Women's Basketball: Tigers prevail in bruising win

The Tigers (3-1 overall) swept past Farleigh Dickinson (1-3) 62-47 after having the lead for most of the game. Despite the final score, however, this was no easy win for Princeton. The Tigers struggled to connect on their shots, particularly from three-point range, an unexpected stumbling block after their superb shooting in an 88-41 win over Stony Brook last Saturday.

“The first half [the shots] weren’t really going the way we expected,” freshman guard Lauren Edwards said. “We didn’t really score. I mean, last game we had 88 points, and this game we only had 25 in the first half. But a win’s a win.”

What kept Princeton afloat for most of the game was a strong performance from the defense, which continually pulled down rebounds and forced turnovers to keep the Tigers in the lead. Tonight’s win improves Princeton’s all-time record against the Knights to 12-5 and extends its winning streak against FDU to five.

Though the Knights were ahead 7-1 early, the Tigers quickly retaliated with an eight-point run to make the score 9-7. In the next few minutes, the two squads exchanged the lead, with FDU taking a tentative 12-11 lead after making a free throw with 12 minutes, six seconds remaining in the half.

That was the last time the Knights would take the lead. Just a few seconds after FDU scored, freshman center Devona Allgood picked up the ball and passed it to sophomore guard Addie Micir, who sank a layup from under the net to stake the Tigers to a 13-12 lead. Allgood’s offensive efforts brought the Princeton offense back to life, as her rebounds and assists sparked the Tigers to another eight-point run.

Though Princeton struggled to sink its shots in the remainder of the first half, the Tigers hung on to the lead thanks to the Knights’ equally messy offense. With 1:22 left in the half, FDU drew to within three, but junior center Cheryl Stevens made a smooth layup to give Princeton a 27-22 lead heading into halftime.

“We had to switch up our offense for this game because the girls on FDU weren’t really big, so we were trying to go inside,” Edwards said. “They also played zone most of the time, and we mostly play man-to-man, so it was a little different, but we handled it.”

The Tigers hit the court with a vengeance in the second frame, making back-to-back buckets. The most spectacular was a drive down an open court by senior guard and tri-captain Whitney Downs, who faked out the defender tailing her to make the layup. FDU refused to go down without a fight, however, and came back with a seven-point run to bring the score to 31-29. Downs is a former staff writer for the Daily Princetonian.

With the lead slipping away, Princeton aggressively attacked on offense and retaliated with yet another run. The hot streak was highlighted by a shot by Edwards, who came out with the ball after a mid-court scuffle between the two teams and made a smooth layup to give the Tigers their first double-digit lead of the night.

Princeton, however, could not put the game away. FDU relentlessly went after the ball and quickly hacked away at the Tigers’ margin. With 5:59 left on the clock, the Knights had cut the lead to a dangerously close score of 46-40.

In dire need of a breather, Princeton took a timeout. The Tigers came back from the break ready to win, and their game improved significantly in the last five minutes of half. A slew of free throws also helped bolster Princeton’s lead and allowed the Tigers to come out on top.

One of the key factors in the game was Princeton’s overwhelming advantage in rebounding. Though Stevens, the team’s leading rebounder, only pulled down three boards, the Tigers as a team outrebounded the Knights 47-37.

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Princeton’s rebounding edge was particularly important to denying FDU second chances. Though its two top scorers — forwards Christy Altamirano and Alyssa Mayrose — combined for 30 points, they also shot an inefficient 12 for 29 from the field.

The Tigers also had an off-day on offense, shooting 34 percent in the game. Micir, who entered the game leading Princeton with 13.8 points per game, finished with 13 points but shot only four of 13 from the field, including five misses from three-point range.

“Some games we are going to shoot well, and some we aren’t,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “Our job as a team is to be able to counteract that with a lot of variety. I was really pleased with the fact that our subs gave us good energy, and we were able to gut out an ugly win.”

Though the Tigers failed to capitalize on many scoring opportunities, their relentless pressure on defense kept them in the game. If the team wishes to extend its winning streak past the holidays, however, it will have to rely less on defensive side of the ball and find the bottom of the net.