It certainly wasn’t an easy night for the Princeton women’s basketball team (8–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) against the Seton Hall Pirates (4–1, 0–0 Big East). But despite trailing for most of the game, the Tigers managed to pull off a victory in the final minutes against the previously undefeated Pirates, earning themselves their third Quad 2 win in the process.
Heading into the matchup on a five-game winning streak, the Tigers had a lot to lose should they fall to Seton Hall. They came into the matchup ranked No. 28 on the first week of the NCAA NET rankings — the highest of any mid-major and ahead of many SEC, ACC, and Big East teams.
Once again, Princeton found themselves taking a while to warm up into the game, as they were outscored in the first quarter for the sixth time this season.
Initially, and throughout the contest, the Tigers struggled in the paint, being out rebounded 12–8, and conceding 16 of their 22 points in the paint in the first quarter alone.
“[These] are things that we can certainly get better at and clean up,” Head Coach Carla Berube said to The Daily Princetonian about the team’s rebounding and defense in the paint. “But I think it’s just a testament to how hard they play and how good of a team that is. I think they’re going to do very well in the Big East this year.”
Early in the second quarter, the Tigers were trying to claw their way back at 26–15. A three from junior guard Ashley Chea put them back within single digits, but Seton Hall quickly answered with a three of their own.
Some missed passes and miscommunications on the court kept Princeton behind throughout the second, and the Orange and Black ended with eight turnovers for the half.
Back-and-forth action in the final few minutes of the half pushed up the score further and further in this shootout affair. Three-point makes kept saving the Orange and Black from a further deficit, as with two minutes to go in the half, junior guard Skye Belker and Chea both drilled corner threes to close the gap to just one score.
In sharp contrast to the first quarter, in the second, the Tigers’ scoring was electric as they maintained a field goal and three-point percentage of 67% throughout the period.
The run continued for the Tigers, and for the first time since the game’s start, they were within scoring distance of a lead at 42–41 off a layup from junior forward Olivia Hutcherson. The Pirates immediately responded, however, to make it 45–41.
The team headed into the half down 45–43. Fouls and turnovers against the Tigers certainly didn’t help their chances, but critical threes and a late rally helped keep the score close heading into the third quarter.
The teams opened the third trading buckets as Princeton eked out their first lead since the first quarter, but four turnovers and three personal fouls within just a few minutes kept the score close.
The Orange and Black continued to struggle to hold onto the ball. Missed passes, poor rebounding, and turnovers put the Tigers back into a nine point hole late in the quarter despite their shooting success on open looks.
Belker, however, helped the team rally. With another layup with an and-one to go with it, the score was cut to 64–60 Pirates with less than a minute to go in the third. After three quarters, Belker led the team with 21 points.
“All of us have the ability to go off for twenty plus in a game,” Belker said to the ‘Prince.’ “We see that when we get multiple starters and bench players, even in double digits. And so I think that’s definitely a huge contributor to our offense.”
Indeed, coming into the game, all five of Princeton’s starters were averaging 10 or more points per game, speaking to their shooting volume and ability.
Junior forward Fadima Tall opened Princeton’s account for the final quarter with a three to make it 65–63 Seton Hall, but the Tigers weren’t able to get any distance from the Pirates, staying within a score.
With 5:07 to go in the game, Princeton found themselves down 72–73 despite shooting 49.1% from the field and going 10–10 on free throws. All their starters, barring Hutcherson, had double-digit points, and the team was shooting 43.5% on three pointers.
Seton Hall, for their own part, were shooting 46% from the field but crucially had 15 bench points to the Tigers’ mere two and had managed to score 19 points off of Princeton’s 15 turnovers for the game so far.
Out of the timeout, Belker scored her fifth triple of the night, putting Princeton up 77–75 much to the dismay of Seton Hall Head Coach Anthony Bozzella, who held his head in his hands on the sidelines.
The Tigers would enter the final two minutes up 80–76 as both teams tried to slow down their possessions.
With 22 seconds left and the ball in hand, the Tigers were still up 80–78 and doubled their lead off two free throws from senior forward Taylor Charles. This would secure them the game, 82–78, as they held on to the end and prevented any hopes of a Seton Hall recovery.
Princeton will face the Belmont Bruins (3–4, 0–0 Missouri Valley) away this Saturday, Dec. 6, as they look to secure their seventh straight victory. The Bruins have already faced the Tigers’ Ivy League compatriot Brown (5–3, 0–0 Ivy League) in a 83–61 victory early in the season.
“We have a very difficult non-conference schedule, and we’re on the road a lot,” Belker told the ‘Prince’ about the team’s upcoming games. “So I think just learning how to play through these tough back-to-back games is going to help prepare us come March when we’re playing back-to-back against ranked opponents.”
Alex Beverton-Smith is a head Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections@dailyprincetonian.com.
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