The Tigers (6–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) beat the Rhode Island Rams (6–1, 0–0 Atlantic 10 Conference) last Wednesday 67–59 on the road at the Ryan Center. The game was back-and-forth until Princeton found their fourth-quarter fire, pulling away in the final minutes. The unranked Rams had just upset No. 10 NC State (5–3, 0–0 Atlantic Coast Conference) before the matchup, so Princeton had to work to win.
“We knew that Rhode Island was coming off a big win against NC State, so we had to be locked in and play hard for all 40 minutes,” junior guard Madison St. Rose told The Daily Princetonian. “We knew if we did all the little things right then we had a strong chance of winning.”
In the first quarter, junior forward Fadima Tall started the scoring with a three. The Rams retaliated with two points of their own. This became the essence of the game: trading buckets. The first quarter ended with the Tigers on top by just one point, 11–10.
“They have length and size that can cause problems for their opponents,” junior forward Olivia Hutcherson told the ‘Prince.’ “We struggled to get going in the first quarter, but eventually got some better looks and hit shots as the game went on.”
In the second quarter, St. Rose started the offense with a deep two. At the seven-minute mark, junior guard Skye Belker hit the first free throws of the game for either team to make it a five point Princeton lead.
Despite that, Rhode Island hit a three to cut it to a one-possession game again. Neither team could catch a break. By halftime, the teams were back at the same point differential as the end of the first. The scoreboard read 23–22 in Princeton’s favor, despite the lead flitting back and forth throughout the half.
“She told us to attack them on offense,” St. Rose said about Head Coach Carla Berube’s message to the Tiger squad at halftime. “Our shots from the three-point line weren’t falling, so we needed to start relying more on getting paint touches. Defensively, we need to help each other out more and limit their second chance opportunities.”
To start the third quarter, the Rams scored two points and took the lead. Then the Tigers went on a 7–0 run that ended with Princeton up 30–24. Rhode Island’s Brooklyn Gray kept the Rams in the game, getting the opportunity to score a bonus foul shot off an initial fouled three-pointer, but couldn’t land the free throw. The third quarter ended in a tie, 43–43.
With the majority of their matchups being decided in the fourth quarter this season, Princeton knew how to close the game out. That would require limiting Gray, a key player for Rhode Island.
With seven minutes remaining, the teams were still tied, this time 50–50.
“The gym was very loud,” St. Rose said. “We are used to these types of atmospheres where the other team has a bigger fan base since we only played one home game so far this season.”
“When the gym started to get loud, we knew how important it was to stay together and use the noise as motivation,” she added.
The Rams built a five-point lead with six minutes left, but Princeton pushed through to get back ahead with Belker buckets from midrange and the free throw line. The Tigers’ signature fourth-quarter fire burned bright with a 16–1 run in the fourth to secure their victory.
Rhode Island resorted to fouling Princeton in the last minutes of the game, but Princeton had been in this position already this season. Ultimately, they won 67–59 to reach a four-game win streak.
Coming off another win against DePaul in Jadwin Gymnasium on Sunday, the Tigers are set to play Monmouth at the OceanFirst Bank Center on Wednesday.
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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