Women's Basketball: Unbeaten start on the line out West

The women’s basketball team will look to continue its winning streak over the Thanksgiving recess as it travels to California to face UCLA and UC Irvine.

Princeton has started its season in impressive fashion, earning wins against Stony Brook, American and Delaware to compile a perfect 3-0 record so far.

The Tigers’ strong offense has shown great potential in its first three games. Even though four of Princeton’s five starters are freshmen or sophomores, this has not stopped them from racking up the baskets. At Stony Brook, 50 of Princeton’s 68 points came from underclassmen, and against American and Delaware, four Tigers reached double figures. Both games saw junior guard Addie Micir and freshman guard Niveen Rasheed lead the team in points.

Just three games into her collegiate career, Rasheed leads the Tigers in points per game (16.7), rebounds per game (7.0) and assists (10.0), and she is also a team-high .667 from beyond the arc. Micir is second on the team in scoring (15.3), and Lauren Edwards is the third Tiger averaging double-digits (12.0).

“After starting the season off 3-0, we’re really excited to keep playing teams from all over the country,” sophomore forward Lauren Edwards said. “All the teams we play are really different from each other, so the diversity we face in [our early season] will help us prepare for Ivy League play in January and February. I hope and expect that we continue to improve as a team, especially since we are still very young. Playing teams like UCLA on the road will be a good challenge for us, but we go into every game wanting to win.”

The Tigers begin their week with a game against UCLA at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night. The Bruins are currently 3-1 and undefeated on their home court.

“UCLA is a very talented team. They have a new coach from Tennessee and a very athletic group of athletes,” senior guard and co-captain Tani Brown said.

The Bruins are led on attack by Erica Tukiainen, who ranks first on the team with 62 points and 16 three-pointers over four games. Markel Walker averages 9.3 rebounds per game and ranks second in points per game (11.0).

The Tigers will then travel to play UC Irvine on Friday afternoon. UC Irvine is currently 2-2, with both a win and a loss on its home court.

“We have a very strong team this year,” Brown said. “I think we can definitely beat both of our opponents this week.”

The trip will also be a homecoming of sorts for several players on the team.

“I am very excited to play UCLA and UC Irvine over Thanksgiving break,” said Brown, who will host a Thanksgiving dinner for the entire team. “Having grown up in Los Angeles my whole life, I will be surrounded by friends and family in support of the team. I am friends with many girls on both UCLA and UC Irvine, so it will be a great atmosphere to play in,” Brown said.