Princeton women’s basketball (2–0 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) improved to 2–0 on the season after a miraculous comeback victory against the Villanova Wildcats (2–2 overall, 0–0 Big East Conference) on Wednesday, winning 73–68.
This was the second of their three-game road series to open the season, and the second time the Tigers more than doubled their opponents’ scoring in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Princeton’s first-quarter play improved significantly from their first game against Georgia Tech. Princeton won the tipoff, and the Tigers were able to make the first bucket of the game off senior guard Madison St. Rose’s jumper. Villanova responded right away, and the teams traded shots until it was 10–10 halfway through the first quarter. By the end of the quarter, though, Princeton found themselves down 19–13.
In the second quarter, the Wildcats extended their lead. Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe, their leading scorer, hit a quick three to build a nine-point lead, sparking a five-point Wildcats run in the first minute. St. Rose put a stop to that run with a layup, and junior guard Fadima Tall followed by making a well-contested jumper.
Princeton was scoring, but Villanova kept at it too. Junior guard Ashley Chea also got into foul trouble, picking up two with over six minutes left in the half.
The Tigers entered halftime trailing 29–37, despite Villanova only outscoring them by two points in the second quarter.
“[Villanova] read and reacted really well, and I think we were a little too reactive on defense,” junior guard Skye Belker told The Daily Princetonian. “By the end, we figured out how to run the defense we had been working on in scout, and we communicated better on switches.”
Villanova scored a quick two to start the third, gaining a double-digit lead on Princeton. On the other end of the court, Tall earned herself a trip to the free-throw line. She ended the game with a perfect eight-for-eight free throws. Despite Princeton getting some great looks, Villanova’s offense kept pushing. Women’s basketball head coach Carla Berube took a timeout after the Wildcats accumulated a 14-point lead.
Out of the timeout, St. Rose earned two free throws and scored one, followed by Tall getting a pair to go, which Villanova responded to with a layup.
Tall then scored a jumper from the free throw line to cut the Wildcats’ lead to single digits, but then Villanova collected an easy two points from free throws. St. Rose found herself all alone under the hoop on a subsequent possession, getting the differential back to nine.
Chea ended the quarter with a drive to help Princeton stay within reach. Going into the final ten minutes of gameplay, the Tigers were down by seven.
In their last contest, Princeton proved their fourth-quarter prowess. Against Villanova, it wasn’t any different.
The fourth quarter started with a series of fouls on both sides, decreasing the odds of a Princeton comeback. With eight minutes left in the game, Villanova pushed the lead to ten points.
Then it was Princeton’s turn. Senior forward Taylor Charles cashed in a layup. In transition, St. Rose connected for another two. The Wildcats called a timeout to halt Princeton’s momentum. It was now just a two-possession game.
Out of the timeout, Chea received her fourth foul of the game, giving the Wildcats two free throws. On the other end, Tall scored a layup. Belker then drew a shooting foul, going two for two from the line. The crowd looked stunned. Princeton was in the game. With six minutes left, only four points separated the two teams.
Princeton fouled Villanova in the paint, but they only converted one free throw, bringing the score to 63–58, Wildcats.
Princeton looked to push: Belker bodied her way to the hoop to make it a three-point game. Then St. Rose made the first three of the second half for Princeton, tying the game 63–63. St. Rose then fouled Villanova, and the Wildcats made both their free throws. After a St. Rose miss on the other end, Tall converted an offensive rebound to tie up the game.
Belker came up big with two more points, giving the Tigers the lead. On the following possession, Belker fouled Villanova. The Wildcats converted both free throws to tie the game again, 67–67. Princeton called a timeout.
With 1:10 remaining, Belker triggered a three, putting her team up by two.
“I can’t lie, I definitely zoned out,” Belker admitted. “That’s a moment where you’re kind of just playing.”
Villanova’s Bascoe tried to score a jumper, but didn’t connect. Princeton secured the rebound and called a timeout. The Tigers held on through a flurry of free throws to close out the game 73–68. For the second time this season, the Tigers’ fourth-quarter performance propelled them to victory.
“I knew we would just get it together at some point,” Berube said to the ‘Prince.’ “I guess fourth quarters are our time.”
Looking ahead, the Tigers will complete this away-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. in College Park against the Maryland Terrapins (3–0 overall, 0–0 Big Ten Conference).
Emilia Reay is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince’ and the Spanish Language Pilot Program Director.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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