The Princeton Tigers (2–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) lost 84–68 after a tough battle against the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (5–0, 0–0 Big Ten Conference) on Sunday afternoon at XFINITY Center. Despite running solid plays and having several scoring runs, the Tigers struggled to close the gap against the Terrapins in the second half.
Princeton showed a promising start to the game, winning the tipoff and converting it for an assisted three from the wing by senior guard Madison St. Rose. But shortly after, the Terrapins responded by draining a three-point jumper, proceeding to go on a 12–0 scoring run.
After a rough first quarter and four costly turnovers, the Tigers trailed by more than double, 26–10.
Coming into the second quarter, the Orange and Black started to rekindle their initial momentum, beginning with a clean layup by junior guard Fadima Tall, followed by an assisted jumper by junior guard Skye Belker. Maryland then answered with a series of layups, stacking up another run of six consecutive points.
But unlike the first quarter, the Tigers fought back with a 12–0 scoring run of their own, sinking free throws and knocking down several mid-range jumpers. Cutting the gap to four, Princeton aimed to turn the tide and ended the half with a renewed boost of confidence.
“We were pressuring, getting our hands on a lot of balls, and pushing on an offense,” St. Rose told The Daily Princetonian. “We made basketball very easy for us.”
With the start of the second half, however, Princeton just couldn’t narrow the score gap. The Terrapins played with great chemistry, setting up clean kickouts and converting possessions for three-point jumpers and layups. Maryland yet again ran the Tigers dry, with a 14–0 scoring run.
“They just got a lot of momentum and we didn’t stop that like we did in the second quarter,” junior guard Olivia Hutcherson told the ‘Prince.’ “So, we need to get our energy back and keep getting stops defensively.”
The Tigers finally put an end to the run with a quick jumper by St. Rose and another three from Tall, but moments after, their repeated fouling gave the Terrapins an opportunity to score another eight points from free throws.
By the end of the third quarter, the Tigers were down by 13 points, 61–48.
Hoping to even the score, Princeton responded to every layup and jumper with their own, with six points from both Hutcherson and Belker. Despite scoring 20 as a team in the last quarter, the Tigers couldn’t make up the distance.
“We struggled out of the gate in the second half, and they caught fire,” said Women’s Basketball Head Coach Carla Berube. “They got to the free throw line a ton and knocked them down. I can’t say that was our best defense in the second half.”
“Playing against the size was definitely hard since we’re a smaller team, but I think it’ll help us, especially with the Ivy League season, where we probably won’t see as many bigs,” Hutcherson told the ‘Prince.’
Despite Maryland’s height advantage, typical for a high-ranked school, Princeton held its own in winning balls off the glass, only trailing the Terrapins by nine rebounds by the end of the game.
The matchup against Maryland also allowed some players off the bench to shine, such as sophomore guard Toby Nweke, who made defensive stops and showcased her shooting capabilities from the corner and wing.
The Tigers will play Rice for their season home opener this Wednesday at 7 p.m., hoping to rebound from the loss and secure a victory at Jadwin Gymnasium.
Andrew Kang is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to sports[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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