Women's Basketball: Banner unfurling in Jadwin no distraction for vicious ballers

Princeton (1-0) took charge immediately, torching the Knights (0-1) for 11 points on its first five possessions. Sophomore forward Niveen Rasheed got the ball in the high post and found junior center Devona Allgood on the low block for an easy layup to open the game. After the visitors answered with a bucket, senior guard Addie Micir swished a pair of three-pointers — both coming on second chances from offensive rebounds — and Rasheed added a layup and one.

After falling behind 11-2, the Knights settled down, trading baskets with the hosts for a few minutes. But a four-point possession from Allgood extended the lead to double digits, and Micir nailed another triple at the 12-minute mark. The co-captain finished the game with four threes on six attempts.

The Tigers’ offense stalled with the reserve unit on the floor, managing just five points in an eight-minute stretch late in the half. Fairleigh Dickinson fared little better, never closing the lead within 11 points. Ball control was the biggest issue, as the visitors committed 24 turnovers for the game. Princeton broke up plays and intercepted passes, while the rusty Knights committed many dead-ball turnovers, such as traveling violations and charges.

“We knew what they were doing almost more than they did,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “We were communicating on the floor, taking charges, and we had each other’s backs.”

With one minute remaining in the half, Rasheed showed off the talents that earned her the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award last season. She received the ball at her favorite place, the right elbow, backed off her defender and then blew by her after a hesitation dribble, drawing a foul and finishing for a three-point play.

Princeton came out of halftime with a vengeance, opening the period with a 17-0 run. Going back to the first half, the Tigers scored 25 unanswered points in a nine-minute span, extending the lead to 56-20 and putting the outcome well beyond doubt. The Knights finally broke the streak with a three-pointer from forward Alannah Driscoll-Sbar, their only triple of the game.

Last season, Princeton also consistently opened halves with big runs. “I think it’s the fact that they have to sit for 10 minutes — this team doesn’t like to sit for very long,” Banghart said. “Our water breaks in practice are like 30 seconds, so when they get time to gather themselves, they’re ready to rock and roll. They’re also focused on the scouting report and really good at making adjustments.”

Fairleigh Dickinson continued to turn the ball over in the second half and failed to get the ball into the hoop even when it did keep possession. Princeton held the visitors to just 17 percent shooting in the second half. The Tigers had some issues shooting from the outside — aside from Micir, they hit just one of 12 three-pointers, thanks to a number of shots that bounced in and out of the hoop — but managed to shoot 43 percent for the game, plus 15 for 17 from the charity stripe.

Early in the second period, Rasheed was sent to the floor off the ball on consecutive possessions, taking Driscoll-Sbar down with her the second time. The referees then intervened, and the rest of the game was incident-free.

“On the bench, we all knew ... you don’t want to get [Rasheed] mad,” Banghart said. The sophomore finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and a team-high four assists.

Twelve of the 13 Tigers scored in the game, including freshman guard Alex Rodgers, who hit a deep three and led all reserves with seven points. Allgood made eight of 11 field goal attempts for a game-high 20 points.

But the Tigers’ strongest point was their defense, which held Fairleigh Dickinson to barely half a point per possession. The Knights, forced to frequently settle for inefficient mid-range jumpers, made just 26 percent of their shots for the game.

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“Defense is how we win,” Allgood said. “We make sure we come out with intensity on defense, because that’s our defining factor.”

Princeton allowed more than 37 points in every game last season.

The Tigers will travel to Rutgers (0-1) on Thursday in what should be a much closer contest. The Scarlet Knights handed Princeton one of its three regular-season losses last year, a 60-50 defeat at Jadwin.