Desperate bids fail vs. foes' hot hands

The Big Red hit the Tigers with spot-on accuracy Friday night, sinking 69 percent from three-point range. Even an impressive last-minute Princeton counterattack could not make up the deficit, and Cornell took home a 77-73 win.

On Saturday, the Lions capitalized on Princeton’s defensive woes and established a 27-point halftime lead. The Tiger offense, driven by a 19-point effort from senior forward and co-captain Meagan Cowher, narrowed the deficit, but the Lions ultimately prevailed, 78-64.

To Princeton’s credit, the team has recently had to confront significant challenges. Standout freshman forward Addie Micir remains sidelined with a leg injury, and freshman guard Shelbie Pool was too sick to play for Princeton on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ opponents continue to play outstanding games.

“Harvard, Dartmouth and Cornell have shot their best nights against us,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “They took big shots because they believe we are a threat. We have to start believing we are a threat.”

Early on against the Big Red, the score stayed close. At the 10 minute, 23 second mark, however, sophomore forward Jillian Schurle scored a layup, capping a Tiger drive that opened a 24-16 gap. Schurle proved to be a strong presence in the post, recording a career-high 13 points.

Freshman guard Krystal Hill also stepped up to the plate to drive Princeton’s offense. Hill led Princeton with a career-high 18 points, shooting nine-for-nine from the foul line. The Tigers as a team enjoyed remarkable accuracy throughout the night, notching 57 percent of their field goals in the first half.

Cornell, however, answered with its own brand of precise shooting. The Big Red shot comparably to Princeton in the field but went 11-16 from the three-point line, while the Tigers made only six of 18. In addition, Cornell, fueled by Jeomi Maduka, won the battle under the basket in the first half, outrebounding Princeton 17-9. Maduka notched 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Riding its three-pointer and rebounding advantage, the Big Red swiped the lead from the Tigers before halftime, 34-33. Competition remained fierce in the second half as the lead changed four times in the opening minutes. With 10:35 to play, however, Cornell turned up the heat, using constant screens to scramble Princeton’s defense and going on a 9-0 run to take the lead, 59-49.

With two minutes remaining Princeton started to come back, and it was nearly enough to steal the game. As the clock wound down, Hill and junior guard Berry fired up the team’s intensity on both ends of the floor.

With 14 seconds to play, Berry, assisted by Hill, sunk a three-pointer to bring the Tigers within two points. Then, Cowher snatched a key rebound off a missed Cornell free throw to give Princeton one more chance to take the lead. With five seconds to go, however, junior guard Caitlin O’Neill’s turnover sealed the Tigers’ fate, 77-73.

Though Pool, a key long-range scorer, returned for Saturday’s game, Princeton could not sustain Friday’s shooting accuracy against Columbia. The Tigers made only 22 percent of their field goals in the first half but maintained a 16-14 lead over the Lions with 10 minutes before halftime.

Columbia shattered this slight advantage over the next 10 minutes with a 31-2 run for 45-18 halftime lead. The Tigers buckled down earlier this time to answer, but the Lions’ lead proved too large to wear away. With 1:29 to play, junior forward Whitney Downs scored a layup that brought Princeton within 12 points, but Princeton would come no closer, as the Tigers lost 78-64.

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The Lions’ Michele Gage led her team with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while three other Columbia players scored in the double digits.

While Cowher’s points were not enough to buoy her team, they did notch her a place in the record books ? she is now the fourth Princeton female to score 1,500 career points.

Next weekend, the Tigers will travel to face Yale in New Haven, Conn., and Brown in Providence, R.I. Knowing Banghart, Princeton will have committed the lessons learned from Cornell and Columbia to memory. Yet the Tigers will have to confidently execute these lessons if they are to snap their losing streak. Catching a lucky break for once wouldn’t hurt either.