Women's Basketball: Rolling Tigers lead Ivy League

After dominating the first half of its schedule, the women’s basketball team (15-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) is ready to tear through its Ivy competition. The Tigers lead the league in most statistical categories, from scoring offense to scoring defense, and their average margin of victory is an incredible 19.3 points per game. Four of their five starters average double digits, and freshman forward Niveen Rasheed has emerged as the team’s leader in points, rebounds and assists.

This strong start, however, has put a target on Princeton’s back, and several teams are waiting for their chance to post a challenge to the Tigers’ hot streak.

Harvard (11-6, 2-1) seems to be the team most likely to challenge Princeton for the league championship. Crimson forward Emma Markley ranks third in the league in scoring, and she has been awarded Ivy League Player of the Week three times this season. Guard Brogan Berry, who managed an epic 31 points against Northeastern earlier this winter, ranks fifth in the league.

Berry was last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

The Crimson is second only to Princeton in field goal percentage and scoring offense, averaging 70 points per game, but they lag behind when it comes to scoring defense, sitting at sixth in the league.

Harvard boasted commanding victories over Columbia (12-6, 3-1) and Cornell (5-12, 0-4), but the Crimson lost in a 45-44 heartbreaker to Dartmouth (7-10, 2-1). The Crimson will face Princeton on Friday night to determine the frontrunner for the Ivy title.

Close behind Harvard is Columbia, led by star forward Judie Lomax.

Lomax, who started her career at Oregon State, was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman squad before transferring to Columbia in 2007. She has been making plenty of noise in her second Ivy season, earning four Ivy League Player of the Week honors and scoring 30 points in two games. She sits atop the league standings with 18.8 points per game and 14.4 rebounds per game, and she ranks second in field-goal percentage.

The Lions are also neck and neck with Princeton in offensive and defensive rebounding. Columbia’s only Ivy loss has been at the hands of Harvard — a rough 18-point defeat in Cambridge, Mass.

It is still too early to judge the potential of Dartmouth, the reigning Ivy League champions. Forward Brittney Smith was last season’s Ivy League Player of the Year, but her presence hasn’t been enough to bring home wins.

Before the start of the Ivy season, the Big Green went 4-9. Admittedly, Dartmouth faced the most difficult early schedule in the league, and the team dropped six double-digit losses to teams receiving votes in national polls.

Smith, who is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, ranks second in the league in rebounds. Guard Faziah Steen has garnered some attention as well, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Week two weeks ago.

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After defeating Cornell and Harvard, Dartmouth is reeling from its first Ivy loss to Columbia last Saturday night.

The other half of the league has little hope to do serious damage. Yale (7-11, 2-2) is Princeton’s latest victim, suffering a 21-point defeat. Yale guard Megan Vazquez has been Ivy League Rookie of the Week twice, and she also leads the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game. Guard Yoyo Greenfield also packs quite a punch for a five-foot, five-inch player, averaging 10.1 points per game.

Brown’s performances have been erratic within the league, but they have already bested their 1-13 Ivy record from last winter. The Bears (5-13, 2-2) split their series with Yale, winning the first game by four points only to lose by 24 points a week later. They lost to Princeton but easily beat Penn. No players on the team average double digits, but guard Hannah Passafuime leads Brown with 9.4 points per game. The Bears sit at the bottom of the league in assists.

Cornell has yet to win an Ivy game this season, but has also yet to host a league team. They lost twice to Columbia by over 20 points and suffered a 16-point loss at Harvard, but the Lions kept it close with Dartmouth, fighting to a close 55-53 defeat.

A pair of seniors leads the team. Guard Lauren Benson ranks second in the league with 5.4 assists per game, while guard Allie Fedorowicz leads the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game.

In one of its weakest efforts in recent history, Penn (1-16, 0-3) wallows at the bottom of the league. The Quakers are on a seven-game skid since their sole win over St. Francis (N.Y.) on New Year’s Eve. They average a measly 45.6 points per game, but they also hold opponents to a relatively low 61.1 points per game.

Penn does not have any players in double digits, and it has the lowest field goal percentage in the Ivy League. Penn’s leading scorer, guard Sarah Bucar, averages 9.6 points per game, and forward Jess Knapp ranks fourth in the league for blocked shots.

In the race for the league title, Princeton leads the pack, but the Tigers enter a series of challenging key matchups. The Tigers host Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend, and they face Columbia the following weekend. All four teams are currently in a strong position, but if Princeton can run away with three victories, the Tigers will be the clear favorites for the Ivy crown.