Tigers mop the floor with Rider

The women's basketball team never gave 'em a chance last night. In an easy home win, Princeton cruised to an early lead and never looked back. By the time Rider (0-8 overall) started putting together an effective offense to counter, it was too late. The Tigers (4-6 overall) put the victory away, 74-45, playing in front of their fans at Jadwin Gym.

The contest was never close enough to move those fans to their feet. The Broncs made the first two baskets of the game, but once Princeton overtook them two minutes into the first half, it held on to a secure lead for the next 38 minutes.

Though the Tigers' dominance slipped slightly in the second half, they were able to maintain the 30-point advantage they took into halftime. The key to this domination was shot selection and execution, as Princeton hit 19 of 30 — 63 percent — from the floor compared to Rider's seven-for-27 shooting, roughly 26 percent.

Junior forward Meagan Cowher was the leading scorer, putting up 18 points in the first half alone. Junior forward Ali Prichard had 10 points in the first half, while Rider's leading scorer in the first half, Shaunice Parker, had eight.

"The team did a great job getting me the ball," Cowher said. "It was easy to just turn around and finish."

Cowher finished the game with 21 points and five rebounds. Prichard, senior forward Casey Lockwood and sophomore guard Caitlin O'Neill ended the game with 10 points each.

The Tigers were unstoppable in the first half, putting up multiple runs while Rider was never able to hold them off long enough to establish its own rhythm. After the first two baskets of the game, Rider did not score two baskets in a row for the rest of the half.

"We had an offensive rhythm that was very smooth," head coach Rich Barron said. "It's a fluid offense, not a set offense, and it really clicked."

After gaining a decisive lead — at halftime it was 47-17 — Princeton came out of the locker room unable to continue at the same pace. The largest lead the Tigers accrued was 68-31, with 7:06 remaining in the game. The teams were much more evenly matched in the second half with Rider ultimately gaining one point on the deficit it took into halftime.

"We would like to come out and play a 40-minute game," Barron said. "[Rider is] a proud team and you have got to expect them to come out and play; they aren't just going to lay down. This is how we can let other teams back in."

"We broke down a little in the second half," Cowher said. "It revealed our weaknesses. There's more pressure now when we know the Ivy League is just a few weeks away."

Rider came out of the half with a nine-point run, which would prove to be its longest of the game. Though the Broncs never came within 25 points of Princeton in the second half, they still prevented the Tigers from running away with the game like they did in the first half.

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"There's a lot that Rider can take away from the second half," Barron said. "They came out in the second half and increased their intensity and we responded by speeding up, which is not what you want to do. That revealed itself in turnovers and poor shot selection. We didn't respond as well as we would have liked."

Turnovers have plagued Princeton all season. This game, they allowed only 17 to Rider's 21. They also managed to score 18 points off turnovers, while Rider only put up 11. At the end of the game, Rider had improved its shot percentage to 32 percent, while the Tigers had lowered theirs to 50 percent.

Still, this game should give the Tigers the confidence they need heading into the last few weeks before they face the rest of the Ivy League. Princeton has just one home game left before winter break, after which only three games remain until the Ivy League schedule kicks off.

"We're getting there, but we just want to do it more consistently," Barron said.