First-half woes doom Tigers

Considering Princeton's 13-17 record last year with a defense ranked seventh in the Ivy League, new head coach Courtney Banghart knew it would take hard work and a couple lucky breaks to reshape the women's basketball squad. Against Wagner on Tuesday night, Princeton could not muster enough of either, falling 75-49 in Staten Island, N.Y.

Pulled down by a shot percentage of 30 percent and 24 turnovers, Princeton (0-2 overall) watched the Seahawks (2-0) jump to a 33-14 lead at the half. Despite 17 attempted three-pointers in the second half, Princeton was unable to recover, and Wagner ran away with the convincing win.

The Tigers proved no more redeeming on defense, reverting back to habits from last season. The Seahawks quickly overcame Princeton's initial 7-0 lead, penetrating into the paint to set the score at 27-9 with two minutes, 12 seconds to go in the first half.

A three-pointer from freshman guard Addie Micir with 13 seconds left to play closed the gap to 16, but Wagner still looked to add insult to injury. John'a Poole, who had already notched 12 points, let fly a three-pointer with no time left on the clock. It swished through just as the buzzer rang, putting the Seahawks up 33-14 at the half.

Banghart was as frustrated as the team was about its inability to generate momentum.

"It was related to confidence," Banghart said. "We'd shoot and miss, shoot and lose the rebound, take the ball out and turn it over. We couldn't catch a break."

Through the second half, senior forward Meagan Cowher led Princeton's offensive response, grabbing nine rebounds and scoring 12 points. Added to her five rebounds and two points from the first half, Cowher earned her 14th career double-double and best rebounding total. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Cowher was one of the few bright spots, as Princeton struggled to score while Wagner continued to bank shots.

The Seahawks netted nine more points in the opening minutes of the second stanza, increasing their lead to 41-14. Finally, three minutes in, sophomore guard Tani Brown fed a defensive rebound to Cowher, who broke away to grab the team's first points of the half with a layup.

Wagner's Chelsea Bunyer and Andrea Reed spearheaded the counterattack, as they joined Poole in double figures for the game. Bunyer, after netting six points in the first half, scored 16 more points before the end of the game, while Reed contributed 12 of her total 14 during the same time period.

As regulation ran out, the Tigers still faced a glaring 20- point deficit and began shooting from the outside to try to rack up big points in a hurry. Out of five three-pointers attempted in the last three minutes, the two by freshman guard Krystal Hill were the only ones to find the mark, and Princeton finished down 26 points with a final score of 75-49.

Despite the loss, Princeton was able to utilize more than just its starting players. Each Tiger saw playing time, with freshmen Micir, Hill and Shelbie Pool combining for a total 11 points, while the Tigers' entire bench outscored Wagner's bench 20-9.

Even so, none of the various lineup blends was able to click and get the job done on the court.

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"We kept trying rotations when one wasn't working, but no combination seemed to work for us that night," Banghart said.

Princeton travels to Alabama on Friday to continue Women's National Invitational Tournament play, facing Samford at 9 p.m. Though Banghart can certainly work on lessons from the Wagner game, it will be up to the Tigers to shake off the ghost of basketball past and show their new colors as the season progresses. As soon as it forgets last season's bad habits, Princeton is more likely to catch a lucky break.