Ballers avenge Dartmouth loss

Revenge is sweet. Such a sentiment, surely repugnant to moralists, nonetheless rings true in the world of sports. For the women's basketball team, defeating an opponent on any night is a thrill; beating a team that beat you earlier in the season, however, is a triumph.

Princeton (11-14 overall, 5-6 Ivy League) enjoyed a small taste of the dish best served cold this weekend. The Tigers took Friday's game against Dartmouth (14-11, 7-4), 61-56, before losing to Harvard (12-12, 10-1) Saturday, 66-51.

The weekend's first matchup was particularly satisfying. In avenging a 75-46 loss, which was the Tigers' worst defeat ever at the hands of the Big Green, the Orange and Black also seriously hurt Dartmouth's hopes for taking the Ivy League title.

"That weekend hurt, [playing] Dartmouth and Harvard. The sound of the crowd after they beat us was eating at us," senior forward Casey Lockwood said.

Princeton's major players got involved early. After a missed jumper by Big Green forward Darcy Rose, Lockwood grabbed the rebound. Sophomore guard Caitlin O'Neill got the ball and passed it to junior forward Meagan Cowher, who scored the first of her eight buckets on the night.

Cowher, who shot an outstanding eight for 11 on the night, paced the Tigers with 19 points.

The Big Green could not resurrect the dominant play that characterized its Feb. 10 victory in Hanover, N.H., when they controlled the matchup with a 41-29 advantage in rebounds.

In its comfort zone in Jadwin Gym, Princeton would not allow the Big Green to claim such an overpowering margin again. Cowher and Lockwood both finished with 10 rebounds, and the Tigers had a 44-41 overall margin in overall boards.

"In general, we are an undersized team," Lockwood said. "We did a lot more work on rebounding and defense in practice."

Dartmouth forward Sydney Scott was a force in the low post, scoring 17 points and grabbing an impressive 16 rebounds. Her efforts, however, were not enough, as no other Big Green player accumulated more than six boards. Scott's effort came in part because Princeton's defense emphasized stopping the perimeter game.

"We were trying to shut down their main scorers, who are on the perimeter. We did our regular man [defense], but we stayed out a lot more," Lockwood said.

The Tigers' focus on the perimeter limited the Big Green to only 35 percent for the game from its typically dangerous outside offense. Beyond Scott, the Tigers also shut down Dartmouth inside. The Big Green only shot 31 percent for the game.

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Both Cowher and Lockwood — who scored 12 points — ended the night with double-doubles against the porous Dartmouth defense.

Lockwood and senior guards Elyse Umeda, Shelly Slemp and Lillie Romeiser were honored before the team's game against the Crimson.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Harvard played with the ferocity of a team fighting to assure itself at least a share of the Ivy League title.

The Crimson attacked from the beginning. Forward Christiana Lackner opened the game with a layup and would end it as Harvard's leading scorer, with 12 points.

Overall, the Crimson utilized a balanced attack. Forward Katie Rollins had 10 points, guard Niki Finelli had 11 points, and the two other starters — guards Emily Tay and Lindsay Hallion — ended the game with eight apiece.

"[Their balance] played a big part. Harvard is a great team; they're big in the post. They have guards who can put it on the floor and can also get it inside," Lockwood said.

Against a defense that held Dartmouth to under 31 percent shooting from the field, Harvard made shots at a 54 percent clip. The Crimson made so many baskets that it actually had few opportunities to grab offensive rebounds; the team finished with only seven on the night.

Harvard's defense, meanwhile, was nearly impenetrable. After hitting roughly 43 percent of its shots in the first half, Princeton found itself stifled in the second. The team connected on only 34 percent of its shots.

The Tigers' leading scorer, Meagan Cowher, was held to three points, her lowest total since her freshman season.

Several young players, however, performed quite well against the Crimson. Their efforts cast an optimistic light on the loss and provided some hope for next year's squad. Sophomore guard Julia Berger and freshman forward Elizabeth Pietrzak each scored 11 points.

With the win, Harvard took both games of the season series against Princeton and guaranteed itself a share of the league title. Incidentally, Princeton helped its opponent quite a bit by defeating Dartmouth the previous night. With only three games left to play, the Crimson needs only one win to ensure sole possession of first place.

For the Tigers, then, it seems that vengeance against one opponent will have to wait until next year.