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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Fordham
Players Mentioned
Wheatley Leads Women's Basketball to Gritty 55-44 Victory Over Fordham
December 15, 2015 | Women's Basketball
BOX SCORE
PRINCETON, N.J. – Alex Wheatley netted a game-high 15 points to help lead the Princeton University women's basketball team to a hard-fought 55-44 victory over Fordham at Jadwin Gymnasium.
Rounding out a grueling four-game stretch over a span of eight days, the Tigers shot just 36.7 percent (18-49) from the field and 18.2 percent (2-11) from three-point range. Relying on another stout defensive effort, the Tigers limited Fordham to 32.7 percent (17-52) shooting while finishing with a 44-25 rebounding edge.
Holding Pitt scoreless for the first 5:05 last Saturday, the Tigers got off to a similarly fast start against Fordham, holding the Rams without a point for the first 6:11. Amanda Berntsen opened the scoring with a jumper on Princeton's first possession before a pair of Wheatley and Taylor Williams buckets stretched the lead to six. Another Berntsen basket coupled with a Williams free throw pushed the Tigers' margin to 9-0.
Hannah Missry netted the Rams' first points with a three-pointer at the 3:49 mark of the first quarter. Chipping away at the deficit, Fordham pieced together a 12-4 run spanning the first and second periods. Capping off the stretch, Samantha Clark buried a triple to pull Fordham within one at 13-12.
Princeton answered with a 13-3 run of its own over a span of 7:56. Leslie Robinson got things started with a layup before Wheatley once again connected down low to push the lead back up to five. Later up 19-15, Tarakchian knocked down a runner before a Vanessa Smith baseline jumper put the Tigers up eight. Tarakchian capped off the spurt with a three-pointer from the right wing that made it 26-15.
Down eight at the intermission, Fordham opened the second half on a 13-2 run. Missry gave the Rams their first lead of the game with a triple at 7:10 before G'mrice Davis connected on 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to make it 31-28.
Williams rattled in a jumper the next time down the floor before Berntsen got out in transition for an easy two to put Princeton back on top. Tied at 35-35 in the latter stages of the third, Fordham's Danielle Burns converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way to momentarily pull the Rams back in front.
With Princeton trailing 42-40 early in the fourth, Kenya Holland buried a straight-away three to help the Tigers regain the lead. Up 49-44 with less than three minutes to play, Wheatley drew a loose ball foul as part of a big defensive stop before hitting both free throws to put the Orange and Black up seven. Tarakchian and Berntsen then hit 3-of-4 from the charity stripe to stretch the margin to 10 with 1:24 to play. After Fordham erupted for 22 points in the third, the Tigers' defense stiffened, allowing just four points in the final frame.
Playing 27 minutes, Wheatley also pulled down six rebounds. Tarakchian finished with nine points and 10 boards, while Berntsen had 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists.