood, all rank in the top 10 the Ivy League in shooting.

These three standouts will be supplemented by freshman point guard Jessica Berry, the Tigers' rising star, who is already contributing five assists and 12 points per game.