No Maddie, no problem.
With the Tigers' leading scorer, senior guard Madison St. Rose, out with a knee injury, No. 22 Princeton women’s basketball (15–1 overall, 3–0 Ivy) still defeated the Dartmouth Big Green (9–7, 0–3) last Saturday at home to extend their winning streak to 13.
Coming into Saturday’s contest, the Tigers held a 29–1 record against Dartmouth since the 2008–9 season, with their lone loss occurring in 2017. The historic dominance continued as Princeton’s defense held Dartmouth to 41 points on 27 percent efficiency.
“We got out and really defended well,” Head Coach Carla Berube told The Daily Princetonian postgame. “[We] got in the passing lanes, took them away from what they wanted to do offensively.”
Dartmouth was also missing its leading scorer, Cate MacDonald, and the Big Green struggled to get on the board without her, scoring their first bucket only after half of the first quarter had come and gone. They finished the quarter 1–14 from the field, and though things would improve from there, Dartmouth’s offense never truly found its footing.
Princeton also struggled to find offensive rhythm at first, getting good looks but struggling to make them. The Tigers’ offense gradually began to heat up when junior guard/forward Fadima Tall, returning from injury, started the scoring with a stepback jumper in the midrange.
Berube emphasized Tall’s offensive versatility, basketball intelligence, and defense, all of which were key to the win.
“It’s nice to have her back,” she said.
The first quarter ended with a score of 13–5, and Princeton’s scoring accelerated in the second. Junior guard Ashley Chea began to find some rhythm from beyond the arc, drilling her first three off of a drive and kick from Tall, and junior guard Skye Belker’s jumper started to hit as well.
The first half finished with a score of 36–13, and the second saw much of the same as the Tigers maintained their double-digit lead. Their play wasn't perfect, however, as Princeton left Dartmouth’s notorious hot hand Nina Minicozzi open to score a third consecutive three in the third quarter, frustrating Berube. Two separate plays also saw multiple offensive rebounds into misses from under the rim which should have been routine.
Despite these few missteps, the Tigers continued to dominate in the second half. Chea impressed the crowd with her handle and jump-shot throughout, as well as a flashy turnaround jumper in the fourth quarter.
When the buzzer sounded and the Tigers celebrated a commanding 13th consecutive victory, Chea led the scoring at 17, but the win showed off Princeton’s depth more than any individual performance. Belker and Tall both made major contributions, and every player on the Tigers’ bench scored.
Chea did not seem surprised that Princeton got it done without St. Rose. “We have so many talented players that are able to step up whenever,” she said. “I think having Maddie [St. Rose] not here just lets other people shine.”
Saturday’s win was extra meaningful for Chea as her former teammate from both her high school days and Princeton, WNBA player Kaitlyn Chen ’24, was in the house for Princeton.
“Having her here means a lot,” Chea told the ‘Prince.’ “Just because it’s hard to fill her shoes … And it was just nice seeing a familiar face in the building, someone that I’ve played with from my middle school career all the way until now. It’s nice knowing that she’s still here and still supports us.”
On Monday, Princeton will take on Harvard at home in a matchup that will likely be much more closely contested.
“Every Princeton-Harvard game is a battle,” said Berube. “I think we'll be ready enough for the challenge.”
Julian Benkin Danoff is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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