The women's basketball team has its eye on the prize, and after an unprecedented performance this past weekend, that prize — the Ivy League championship — is within grasp.
Princeton (18-6 overall, 9-2 Ivy League) propelled itself into a tie with Dartmouth for second in the Ivy League after beating the Big Green (18-6, 9-2) on Friday and Harvard (10-14, 6-5) on Saturday. Those back-to-back wins mark the first Tiger sweep of the Cambridge-Hanover road trip in its 23 attempts. Just three games remain in Princeton's Ivy season, and if the Tigers can fell league-giant Brown — who defeated Princeton, 49-47, in a nail-biting contest in the first go-round this season — the Tigers will be in contention for an Ivy League playoff.
This past weekend's victory over Dartmouth game provided a much-needed confidence boost before the Tigers' upcoming match-up against the Bears. The Big Green had punished the Tigers earlier this season with an 82-64 rout of Princeton on its home turf. The Tigers, however, were ready to return the favor from the get-go this time, coming out with a strong start against Dartmouth at Leede Arena.
Princeton opened with an 11-point run after tipoff and kept the momentum for the first nine minutes of the first half, building its lead up to 14 points. Dartmouth then made a charge throughout the remainder of the half and tied up the score at 24-24 before the two teams headed to the locker room.
The Tigers and Big Green exchanged baskets for much of the second half, with Princeton managing to maintain a slight lead. The Tigers then established a ten-point edge thanks to a trey from senior guard Katy O'Brien with eight minutes, four seconds left in the half. Another three by O'Brien at 6:55 brought Princeton's margin comfortably up to 13 and allowed the Tigers to cruise for the rest of the game.
Princeton's biggest accomplishment of the night was its ability to keep Dartmouth, the leading three-point team in the nation, to just one for seven from downtown. The Big Green struggled from the field in the second-half in general, hitting just seven of 25 shots.
"We really focused on our defense, taking away their strengths, slowing their transition game, limiting their threes [and] bothering their penetrate-pitch offense," junior forward Casey Lockwood said.
Princeton, however, consistently found the hoop and went 11 for 26 in both halves. Princeton outscored Dartmouth 30-18 in the paint and 20-13 off turnovers.
Sophomore forward Meagan Cowher and senior center Becky Brown helped lead the Tigers in typical fashion, with 17 and 14 points, respectively. O'Brien also had 14 on the night and freshman point guard Jessica Berry just missed hitting double figures with nine points.
Domination in Cambridge
Princeton then finished its two-game sweep the next night with a commanding 69-57 win over the Crimson at Lavietes Pavilion. Again, the Tigers stormed out of the gates, mounting a 30-4 run over the first 13 minutes of the game with seven Tigers contributing buckets in the streak. Princeton shot .640 from the field, including five for seven from behind the arc, in the opening half.
"We came ready to play – we executed our offense, got ball reversals, good looks inside – and most importantly, we were getting stops on the other end," Lockwood said.
Again the Tigers dominated with their post play, garnering a 10-point advantage in points in the paint. The post trio of Lockwood, Brown and Cowher spearheaded the offense, combining for 42 of the team's points and 20 of Princeton's 32 rebounds.
Showing off its offensive diversity, Princeton's overall six-for-12 performance from long-range gave it a decisive advantage over the Crimson, which went just two-for-nine. With strong backcourt and post performances, the Tigers never allowed their lead to dip below ten in the second half.
After two intense performances this weekend, Princeton seems unstoppable, but it is not celebrating yet.
"Every Ivy team has the goal of winning Ivies – for us right now, we are trying to focus on the present and immediate future, because that is what has gotten us this far," Lockwood said. "Our next goal is giving our best game to Brown."
The Bears will undoubtedly face an excited Tiger squad on Friday who will, unlike last time, have the home court advantage.
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