Princeton beats Wagner in opener

The women's basketball team continued its strong play from last year with a convincing victory in its season debut.

Princeton (1-0 overall) notched its first victory of the season, defeating Wagner (0-1) by a score of 70-52 Saturday night at Jadwin Gym. Junior center Ariel Rogers attained her first career double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the win.

The Tigers never trailed by more than two points the entire game and led for most of it. With 15 minutes, 22 seconds left in the first half, senior forward Casey Lockwood drained two foul shots to break an 8-8 tie. Princeton would not give up its lead for the rest of the game.

Midway through the first half, the Tiger offense started to heat up. A three-pointer by sophomore guard Caitlin O'Neill at the 11:46 mark gave Princeton a 15-10 lead. A layup by junior forward Meagan Cowher with 2:10 left in the half increased the Tigers' lead to 10. After two baskets by Seahawk forward Olivia Nagle — who dropped a game-high 24 points — and an ensuing score by O'Neill to end the half, the count was 31-25 in favor of the Orange and Black.

Wagner did not make it easy for the Tigers in the second half. A Princeton basket made the score 39-33 midway through the half. A three pointer from Seahawk guard Chelsey Bunyer brought Wagner within three points. After a series of Princeton turnovers and missed field goal attempts, two foul shots by Bunyer made the score 40-39 with 12:31 left in the game.

Though the Seahawks made it close, the resilient Tiger offense distanced itself from Wagner with effective execution throughout the rest of the game. A jumper from freshman guard Jillian Schurle followed by a layup from Lockwood spurred a 13-1 run, giving Princeton a 53-40 lead with 6:08 left in the matchup.

Solid defensive rebounding and more offensive opportunities late in the second half iced the victory for the Tigers. Poor shooting by the Seahawks — a 26.7 field-goal percentage in the second half — also helped Princeton put the game away. Two foul shots by Cowher kept the lead at 13 with four minutes remaining. O'Neill, Lockwood and senior Julia Berger contributed to another scoring run, giving the Tigers a 67-49 lead with under a minute left in the game. A final three pointer by sophomore guard Jessica Berry with 10 seconds left gave Princeton its total of 70 points.

The combination of a strong leadership presence by the veterans with the evident talent of the freshmen is a promising indication for the rest of the Tigers' season. Lockwood and Cowher both finished the game with 11 points, while Schurle had seven points and two rebounds in her college debut.

"Jillian came in with some good plays," Lockwood said. "The freshmen seemed surprisingly calm for their first game. They came in and gave us some good minutes."

Thirteen out of the 17 players on the Tigers' roster saw time in this game, an indication that head coach Richard Barron has flexibility in choosing his five starting players and substitutes throughout the season.

Rogers' 11 rebounds contributed to a total of 46 boards for Princeton compared to Wagner's 36. The Tigers' free throw shooting was very accurate, as they hit 22 out of 30 foul shot attempts.

Though the win was an important one, Lockwood also noted that there is still work to be done.

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"It's nice to start off the season with a win, in terms of [starting] with positive energy," Lockwood said. "We are looking [forward] to Minnesota. There's a lot we need to take away from this game."

Princeton will travel to the University of Minnesota to play in a two-game tournament Saturday and Sunday.