.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Dayton
Players Mentioned
Women's Basketball's Comeback Bid Falls Short at Dayton, 85-81
December 20, 2015 | Women's Basketball
BOX SCORE
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS (Courtesy of Dayton Athletics)
DAYTON, Ohio – Despite a game-high 23 points from Annie Tarakchian, the Princeton University women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to the University of Dayton, 85-81.
Trailing for much of the game, the Tigers erased an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to pull even at 71-71 before ultimately falling short. Coupled with a loss to Ohio State on Friday, the Tigers dropped consecutive games for the first time since suffering a pair of setbacks to Georgetown (Nov. 23) and St. Joseph's (Nov. 26) early in the 2013-14 season.
With Princeton trailing 8-2, Tarakchian buried back-to-back three-pointers. Scoring 11 first quarter points, Tarakchian later converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way to pull Princeton within two at 21-19.
Dayton answered by scoring the next six points from the free throw line to stretch the margin to eight. Tia Weledji knocked down a pair from the charity stripe the next time down the floor to momentarily stem the tide, but a Lauren Cannatelli triple from the left corner capped off an 11-2 Flyer run that made it 32-21.
After Michelle Miller knocked down a three at 7:48 to pull Princeton back within eight, Saicha Grant-Allen put back a Cannatelli misfire. Alex Wheatley scored the game's next three points to trim the Tigers' deficit to seven. Dayton responded with another 11-2 run to take their largest lead of the half at 45-29 with 3:46 remaining in the second quarter.
Down 49-34 in the third period, the Tigers strung together a quick 9-0 spurt over a span of 1:47. Miller got things started with a pull-up jumper from the left elbow before Tarakchian hit a pair of free throws. Coming up with a steal, Wheatley finished with her left hand to pull Princeton back within single digits. Amanda Berntsen capped off the stretch with a three at 6:21 that made it 49-43.
Trailing 54-48, Miller connected on another jumper at the 4:31 mark of the third. Berntsen followed with a pair of free throws to cut the Dayton lead to four. The Flyers answered with an 8-0 run of their own to push the margin back up to 12. Grant-Allen netted the first six points of the run before a Cornelie-Sigmundova turnaround jumper in the lane made it 62-50.
Spotting up from the left wing, Tarakchian opened up the fourth quarter scoring with a three-pointer to trim the Tigers' deficit to eight. Finishing strong inside, Wheatley converted a three-point play inside of the six-minute mark to make it 71-65. Vanessa Smith drew a foul the next time down the floor before Miller drained a three to pull Princeton within two. Smith then drove the lane for two more to tie it at 71-71.
Burdette snapped the 2:41 Dayton scoring drought with a layup at 3:53. Burdette later got out in transition below the three-minute mark to stretch the lead to four. After a Berntsen bucket, Burdette knocked down another jumper to make it 77-73.
Down five with under a minute to play, the Tigers pulled in four offensive rebounds on one possession before finding Berntsen for a wide-open three that made it 80-78. With Princeton forced to foul, Grant-Allen hit both free throws. Miller cut the lead in half on a jumper with four seconds remaining, but Ashleigh Parkinson nailed both from the line to put the game out of reach.
Tarakchian hit 7-of-14 field goals and grabbed eight rebounds before fouling out. Wheatley finished with 15 points and 11 boards, while Miller had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Berntsen chipped in with 14 points, six assists, and three boards.