Women’s basketball (23–3 overall, 11–2 Ivy League) is waltzing into March firing on all cylinders as it gears up for the postseason. Over this past weekend, the team tacked on two more wins against Dartmouth (10–16, 1–12) and Harvard (16–10, 9–4), in back-to-back games.
The Tigers have been playing dominant basketball as of late. In their last four out, the Tigers have won each game by double digits, with an average margin of 29 points.
Women’s basketball eases past Dartmouth in 50-point blowout
Having punched their ticket to Ivy Madness following their win against Brown the week prior, the Tigers took the court against Dartmouth, which ranks last in the Ivy League. The Tigers made easy work of Dartmouth in what was little expected to be a competitive match-up, posting a one-sided 50-point victory.
Despite the large margin of victory, the game did not start off well for Princeton. To open the game, the Tigers missed their first five shots. Soon after, junior guard Ashley Chea put the Orange and Black on the board with a layup.
For the first few minutes, the Big Green was right there with the Tigers, and the two teams found themselves tied at 10–10 just before the first media timeout.
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to crack the code of Dartmouth’s defensive zone, as sophomore forward Toby Nweke banged home a triple to give the Tigers a 13–10 lead. The lead would only continue to grow as the game progressed.
“For the zone, we knew we needed to move the ball inside and out,” sophomore forward Emily Eadie wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “Getting the ball in the post gave me the opportunity to see whether we had kick outs or a one-on-one opportunity to post up.”
Defensively, the Tigers smothered Dartmouth, racking up steal after steal. By the end of the game, Princeton had forced the Big Green into an agonizing 26 turnovers, which they converted into 35 points. The Tigers themselves posted a relatively clean game of just six turnovers.
Princeton also physically dominated Dartmouth, both in the paint and by the boards. The Tigers outrebounded the Big Green 40 to 23, which also included 19 offensive rebounds. Senior forward Taylor Charles posted a career day double-double, recording 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“Rebounding is something we have focused on going into every game,” Eadie noted. “We’ve put a particular emphasis on finishing all defensive plays with a strong box out. Crashing the offensive boards was also crucial in cleaning up plays tonight.”
With Princeton firing from everywhere on the court, it was inevitable that they would defeat the relatively low-scoring Dartmouth squad, which is currently ranked last in the Ivy League. Princeton had help from everywhere, with 10 Tigers recording points and six scoring in the double digits.
“We had some really great contributions off the bench,” Head Coach Carla Berube said to the ‘Prince.’ “We were able to get a lot of people playing, and our starters could play less minutes. These back-to-back weekends are tough on the body.”
Holding off Harvard
“It was definitely tough getting on a bus and getting in late to the hotel, but the great vibes from Dartmouth definitely carried into this game,” junior guard Fadima Tall wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “In our heads we made sure to tell ourselves that we can push through any fatigue.”
On Saturday, the Tigers were able to come away with their second road win of the weekend. Princeton beat Harvard 62–49.
The game started with a Tall two, and the first quarter was full of fast-paced basketball, reminiscent of what could be a potential Ivy Madness matchup. By the end of the first the Tigers found themselves down 13–11.
The second quarter yielded more intense basketball, and now Princeton was on the right side of the numbers. They were on top before halftime 27–22.
“Even though we aren’t playing our best basketball, we’re still up five,” Chea said was the main message from Berube at halftime. In the last matchup between these two Ivy League foes, Chea was the catalyst who earned Princeton their overtime win against Harvard.
Princeton might have just hung on against Harvard in the first half, but in the second half, they ran away with the game.
Chea recorded the first two points of the third quarter. Harvard did go on an 8–0 run in the third, but the Tigers had created a point differential that could only be overtaken in multiple possessions.
With two minutes to go in the third quarter, Harvard hit a three. The gym was alive, but senior guard Madison St. Rose quickly quieted the Harvard hollers with an easy shot from the block off the pressbreak. Princeton had the momentum.
The Tigers’ efforts held Harvard to a season low 49 points. Princeton looks to play their last regular-season contest back home at Jadwin Gymnasium against Yale. On Saturday, they will honor their seniors as well.
Princeton will look to take this dominant mindset into the looming Ivy Madness Tournament, in which the field has been set following this weekend. Princeton, Columbia (20–6, 11–2), Harvard, and Brown (16–9, 8–5) will duke it out to secure the Ivy League title.
Jordan Halagao is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Emilia Reay is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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