Cowher second all-time scorer

The season capped off senior forward and captain Meagan Cowher’s illustrious career. In the four years she starred on the court for Princeton (7-23 overall, 4-10 Ivy League), Cowher has accumulated a daunting basketball resume that might even wipe the snarl off her father Bill Cowher’s face.

Cowher leaves Old Nassau as Princeton’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,671 points, just 12 points behind Sandi Bittler ’90. Averaging 17.7 points per contest, Cowher also pulled down 6.9 boards every time she stepped on the court and earned her third-straight first-team All-Ivy selection — the first person to do so in program history. Cowher also broke the single-season scoring record by netting 532 points en route to her second straight Ivy League scoring title.

In addition to waving goodbye to one of the program’s all-time greats, the season also welcomed the future of Tiger basketball in freshman swingman Addie Micir. Despite missing 10 games with a stress fracture, Micir enjoyed several dominant games, showcasing the ability that will carry Princeton’s squad for three more years. Second on the team in scoring behind Cowher, Micir gave the Tigers a consistent perimeter threat with 42.5 percent accuracy from behind the three-point line.

After a strong effort against Syracuse, Micir again led the way against the Penn Quakers with 22 points, the first of what is sure to be many 20-point performances in her career with the Orange and Black. She finished the season with a three-point percentage higher than her regular field-goal percentage. Micir was second on the team in points, minutes, assists and rebounds. With senior forwards Ali Prichard and Cowher hanging up their uniforms for good, Micir will assume a much larger role in the upcoming season.

Despite the shooting percentages of both these stars, the Tigers as a team shot a less-than-desirable .385 from the field, trailing far behind their opponents’ .446 average. Princeton’s lack of frontcourt depth also showed, as the team was outrebounded by more than six boards a game. Foul trouble and a leaky zone defense combined to plague the Tigers all season long. In head coach Courtney Banghart’s first year, she brought in a system that failed to keep Princeton’s opponents in check. With another year of work, however, all signs point to a stauncher defense.

Giving opponents an easy time around the basket was largely responsible for the Tigers’ 7-23 record. Regardless of the statistics, however, the Tigers displayed flashes of team cohesion throughout the season. A vital 64-59 Ivy League victory at home against Yale as well as a five-point loss against national runner-up Rutgers reflected both the tremendous talent and limitless potential of this Princeton squad.

“There are moments we show flashes of what we can accomplish — when the offense clicks,” junior guard Jess Berry said. “Those moments are insights into where this program is headed, and as soon as we can figure out how to maintain that type of intensity for 40 minutes, we’ll find ourselves much more competitive. Not just in the Ivy League, but against nationally ranked opponents.”

Banghart is excited to get started next year.

“We absolutely would’ve hoped to have a different record. At 7-23, there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement,” Banghart said. “But overall, 10 years down the road, when I look back on this team, it’s going to be about laying the foundation and having something to build off of in future years. The kids’ level of focus and determination have really defined this program. They’ve bought into the new basketball mentality, and we’ll just keep building off of that in the future.”