Games between Princeton women’s basketball (17–2 overall, 5–1 Ivy League) and Columbia women’s basketball (14–5, 5–1) are never an easy matchup for either team. Tonight, Princeton was on the receiving end of those troubles.
The No. 19 Tigers were riding a 15-game winning streak prior to tonight’s matchup, but they were unable to prove themselves against their Ivy League foe. Princeton lost 67–73.
From the blow of the first whistle, the Lions created a quick tempo. Columbia’s star shooter Riley Weiss was able to secure the ball from the tip and get an easy first two points for her team. Princeton senior guard Madison St. Rose was right back at it on the other side of the court, though, collecting two points.
The teams traded baskets, with Columbia earning an early lead of up to seven points. The Tigers fought, but by the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read 23–21 Columbia.
“I thought we could have come out better, that wasn’t what we talked about,” head coach Carla Berube told The Daily Princetonian postgame. “It was just the ball pressure once we got over halfcourt that I thought we could have done a better job with.”
The game became more and more physical at the turn of the second quarter. With about six and a half minutes remaining in the half, sophomore guard Toby Nweke was able to tie it up at 27 apiece off a fast break.
Before Princeton could catch up to reclaim the lead, Columbia was already down on the other side of the court, sealing their possession with a layup. Towards the end of the quarter there seemed to be an unfortunate pattern for Princeton: turnover, Columbia fast break, Tiger foul.
As they have done all season, Princeton was able to stay in the game with a three point shot from junior guard Skye Belker before halftime. At the half, the Tigers trailed 37–36 and the Lions had 11 fast breaks compared to the Tigers’ four.
“I think our dropdown help wasn’t there a lot of the time,” Belker told the ‘Prince.’ “We got beat by not being there for each other and so we just have a lot to work on defensively so we can get more stops.”
Columbia opened the second half with an easy layup. Junior guard Olivia Hutcherson retaliated with a completed and-one play to make the score 41–39. In response though, Weiss did what she does best and drained a three followed by a fadeaway jump shot, forcing the Tigers to talk things over.
After the timeout, the game was so tense that even Berube didn’t see what unfolded next: St. Rose went down, grabbing her knee.
After having torn her ACL last season, the air was knocked out of Jadwin Gymnasium as she laid on the hardwood. Luckily, she made it back to Princeton’s bench, but did not return to the court after five minutes left in the third.
“I think she’s going to be okay. We’re going to reevaluate her on Monday,” Berube told the ‘Prince.’ “She’ll be out tomorrow.”
The third quarter ended 54–50 Lions after Belker hit a two before the buzzer.
You can never count the Tigers out, though. After trailing to the Harvard Crimson just a week prior, Princeton was able to overcome the deficit and earn a near buzzer-beater win in overtime.
Despite their track record, tonight was a different story — the Tigers were not able to find that fourth quarter power.
The final quarter started with a Columbia basket to extend the Lion lead to 56–50. With nine minutes left to play, Weiss committed her fifth foul and sat the rest of the game. If there was ever an opportunity for the Tigers to take control of the game, it was now, but even with the sharp shooter eliminated from the picture, Princeton fell short.
With five minutes to go, there was a five-point differential between Princeton and Columbia. Nweke cut it to a one-possession game with a coast-to-coast bucket, but Columbia came back with a series of shots to extend their lead by nine points. The game ended with fouling, free throws, and a Columbia celebration.
For Princeton, Belker put it best: “You mainly learn from the games you lose.”
This loss snaps Princeton’s 2025–2026 season double-digit winning streak, but it also continues their losing streak to Columbia, who has won the past three contests between these two programs. The Tigers look to bounce back against Cornell on Saturday in Jadwin, with tipoff set at 5 p.m.
Emilia Reay is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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