Women's Basketball: Cagers look to wrap up Ivies

After five Princeton teams won Ivy League titles last weekend, the women’s basketball team is in prime position to wrap up a sixth.

If the Tigers (23-2 overall, 11-0 Ivy League) defeat Harvard (18-7, 9-2) on Saturday night, Princeton would earn its first outright title since 1978 and its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers travel to Dartmouth (11-14, 6-5) on Friday and Harvard on Saturday in the league’s most tiring road trip.

“We’re all really excited, but we’re trying not to be too excited right now,” junior guard Addie Micir said. “We still have some work to do. We’re hoping that we play well and we can clinch up there. It’d be great because they are the two best teams, and they’ve won it for the past two years.”

The Tigers remain undefeated in the conference, while the Crimson stands at second place with losses at the hands of Dartmouth and Princeton. The rest of the league has traded losses like candy, leaving all the other teams with at least five losses each.

While their performance has been erratic, the Big Green — last year’s Ivy champion — has proven itself dangerous with a victory over Harvard and has pushed the Tigers to their lowest margin of victory in the league (granted, that margin was 11 points).

“They play such good defense,” Micir said. “They’re a team that’s been struggling scoring this year but they keep themselves in every game with their style of play. They’re tough to score on, and they rebound well.”

Dartmouth ranks second to Princeton in the league for scoring defense, so it is likely to be a low-scoring game — and a one-woman show. The Big Green’s top scorer is last season’s Ivy League Player of the Year, forward Brittney Smith. She ranks seventh in the league in scoring — behind three Tigers and two Lions — with 12.3 points per game. Along with Columbia’s Judie Lomax, Smith dominates the league in rebounding with 10.4 per game. She also leads her team in assists, blocks, steals and field goal percentage.

But win or lose in New Hampshire, Harvard is the game that really matters for Princeton. The Crimson has gotten tougher and wiser since its season-opening loss to Dartmouth. Harvard is 10-0 at home, and within the league, the Crimson has defeated every team by at least 15 points in its own gym. If the Tigers slip up against Dartmouth, and Harvard has a chance to play for a share of the title on Saturday night, the Crimson could put a dent in Princeton’s best season in program history.

Harvard boasts the players with the third- and fourth-best scoring averages in the league, forward Emma Markley and guard Victoria Lippert. Markley, a second team All-Ivy selection last season, has earned Ivy Leage Player of the Week four times this season. After last weekend, Lippert is Ivy League co-Rookie of the Week, her fourth award.

“Harvard is an offensive powerhouse,” Micir said. “We have to work to stop all their scorers. They don’t just have those two; they have a couple other ones. If we can contain them and put some points on the board ourselves, then I think we’ll be okay.”

Besides Princeton, Harvard is the only other squad with four teammates averaging double digits. Guard Christine Matera will be dangerous behind the arc. She averages 2.5 three-pointers per game, giving both her and her team the best average in the conference. The Crimson is also dependable at the line, with a 73 percent success rate.

Harvard has not lost since its struggle at Princeton a month ago, but the Tigers have not faltered in three months and are on an 18-game winning streak. Teams have challenged Princeton in the first half — last weekend, Columbia tied them at the break — but the Tigers have won every Ivy League game by at least 11 points. They are receiving votes in both national polls.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

“They’re super competitive,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “Whether it’s a shoot-around, a practice or a game, whether it’s UCLA or Brown, they don’t care. They just love the chance to compete, and that’s hard to teach.”

Princeton’s lineup has remained steady throughout the conference season, and freshman forward Niveen Rasheed still leads the pack in scoring. Last weekend, sophomore guard Lauren Edwards scored 37 points in the two games against Cornell and Columbia, earning her first Ivy League Player of the Week award. She also contributed five assists, four blocks and four steals. Rasheed also earned her ninth weekly honor this week, sharing Ivy League Rookie of the Week with Lippert.

The Tigers are averaging an incredible 20-point margin of victory in the Ivy League — almost 15 points more than the Crimson, who is second in the league. Princeton’s field goal percentage and defense against three-pointers lead the league as well.

Despite their phenomenal season, postseason hopes and title glory hinge on this weekend.

“There’s not too much pressure,” Micir said. “We’ve played well all season, and all we need is one out of the three last games to tie for the league ... We’re going to go out there and do what we always do: not overlook teams, play hard and hope for the best.”

This is Princeton’s last weekend of the regular season, but the Tigers will finish in a double-header with the men against Penn in Jadwin Gymnasium on Tuesday. If they can clinch the Ivy League title, Princeton will play in the NCAA tournament, which starts on March 20.