Princeton University Athletics
Women's Basketball Team To Open Ivy Season With Rival Penn
January 03, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2002
Princeton, N.J. - The Princeton women's basketball team heads to Philadelphia, Pa. to battle the Pennsylvania Quakers this Friday, Jan. 4 at 12:30 p.m. It will be the 51st meeting between the two programs and although Princeton leads the all-time series 33-17, the Quakers have won the last five meetings.
Friday's game will be the first Ivy League contest for both Princeton and Penn. The Quakers are the defending Ivy champions, finishing a perfect 14-0 in conference play last season. Princeton finished at the bottom of last year's Ivy standings, however, a new coach and a new approach has last season's 2-25 Tigers at 6-5 this year.
Conversely, Penn is struggling this year, already losing more games this season than last season. The Quakers are 3-7 heading into the Princeton game. They finished 22-6 a year ago. Penn is also 0-2 in home games this season. The 2000-01 Quakers only lost one home contest last year when Big Five foe Villanova defeated them early in the season. Allison Cahill leads the Princeton charge into Ivy competition with her 16.6 points per game average. Cahill was named the IvyLeagueSports.com Player of the Week earlier this week for her back-to-back career high scoring nights in Louisiana. Cahill scored 28 points in leading Princeton past New Orleans on Dec. 19 then she scored 30 points in an overtime win at Centenary on Dec. 21.
Princeton is averaging 70 points per game, one point better than the school's season record of 69 points per game set during the 1977-78 season. Last year, the Tigers averaged 51 points per game, a mark this season's Tigers have eclipsed in all 11 games thus far. In fact, when Princeton equals or surpasses its season average of 70 points, it is 6-0, however, when it fails to reach 70 points, it is 0-5.
Jewel Clark leads a Pennsylvania squad that was picked to finish second in a preseason Ivy League media poll. Clark is averaging 15.3 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 8.2 caroms per contest. Clark was named to the Ivy League All-Rookie team as a freshman last season when she averaged 9.1 points per game.
Princeton and Penn tip at 12:32 at the Palestra. The Tigers are 13-9 all-time at the Palestra, with the last Princeton win coming on Jan. 4, 1999. Friday's game can be heard on Princeton's official athletic Web site, www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.