For the second consecutive weekend, the women's basketball team's most glaring weakness was exposed — its inability to prevent turnovers. But for the first time this season, its defeats were the result of losing the turnover battle.
In their two losses at the hands of Northwestern (6-1 overall), 67-53, and Cincinnati (6-1), 66-55, the Tigers (2-5, 0-0 Ivy League) gave the ball away a combined 42 times, resulting in the Wildcats and the Bearcats scoring a combined 47 points off turnovers. Princeton's opponents only turned the ball over a combined 28 times.
"Our troubles with turnovers have come from our efforts to play a quicker-paced style of basketball," sophomore forward Whitney Downs said. "We are starting to settle in to the speed at which we need to play, and as we become more comfortable in the offense, I believe the number of times we turn the ball over will start to drop."
Against Northwestern on Friday night at the Wildcats' home arena, early Princeton turnovers, seven in the first seven minutes, allowed Northwestern to build a 16-7 lead only four minutes into the game. After junior forward Ali Prichard's three-pointer put the Tigers in front for the first and last time, 5-4, the Wildcats responded with a 12-2 run that put them ahead for good. Northwestern made seven of its first nine shots from the field and shot nearly 47 percent from the floor overall. On the other end of the spectrum, Princeton, which had trouble mustering any offensive output early on, shot a mediocre 38 percent overall.
Though the game was never really close, the Tigers twice cut the lead to eight, first with 12 minutes to play in the game and again at the eight minute mark. After junior forward Meghan Cowher cut the lead to 50-42, Northwestern answered with an 8-0 scoring run over the next three minutes, pushing the lead to 16 points and essentially sealing the game.
"Northwestern is a very good passing team," Downs said. "They rotate the ball well to find the open person and they knock down shots. Our defensive scheme was effective when we executed, and our goal as we continue the season is to be able to execute a gameplan for 40 minutes."
As they have grown accustomed to doing, Cowher and senior forward Casey Lockwood led the team in scoring with 13 and 11 points, respectively, in the loss. Four Wildcats tallied double-digit point totals.
The loss drops Princeton to 0-6 all-time against Big Ten schools.
After dropping the first game in the two-game tournament, Princeton faced Cincinnati in the consolation final on Saturday afternoon. It was the first time that the Tigers and the Bearcats had ever met. Cincinnati was coming off an eight-point loss to Northern Illinois.
Early on, the game was tightly contested. Sophomore guard Caitlin O'Neill and Downs helped pulled the Tigers to within one at 21-20 with just under nine minutes left in the first half as they combined to score 13 consecutive points for Princeton.
But over the final nine minutes, the Tigers' seven turnovers and a five-minute scoring drought allowed Cincinnati to take the lead by as many as a dozen. Luckily, two late baskets by O'Neill and Lockwood in the final minute and a half closed the Bearcats' halftime lead to 34-26.
The second half, much like the first, featured Princeton's continued hot-and-cold shooting and its fair share of turnovers. Down 38-30 with six minutes having elapsed, Cowher attempted to bring the Tigers back from the ashes. After a Cowher field goal and two free throws narrowed the deficit to four, an eventual Downs three-pointer made it a one-possession game.
Cincinnati answered this run with one of its own as the lead ballooned once again to 10, 51-41. In a last ditch attempt, Cowher scored six straight points to pull Princeton within four with seven minutes, seven seconds to play. But the Tigers would get no closer after another Bearcat run put the game out of reach.
Cowher, who scored in double-digits for her 13th consecutive game, again led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points, and O'Neill registered a career-high 13 points. Lockwood, who tallied 14 points, has scored in double-digits in five straight games. Both teams had good shooting afternoons, as Cincinnati shot 45.2 percent from the field and Princeton shot a very respectable 50 percent for the game. The Tigers were out-rebounded by 11 in the loss.
The Tigers will come home to Jadwin Gym for three of their next four games. Princeton hosts NJIT on Wednesday night.
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