Women's Basketball: Ivy’s best provide tough test

“There are a lot of people who are falling in love with this team, and I’m one of them,” Banghart said.

It is easy to understand why Banghart and the crowd are so enamored of the Tigers (6-11 overall, 1-2 Ivy League) despite losses to Harvard (10-7, 2-1) and Dartmouth (8-9, 3-0), who were picked to finish first and second in the league, respectively.

With two minutes, 13 seconds left in the first half against the Crimson, it wasn’t looking good for Princeton. Harvard seemed to have the game well in hand, leading the Tigers by 19 points. A layup by sophomore guard Addie Micir, however, started Princeton on an 11-0 run and gave the Tigers some much needed energy at halftime. Freshman center Devona Allgood and senior guard and tri-captain Whitney Downs also chipped in, and Princeton left the court at halftime trailing just 45-37. Downs is also a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

“We were standing around watching [in the first half],” Banghart said. “When we decided to attack the basket, we were right there … [The team was] very disappointed in their defense at halftime, and so was I.”

The Tigers tightened up defensively in the second half, taking the Crimson’s shooting percentage from 62.5 percent in the first half to 43.8 percent in the second. Princeton’s offense helped as well, slowly cutting away at Harvard’s lead.

The first six minutes of the half were back and forth, with neither team gaining momentum. The Tigers persisted and drew within four on freshman guard Lauren Edwards’ layup with one minute remaining in the game.

Now in one-and-one and forced to foul, Princeton gave up one point on Harvard guard Brogan Berry’s free throw. Senior guard and tri-captain Jessica Berry gave the Tigers hope and brought the crowd to its feet on a drive to the basket, making the score 76-73 with 46 seconds left.

Harvard had experienced trouble at the free-throw line earlier in the game, but when the Tigers were forced to foul, the Crimson’s struggles ended. Harvard finished the game with six straight points, making the final score 82-73.

“We can’t dig ourselves in that big of a hole,” said Micir, who had a career night with 24 points. “We just couldn’t get over that hump, and that comes from the first half.”

Friday’s game against Dartmouth ended with a similar disappointment, but Princeton endeared itself to the crowd with last-minute heroics, sending the game into a five-minute overtime.

With less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation, Princeton trailed by two. Micir forced her way through the paint and put up a jumper to tie the game at 52 with 15 seconds left on the clock.

Dartmouth took control of the game in overtime, though. The Big Green didn’t miss a single shot from the field in the final five minutes, starting with a three-pointer from forward Margaret Smith. The Tigers came within one basket of tying the game six times, but the Big Green’s excellent shooting was too much for Princeton to overcome, and Dartmouth eventually won 71-67.

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“It was a long game, and we hadn’t had a game in 20 days, just practice,” Edwards said. “We thought we had the momentum, but they were 100 percent from the field in overtime, and that just killed our momentum.”

The first half was mostly dominated by Princeton, with the Tigers taking as much as a 10-point lead. Gritty defense held the Big Green to just 20 points in the first half, and Princeton didn’t trail until 12:29 remained in the second half, when guard Meghan McFee drained a three. The Tigers would not lead again, though they tied the game three times before the end of regulation, once on a three-pointer from Micir, once on an Edwards layup and finally on Micir’s last-second heroics. Edwards had a career night, putting up 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“I’ve been telling them, but now they believe it,” Banghart said. “We’re right there.”

The fans believe it, too. Despite the losses, the large crowds were still enthusiastic, mobbing the players at the post-game autograph sessions, holding out notebooks and offering T-shirt-covered backs for signatures. Banghart is definitely not the only one falling in love with her team: There is a whole gym full of fans falling with her.