Ivy title in their sights

The women's basketball team will take to the court tonight certain of one thing: the title is at stake.

The Tigers' opponent, Brown, leads the Ivy League. The Bears enter the weekend swing with two games left in Ivy League play, and have recorded only one league loss so far.

For its part, Princeton (18-6 overall, 9-2 Ivy League) is tied with Dartmouth for second. Both the Big Green and the Tigers have three games left to play. Each has two league losses — one to each other and one to the Bears.

Brown, Princeton and Dartmouth are the only league teams that have beaten one another. None of the other Ivy teams are expected to pull off upsets against any of them — which means that everything hinges on tonight's matchup, as it is the last between two of the leading three.

If the Tigers can beat both the Bears (17-8, 11-1) tonight and cellar-dweller Yale (3-22, 2-10) on Saturday, only sixth-placed Penn would stand in the way of, at worst, a three-way tie for first place. That would give Princeton a share of its first Ivy League title ever and a shot at the NCAA tournament.

That isn't the only uncharted territory the Tigers would be exploring. Princeton currently holds an overall record of 18-6, tied with Dartmouth atop the league. If they make it to the title, it would be the first time in school history that the Tigers record more than 20 wins in a season and the first time they end the season with a 12-2 record in league play.

The last time it faced Brown, at the beginning of February, Princeton suffered a heartbreaking 49-47 loss. It could have been even closer — senior center Becky Brown missed two free throws in the dying seconds of the game. This time, the Tigers are determined to use home court advantage to greatest possible effect and avoid a repeat performance.

Reflecting on the enormity of the occasion, junior forward Casey Lockwood asked for as much support from the Princeton community as possible.

"It would be great to have everybody come out to support us," she said, adding that she hoped "to show everyone how far [the team has] come".

Head coach Richard Barron echoed the sentiment, appealing to students and faculty to "pack the gym" considerng the historic implications of a win tonight.

The Bears, for their part, are equally determined to disappoint the home crowd and keep the title to themselves. They'll have a fair amount of momentum as well — Brown comes in riding a nine-game winning streak stretching back to January that includes wins over every other league team. Preventing a Princeton win would not only guarantee the Bears at least a share of the title, it would also eliminate the Tigers' title chances.

With emotions running high on both sides, Barron predicts that ultimately each side's momentum and energy will cancel the other's out.

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"The game is going to come down to execution, rebounding and taking care of the ball," Barron said, confident that the team would be able to come through.

Brown, Cowher lead Tigers

"Our leadership is terrific and our team chemistry is at an all-time high," he said, adding that "wins seem to take care of themselves when [the] team is focused on doing things the right way — and this team is focused on those things."

Princeton will be led by Becky Brown who continues to top the league with 15.9 points per game. Right behind her, however, is the Bears' senior guard Sarah Hayes, at 15.6 points per game. Hayes is also right behind Becky Brown and sophomore forward Meagan Cowher as the third most accurate shooter in the league from the floor.

The Tigers also know to look out for Hayes' fellow senior guard, Colleen Kelly, who inflicted the most damage against Princeton in February. The two have worked seamlessly together over the season and should prove to be a formidable offensive weapon for Brown this weekend.

With so much at stake and all the seniors determined to play as many more college games as they can, chances are good that the crowd will witness a tightly contested game. After all, the last three times the Bears have faced the Tigers, the games were decided by three points or fewer.

If those points fall the right way tonight and on Saturday, the Tigers will be certain of one more thing: that where they are, primed to take the Ivy title, is right where they want to be.