Domination was the story at Jadwin Gym on Sunday, as the Princeton Tigers (8–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) took down the DePaul Blue Demons (2–6 overall, 0–0 Big East) with a final score of 71–41. Throughout the game, Princeton’s dynamic play and ironclad defense ensured that they outplayed DePaul and came out with the win.
After the Tigers won the tipoff, junior guard Skye Belker established the team’s rhythm immediately by knocking down a jumper. The Tigers proceeded to dominate offensively in the first half of the quarter, with fast-paced play and fluid passing. Their defense also suffocated DePaul, forcing misses and turnovers from the Blue Demons.
After five minutes of play, DePaul had scored two points and the Tigers 12, including two three-pointers by junior guard Ashley Chea.
After the timeout, DePaul began to create better chances. For example, when Belker nailed another jumper, DePaul guard Alayna West immediately responded with a three-pointer. However, it was a slow rest of the quarter for both teams, as they tightened their defenses and forced more turnovers. The quarter ended with a score of 17–8 in favor of the Tigers.
Princeton maintained momentum in the start of the second quarter. In just over three minutes, the Tigers scored 12 points to the Blue Demons’ four, including a three-pointer by Chea that forced a timeout from the DePaul bench. After that initial run, the game tightened as the Tigers and Blue Demons hustled for rebounds and saw roughly equal success in the paint, keeping the game close.
Late in the quarter, however, DePaul began to catch up. With two minutes left, the Blue Demons went on a seven-point scoring run, forcing three turnovers from Princeton. Although the Tigers played exceptional defense, the Blue Demons were able to find good chances and convert difficult shots.
The quarter ended with the two teams exchanging three-pointers, leading to a score of 37–25 in favor of Princeton. The star was undoubtedly Chea, who made her fifth three-pointer of the half to bring her to 15 total points. Princeton’s large lead was due to their dynamic play, of which the three-pointer was a crucial part. In the first half, the Tigers shot 38.5 percent from beyond the arc compared to just 25 percent from the Blue Demons.
In the third quarter, defensive prowess and precise offense was the story for the Tigers, similar to the first quarter. As the Orange and Black consistently knocked down shots, DePaul struggled to do the same. Although the Blue Demons opened the scoring in the quarter with two free throws, their first field goal did not come until there were only two minutes left in the quarter.
In the final two and a half minutes of the quarter, DePaul picked up their scoring with seven points, compared to just two points before that. Princeton’s solid defense, with three blocks and one steal, ensured that DePaul did not find good chances, with the Blue Devils only attempting 12 field goals to Princeton’s 20. Furthermore, the Blue Demons converted at a lower rate, shooting just 16.7 percent to the Tiger’s 35.0 percent from the field. This quarter saw Princeton widen their lead again, with a score of 54–34.
The fourth quarter was most of the same for the two sides. DePaul again opened the scoring with a layup, but Princeton then scored 14 points in a row to take an even more commanding lead. Chea scored her sixth three-pointer of the game for a total of 22 points, leading both teams in points.
The Tiger defense shined again, with five points in the fourth quarter off turnovers to the Blue Demons’ zero, and held DePaul to just two made field goals in the quarter. Their offense made great plays, including an and-one layup off a foul on sophomore guard Toby Nweke in the fourth minute and a three-pointer by senior forward Taylor Charles in the final minutes of the game, which were the Tigers’ last points.
Charles also ended the game with seven blocks, tying the single-game record for the Tigers.
When the buzzer sounded, the Tigers came out on top 71–41 in yet another comfortable win over a non-conference opponent.
The Orange and Black will continue out-of-conference play against another Big East opponent, returning to Jadwin on Tuesday, Dec. 2 to face the Seton Hall Pirates (4–1, 0–0 Big East) at 7 p.m.
James Li is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
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