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Princeton University
Army
Princeton Rally Falls Short At Army
December 08, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2001
Box Score
West Point, N.Y. - Sophomore Kelly Schaeffer scored a career-high 25 points and Princeton hit 12 three-point baskets, but the Tigers' rally fell four points short on Saturday afternoon in West Point, N.Y. Army defeated Princeton by a 69-65 score and dropped the Tigers to 4-3 on the year.
The Black Knights jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but the Tigers came back and with an Allison Cahill three-pointer, led 31-29 at the 3:34 mark of the first half. Army's Halaevalu Helu broke a 33-33 tie with two of her 12 points, giving the Black Knights a lead they would not relinquish.
The Tigers battled back from a 41-35 halftime deficit and cut the lead to one with a three-pointer by junior Maureen Lane four minutes into the second period. Army would pull away and build a 10-point cushion, leading 62-52 with five minutes remaining in regulation. Schaeffer went on a personal scoring spree, netting seven straight Princeton points and the Tigers trailed 68-62 with two minutes to go. Cahill then knocked down another big three-point basket and Princeton was within three, 68-65, with 1:20 on the clock. After a key defensive stop, Princeton had a chance to tie, but a questionable no-call on a Maureen Lane three-point attempt ended the rally and an Army free-throw made the final 69-65.
"We made a run to get ourselves back in the game and I was pleased with the fight we had in the last two minutes," says Princeton Head Coach Richard Barron. "But I was disappointed that we did not play with that same sense of urgency the first 38 minutes of the game."
Princeton scored 12 second-half points off of turnovers compared to five in the first half. Army scored 12 points off of turnovers in the first half and only four in the second period. Cahill finished with 14 points, freshman Karen Bolster hit 3 of 5 shots from downtown and finished with 11 and Lane ended the game with nine points of her own.
Senior Lauren Rigney started the game, but saw limited playing time due to her ailing back. The Princeton bench was a non-factor, scored a combined six points on 3 of 17 shooting. The Tigers are now 4-0 when their bench outscores opponents and 0-3 when their bench is outscored.
Army was led by Katie Macfarlane, who finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Christine Gassman hit 4 of 5 three-point baskets and led all Army scorers with 20 points. The Black Knights connected on 47 percent of their shots from the field compared to Princeton's 36 percent.
Princeton failed to reach the 70-point mark for only the third time this season. The Tigers are 0-3 when they score less than 70 and 4-0 when they score more. Today's 12 three-point baskets is one short of Princeton's team record of 13 in one game. The Tigers hit 13 triples against Pennsylvania on March 3, 1999.
The Tigers are idle next week and travel to Louisiana the following week for a three game set against Nicholls State, New Orleans and Centenary. Princeton resumes action at Nicholls State on Monday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.