Princeton women’s basketball (5–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) left the Bahamas with two statement wins, opening the “Battle 4 Atlantis” Tournament with a 100–93 shootout victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions (5–1, 0–0 Big Ten) before closing the weekend with an 81–62 win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (4–4, 0–0 Mid-Eastern Athletic).
Princeton passes Penn State in high-scoring skirmish, 100–93
Against Penn State, the Tigers had to climb out of an early hole, battling against 6-foot-6-inch center Gracie Merkle, who ended up taking a third of the Nittany Lions’ total shots.
At the game’s opening, Princeton’s offense sputtered against the pressure, but timely bench minutes from sophomore forward Toby Nweke and steadier ball security in the second quarter calmed the game for the Tigers and trimmed the deficit to 38–34 at halftime.
Everything changed out of the break. Princeton’s guards turned the third quarter into a showcase, getting out into transition, knocking down threes, and capitalizing on Penn State’s defensive mistakes. After a Penn State basket to go up 12 with 4:18 left in the third, it was all Tigers from there on out, responding with a 16–6 run. By the end of the period, Princeton had flipped the scoreboard and led 65–63.
From there, the Tigers’ perimeter firepower took over. They poured in a program-record 66 second-half points on 65.7 percent shooting, going 8-for-10 from deep and 12-for-13 at the charity stripe. Junior guard Skye Belker led the way with a career-high 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting, while sophomore guard Madison St. Rose added 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior forward Fadima Tall piled on 22 points, six boards, four steals, and three assists, and junior guard Ashley Chea contributed 13 points and seven assists, drilling two late threes that effectively decided the game.
For the Nittany Lions, Merkle’s dominant 39-point performance could not offset Princeton’s shooting avalanche and transition rhythm. The Tigers’ 100 points were just the third triple-digit outing in program history and the first since 2016.
Tigers beat UMES 81–62 with 20 points from the bench
Facing the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks, the Tigers seized command early and never surrendered it. UMES opened with a quick 4–0 burst, but Princeton’s defensive pressure and rebounding quickly tilted the game in the Tigers’ favor. A 12–0 run, propelled by seven forced turnovers, helped the Tigers take a 17–6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers went into the halftime break up 38–21, dominating the glass and continuing to generate second-chance points.
UMES found its footing after the break, improving from 31.8 percent shooting in the first half to 48 percent in the second. Brianna Barnes sparked the Hawks with a career-high 21 points, and a series of perimeter makes cut the deficit to 12, at 49–37 in the third quarter and again to 61–49 midway through the fourth. However, for every UMES run, the Tigers had an answer of their own.
Chea and Belker responded with timely threes, while sophomore forward Emily Eadie punished UMES inside with an offensive putback that restored a 20-point cushion at 71–51. Princeton’s balance told the story: Chea finished with 18 points and five rebounds, Belker added 16, St. Rose chipped in 14, and junior forward Olivia Hutcherson scored 13.
The bench contributed a season-high 20 points, highlighted by Nweke’s nine off the bench and first-year forward Sarah Lessig’s four points and six rebounds in her collegiate debut.
Princeton finished with a 39–26 edge on the boards, holding UMES to a season-low rebounding total, and used that advantage to blunt the Hawks’ efficient 6-for-7 three-point shooting and 18-for-21 performance at the line. The Tigers would keep their lead for their remainder of the game, ending with a 81–62 victory over the Hawks.
“[UMES] caused problems on the defensive side of the ball and it was great to see our team come out with a victory,” Head Coach Carla Berube told The Daily Princetonian. “It was awesome to see our group play connected basketball and be able to take home two wins from the Bahamas.”
The Tigers will look to build on their out of conference schedule in the following week when they take on the Rhode Island Rams and the DePaul Blue Demons.
Xavier Latimer is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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