Women's Basketball: Micir, Allgood stand out in weekend split

The Tigers’ game against Yale was close the whole way, but the Bulldogs pulled out a 56-54 victory.

“We were most definitely flat on Friday night,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “Yale’s defensive style is disruptive and attempts to make [its] opponent play faster than [the opponent] want[s]. And that’s exactly what we did: We played too quickly, not allowing us to play to our individual and team strengths.”

The Tigers started the game by taking an 11-point lead, bringing the score to 13-2 after eight minutes of play. Princeton’s strong defense was integral in slowing the Bulldogs’ offense, but Yale eventually closed the gap. With 11 minutes left in the half, Yale’s Jamie Van Horne made a three-pointer and brought the game to within one point. Princeton made up for lost ground and brought the score to 31-24 at the end of the half.

The start of the second half brought strong runs from both teams. The Tigers were up by 11 less than a minute into the half when the Bulldogs went on an 8-5 run to bring the score to 40-32. Sophomore guard Krystal Hill made a basket to bring the score to 44-38, but the Bulldogs answered almost immediately, scoring three points to bring the score to 47-44. The teams traded baskets and were tied at 51 with four minutes left of play. Freshman center Devona Allgood brought the score to 54-43 with two minutes left, but Yale’s Melissa Colborne hit both of her free throws to give the Bulldogs the lead. The Tigers then fouled a Yale ballhandler, giving possession to Yale and subsequently ending the game.

Sophomore guard Addie Micir led Princeton in scoring with 16 points and four rebounds. The Tigers shot 38.9 percent from the field and had a 39-37 edge in rebounds. Colborne scored a game-high 17 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 37.5 percent from the field.

In Saturday’s game against Brown, Princeton fared much better, winning 66-41.

“Saturday night was a different story,” Banghart said. “We came in focused and played on offense at a much better pace. We got a huge lift from senior [guard and] captain Caitlin O’Neill.”

The only lead Brown held during the game was off its opening three-pointer. But Princeton quickly matched the shot and worked its way up to a 16-point lead by the end of the half. The Tigers led 19-12 at eight minutes, 29 seconds and then went on a 10-1 run to take a 29-13 lead. The teams traded baskets in the last five minutes of the half, bringing the score to 35-19.

The Tigers kept their lead throughout the second half, taking a 25-point advantage at 48-23 with less than 15 minutes left. Senior forward Julia Berger, who was scoreless in the first half, stepped it up by scoring eight points, and O’Neill brought the score to 52-25 at 8:37. A three-point play by junior center Cheryl Stevens gave Princeton a 30-point lead, its biggest of the game. The Tigers cruised the rest of the way for the easy victory.

Princeton will face Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend on the road in Cambridge, Mass., and Hanover, N.H.

Banghart noted that Princeton will certainly be looking for wins next weekend.

“We were just a few possessions away from coming out on top when they were here in Jadwin, and we haven’t forgotten that bitter feeling of defeat,” Banghart said. “We are hungry and excited to get another chance at them both.”