Women's Basketball: Defense key in road sweep

The women’s basketball team began its second round of Ivy League play last weekend, traveling to New England for rematches with Yale and Brown. Thanks to a pair of spectacular defensive performances, the Tigers were able to complete the sweep with two more 20-point victories, remaining undefeated in conference play.

Princeton (21-2 overall, 9-0 Ivy League) struggled at times to score points but played strong enough defense that neither game was in doubt, allowing the team to extend its win streak to 16 games. The Tigers defeated Yale (11-13, 6-4) by a score of 65-44 on Friday and posted a 64-38 victory over Brown (7-17, 4-6) the following evening.

The Orange and Black held both Yale and Brown to season lows in scoring, and the Bears’ 38 points made for the fewest a Princeton opponent has scored all year. Remarkably, the Tigers were able to accomplish this despite the fact that both games were played at a fast tempo. There were 76 possessions in the Yale game and 73 against Brown, making the games Princeton’s two fastest-paced league contests to date. When adjusting for tempo, the Tigers had their two best defensive performances of the season, allowing just over half a point per possession in each game.

“The Yale game felt like a track meet at one point. They really pushed the pace,” freshman forward Niveen Rasheed said. “We definitely felt that going into the Brown game, we weren’t as rested as we usually are, and our legs were feeling it. But we came out with intensity, and all 12 players gave all their effort.”

The Tigers have made a habit of starting quickly all season, and Yale again fell victim to Princeton’s early firepower. The visitors opened with a 14-4 run, led by a pair of three-pointers by sophomore guard Lauren Edwards. Edwards finished with 17 points, and Princeton led comfortably for most of the first half, taking an 11-point lead into the break.

Just 30seconds into the second period, Rasheed converted a layup and one, sparking a 10-2 Tiger run. The freshman finished with a game-high 18 points and 14 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double.

A few minutes later, the Princeton defense showed its strength, holding Yale scoreless for six minutes and 11 possessions. The Tigers failed to capitalize on a number of their opportunities but did make three field goals, capped by a bucket from junior guard Addie Micir that extended the lead to 21 points. Princeton would never look back, cruising to a 65-44 victory.

Though the Tigers were out-rebounded on the game, they were able to dominate Yale in many other ways. They forced 24 turnovers, leading to 24 points, and allowed the Bulldogs to shoot just 24.2 percent from the floor. Princeton continued to frustrate guard Megan Vasquez, who leads Yale with 11.3 points per game. In two games against the Tigers, Vasquez scored a total of seven points, making only one of her 20 field-goal attempts.

Princeton’s defense again came out firing early against Brown, but its offense was slower to come around. The two teams combined for 11 turnovers and just four field goals in the first six minutes of play. Sophomore center Devona Allgood was the lone exception, scoring the Tigers’ first six points of the game. Allgood would finish with 16 points and 10 rebounds — both game highs — though she would also commit a season-high eight turnovers.

The Tigers as a team had trouble holding onto the ball, as their 25 turnovers marked their worst outing since facing Rutgers in December. The Bears’ trademark pressure contributed largely to this number — Princeton turned the ball over 21 times in its first meeting with Brown, marking the only other time it has topped 15 in league play — as did fatigue from two fast-paced games.

“We were not playing the way we play,” Rasheed said. “We were kind of playing Brown’s game — hectic and fast-paced. We need to mature from that and learn play our own game.”

Both offenses continued to struggle, as the score was just 10-5 in Princeton’s favor at the halfway point in the first period before a 5-0 run gave the visitors a double-digit lead. The Tigers took a 27-16 lead into halftime.

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Princeton opened the second half with an 11-0 run to put the game away, featuring four points from Allgood and five from Rasheed. With 8:30 to play, sophomore point guard Laura Johnson hit a three-pointer to give the Tigers a 45-19 lead. The Tigers’ defense let up some in garbage time, allowing the Bears to double their points, but won going away 64-38.

Rasheed finished with 13 points, and junior guard Krystal Hill made all 10 of her free throws to add 12. But it was again the Tigers’ defense that was the story, holding Brown to 24.1 percent shooting and just 1-17 from beyond the arc while forcing 22 turnovers.

“Playing all these games as fast as we can was a little bit different than usual,” Allgood said. “For road games, it’s hard to get your rhythm, and in the Brown game, we kind of started out of sync. But we always try to go back to defining who we are and remind ourselves that we’re [a] team of 12.”

Princeton now holds a two-game lead over Harvard in the Ivy League standings with five games to play. The Tigers return home next weekend to face Cornell and Columbia.