Women's Basketball: Micir, Edwards lead charge in Ivy wins

But, as it has proven so many times this season, the women’s basketball team is anything but normal. The Tigers (15-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) came out firing in their first game since Jan. 9, cruising to a 75-44 victory over Brown (5-13, 2-2). Princeton capped off its first full weekend of league play by hosting Yale (7-11, 2-2) in the annual “Pink Zone” game, downing the Bulldogs 69-48 and extending its winning streak to 10 games.

“I felt bad for whoever we were going to play after a 20-day break,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “These kids have been ready to play.”

The Bears were looking for any advantage they could get, coming to Princeton with only four victories on the season. But if they hoped the Tigers would be rusty after a 20-day break from basketball, their wishes were shattered immediately, as the home team scored the game’s first 10 points.

Princeton continued to expand the margin early in the game. Two consecutive layups from sophomore center Devona Allgood, the first set up by a pretty feed from junior guard Addie Micir, gave the Tigers a 23-5 lead. Allgood, the Ivy League field-goal percentage leader, continued to be unstoppable inside, making seven of nine shots against Brown. Princeton dominated from the outside as well, shooting 6-11 from beyond the arc, led by three three-pointers from sophomore guard Lauren Edwards.

While the Tigers’ offense rolled, their defense continued to be even better. Princeton forced the Bears to take low-percentage shots from the outside. Brown made just five of 32 long jumpers, including 2-20 from three-point range. It also hit just 28.8 percent of its field goals, becoming the third consecutive team to shoot below 30 percent against the Tigers. Meanwhile, Princeton forced 22 turnovers, though it committed an uncharacteristically high 21 itself.

Princeton held a comfortable 43-17 lead at halftime and would not let the Bears back into the game. Freshman forward Niveen Rasheed picked up her fourth foul early in the second period, a call that drew the ire of the Princeton bench and the hometown crowd. Rasheed played only 14 minutes due to foul trouble, and despite entering the weekend as the second-leading scorer in the Ivy League, finished the game without a single point.

But the rest of the Tigers more than made up for Rasheed’s absence. Micir took over in the second half, hitting four long jumpers and three free throws en route to a game-high 18 points in just 21 minutes. The Tigers’ reserves extended the lead to as much as 42 before coasting to a final score of 75-44, Princeton’s eighth consecutive victory over the Bears. The damage could have been even worse, had Princeton not missed 11 of 16 shots from inside of 10 feet in the second half.

When the Tigers played Yale on Saturday, Jadwin Gymnasium was decorated not in the usual orange and black, but in pink. The “Pink Zone” game is an annual team event to raise awareness for breast cancer, and admission for all spectators wearing pink was free. Most of the season-high 1,304 fans in attendance were wearing pink. The Tigers were decked out in pink-topped socks and pink headbands, and the team’s outlook was rosy as well.

As usual, the Tigers got off to a hot start, fueled by a strong defensive effort. Princeton allowed just four points in the first seven minutes and led by eight, thanks to a trio of buckets by Allgood. She finished the game with a double-double, needing just six shots to collect 10 points. The center’s presence, which included two blocks and two steals on the other end of the floor, was a large part of the reason why Princeton outscored Yale 42-14 in the paint.

“Devona has been our most improved player,” Banghart said. “She’s really hard to guard on the low block, she understands our offense and she plays with a lot of confidence down there. As she gets better, we do too.”

All season long, Yale has tried to push the pace and put pressure on its opponents, but Princeton would not let the Bulldogs establish their tempo. Instead of hitting early in transition, Yale was often forced to wait until late in possessions before it could even think about putting up a shot, and fell victim to several shot-clock violations. Despite grabbing a reasonable share of offensive rebounds, it managed only 48 shots from the floor, tying a season low. The only success the Bulldogs could find offensively came from giving the ball to their big forwards and letting them create; Melissa Colborne and Mady Gobrecht combined for 13 of Yale’s 17 first-half points.

The Bulldogs’ defense put pressure on the Tigers’ ballhandlers, however, and forced them into many long, fruitless possessions, allowing the visitors to stay in the game. Micir revived a stagnant offense with eight points in a two-minute span late in the period, enabling the Tigers to take a 28-17 lead into halftime. The junior again led all scorers, with 16 points.

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The second half opened on a scary note when, three minutes into the frame, freshman point guard Lauren Polansky got tangled up with two Yale players while diving for a loose ball and came up unable to place weight on her right ankle. Polansky was in the middle of one of her best games of the year, with a season-high six points and five rebounds in the first half alone, but was unable to return to the game.

Princeton’s lead hovered around 10 points for much of the second half, as three treys by 5-foot, 5-inch Yoyo Greenfield kept the Bulldogs in the game. Yet Yale continued to struggle to get consistent offense, particularly from leading scorer Megan Vasquez, who finished the night 0-10 from the floor. The Bulldogs made a respectable 35.4 percent of their shots, better than many of their predecessors and roughly in line with their season average. But Princeton again shot very well, hitting a touch under half of its attempts and making 15 of 16 free throws.

Witheight minutes to play, the Tigers held a comfortable but not insurmountable 10-point lead. Late in the shot clock, Edwards spotted up at her favorite place on the left wing, received the kick-out from Allgood, and sank a three. The basket sparked a 17-0 Princeton run that saw the Tigers at their finest. Five different players scored, including Rasheed, who found her stroke again. After being held scoreless for the weekend’s first 60 minutes, she dropped 10 points in the final period.

“[That run] says a lot about the balance on our team,” Edwards said. “Posts and guards can score, and anyone on our bench can contribute at any time in any game. It’s really nice to know that we have people backing every player up — even when [Polansky] went down, we were ready to play, still, for her.”

Princeton now stands alone atop the Ivy League at 3-0. The Tigers will remain at home next weekend, but will welcome a pair of tougher opponents. They will host Harvard (11-6, 2-1) on Friday and then face preseason favorite and defending champion Dartmouth (7-10, 2-1) the following evening.