With a 28.5-point average margin of victory and contributions from nearly everyone on the squad, the women’s basketball team (2-0 overall) dominated its first two games of the season, beating Stony Brook University, 68-43, and thrashing American University (2-1), 77-45, last night in Jadwin Gymnasium.
On Friday night, in her first career start, freshman guard Niveen Rasheed led the Tigers over Stony Brook (0-2) with 18 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Lauren Edwards was also in double figures, with 13 points, and junior Addie Micir had eight points and three steals in a starting lineup that featured four underclassmen.
“I thought the kids played well,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “We were a little under par defensively so we relied primarily on our athleticism.”
Spurred on by Edward’s 11 first-half points, the Tigers jumped out to an early lead. Despite letting Stony Brook battle back to within four points late in the first half, Princeton was in control by halftime, leading 32-24.
“We had contributions from everyone,” Banghart said. “People stepped up for us, and it showed.”
The Tigers dominated the second half, building a double-digit lead thanks to an 11-2 run to start the half. Micir led the way for Princeton in the final 20 minutes, scoring all of her eight points and grabbing two of three steals. Princeton finished the evening shooting 43.6 percent from the field with every member of the team seeing court time.
At the team’s home opener at Jadwin last night, Rasheed again starred for the squad, scoring 18 points and providing five assists. Equally impressive was Micir’s 20-point performance, 18 of which were scored from behind the arc.
Despite going into the game as underdogs, the Tigers quickly allayed any fears of a repeat performance of last year’s 44-59 loss to the Eagles in Washington, D.C. Princeton is now undefeated in its last six home openers.
American (2-1) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead before the Tigers stole the game with an impressive 18-0 run that spanned most of the first half. The offense found its rhythm, and tenacious defense completely shut down the Eagles. By halftime, Princeton had a 34-17 lead.
“That was the best defensive effort I’ve ever seen in any game, and I’ve been around basketball for a long time,” Banghart said.
In the second half, the Eagles attempted to find a way back into the game only to be stifled by a Tiger defense that forced 25 turnovers and out rebounded American, 32-28.
“Defense always comes first,” Rasheed said. “We were relentless. Our shots won’t always fall, but our defense will always be there.”

Princeton finished the night shooting 50.8 percent from the field, including a remarkable 61.5 percent shooting performance in the second half. The Tigers also impressed behind the arc, making 10 of 19 shots.
A highlight in the team’s first two wins has been the strong individual performances from young members, Rasheed in particular.
“The kid is really special,” Banghart said. “The thing I like most about Niveen is the kid plays, every drill, every game so hard. She competes. She gets our team going because she plays so hard.”
Rasheed, however, focused on the team as a whole instead of her individual successes.
“I’m satisfied with our performances, but the number of points I scored doesn’t matter to me personally,” she said. “I just want to contribute to the team.”
Indeed, Rasheed’s success so far personifies the team’s commitment to youth.
“We don’t care how old people are,” Banghart said. “And the fans love young talent.”
Micir agrees.
“The majority of the team are underclassmen, so you can expect a lot of kids to play this season.”
The Tigers will next face Delaware and former national high school player of the year, Elena Delle Donne, on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Jadwin. Princeton must be wary of Delle Donne, who tallied 50 points, shooting 20 of 24 from the field, in a closed scrimmage against St. Joseph’s on Sunday.
Banghart, however, was quick to play down her team’s next game.
“I don’t look a game ahead, so I don’t know anything about Delaware yet,” she said. “Starting tomorrow morning, we’ll worry about that.”