Minnesota calling for Tigers this weekend

After starting its season off with a win against Wagner, the women's basketball team will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., this weekend to compete in the Subway Classic.

The Tigers (1-0 overall) will face Minnesota (2-0) on Saturday before facing either Middle Tennessee State (1-2) or Maine (1-0) on Sunday. For Minnesota natives junior forward Ali Pritchard and freshman guard Jillian Schurle, the trip will be a return home.

Princeton looked strong in its win over Wagner, with junior center Ariel Rogers leading the way. Rogers posted a double-double in her first start as a Tiger, totaling a career-high 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Tigers hope her strong play will continue into the weekend.

Also with strong performances for the Tigers last weekend were the team's two starting forwards, senior Casey Lockwood and junior Meagan Cowher. Both players scored 11 points for Princeton, with six and nine rebounds respectively. With the trio of Cowher, Lockwood and Rogers, the Tigers have the ability to score points in the paint in bunches.

Sophomores Jessica Berry and Caitlin O'Neill anchor the backcourt for Princeton, and both will be expected to make the job easier on the talented post players with precision passing and to hit a few shots of their own.

The Tigers hope their breadth of talent will translate into a second — or even third — consecutive win. Though it is quite plausible that Princeton will triumph, Minnesota is fit to put up a formidable challenge.

Golden Gophers' point guard Emily Fox, has been Minnesota's main goto girl so far this season. Fox posted a double-double in the Gophers' first game, with 13 points and 10 assists. Freshman Korinne Campbell is a strong defensive force for the Gophers and a presence on the boards, grabbing 9.5 rebounds a game.

The Gophers have played astoundingly well at home and are sure to make it hard for Princeton to take them down in their own house. Minnesota has emerged victorious in 25 out of its past 26 non-conference games at home and has taken the cup in the last six Subway Classics.

Princeton has not played Minnesota since the 1980 Princeton Invitational, a game the Tigers dropped 72-64. This will be the Princeton's first time competing in the annual Subway Classic.

If the Tigers make it past the formidable Gophers, they will face the winner of the Maine v. Middle Tennessee. If they lose, they will face the loser.

This early in the season, the victor of the latter contest is hard to predict, so Princeton will doubtlessly be prepared to face either.

Though Middle Tennessee has not started off particularly well, it has played very respectably considering the competition. In the Blue Raiders' first game, they defeated Henderson State in a blowout with a 54-point margin of victory. Their second and third matches were a four-point loss to No.1 Maryland and a 13-point loss to South Dakota State. The second loss was a product of Middle Tennessee's sending its opponent to the free-throw line 27 times.

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Maine's first and only game so far this season was against an exciting William & Mary squad. The Black Bears triumphed by 20, taking their opener 66-46. Bracey Barker led the Maine offense with 16 points.