Weekend losses drop Princeton to 2-7 in league

Harvard (15-2 overall, 8-2 Ivy League) shot 44 percent to Princeton’s (5-20, 2-7) 28 percent in the first half and established a 10-point lead by halftime. The Crimson defense also shut down senior forward and captain Meagan Cowher, and despite freshman guard Krystal Hill’s inspiring effort, the Tigers could not stage an upset.

Dartmouth (10-14, 7-3) proved to be even more comfortable with Jadwin’s rims, shooting 56 percent for the game and 66 percent from beyond the three-point line. In comparison, the same stats for the Tigers remained in the 30s, though Princeton played an aggressive second half in attempt to make up for first-half mishaps.

The Tigers led briefly at the beginning of the Harvard game. Junior guard Caitlin O’Neill sunk a three-pointer after one minute, 29 seconds of play to put Princeton up 3-2, but the Crimson response was decisive. Led by Katie Rollins, Harvard tore away on a 12-2 scoring streak that gave it an 11-point lead with 11:12 left in the half. Rollins was the Crimson’s top scorer of the night with 20 points, followed by teammate Emily Tay with 13.

For the first time in 26 games, Cowher could not pump out double-digit figures for the Tigers ? Harvard held the star post player to only six. Sensing a need for leadership, Hill stepped up to drive Princeton’s offense, contributing a team-high 16 points. In fact, Hill nearly notched herself a double-double, topping the Tiger charts with nine rebounds, including five offensive boards.

Princeton and Harvard actually matched each other with 38 rebounds apiece. Truly, it was the Tigers’ weakness outside the arc that crippled their comeback attempt. In the second half, Princeton missed all eight of its attempted three-pointers. While the Crimson sunk only two of five, the missed shots disrupted Princeton’s rhythm, and Harvard cruised to a 65-51 win.

The next day, the Tigers faced Dartmouth in pink jerseys to show support for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s breast cancer awareness event. From the beginning, Cowher reasserted her role in the Tiger offense, scoring nine of Princeton’s first 13 points, leading the team Saturday night with 18 points.

The Tigers’ accuracy, though, hovered around 25 percent, and the Big Green showed no mercy. After a Cowher layup 7:02 in to the game, Dartmouth took off on a devastating 16-4 run that helped it establish a 15-point lead by halftime. Betsy Williams was a key contributor for the Big Green, scoring 10 points in the first half. Williams was one of three Dartmouth players who recorded 16 points on the night.

At the opening of the second half, however, the Tigers seemed to have mustered the momentum needed to overtake the Big Green. Points by junior guard Jessica Berry, senior forward Ali Prichard and Cowher shrunk Dartmouth’s lead to 10 within the first three minutes, and Princeton’s shooting percentage rose to over 50 percent.

Dartmouth buckled down and fought back. In the two minutes after freshman guard Shelbie Pool’s three-pointer at 14:10, the Big Green scored six points to open its lead to 54-38. The Tigers came within 10 points again with 4:48 to play, but Dartmouth maintained its advantage, ultimately winning 72-60.

Despite big efforts from individual players in both games, Princeton could not come back from early deficits, a problem the Tigers will need to remedy if they want to finish their Ivy season at .500.