Princeton University Athletics
Women's Hoops Opens Ivy Season With Exciting 56-51 Win Over Penn
January 11, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2003
PRINCETON, N.J. - Senior Maureen Lane led Princeton with 18 points and hit a trio of timely three-pointers to lead the Princeton women's basketball team to a 56-51 victory over Penn Saturday in front of 1,632 people at Jadwin Gym. It is the second straight season that the Tigers, under the direction of head coach Richard Barron, have started the league season with a victory.
"This is a huge win," Barron said. "We really needed it. I thought our defense was very good today. Getting Katy O'Brien back on the floor really helped. She hit some clutch free throws and handled the ball well."
Princeton led for the final 18:15 of the game, but needed big defensive stands and free throws down the stretch to clinch the win and end a five-game losing streak. Lane scored five straight points with seven minutes remaining to open a seven-point lead for the Tigers, but Penn tightened defensively and went to its All-Ivy leader, Jewel Clark, to guide it late. After a pair of steals led to fast-break points, the latter coming from Clark, the Quakers found themselves down one point with 1:49 remaining.
O'Brien brought the lead back to three points with a pair of free throws, but Clark matched her efforts on the opposite end of the court to bring the deficit back to one point. Penn forced a tough shot on Princeton's ensuing possession, but the Tigers hustled to grab an offensive rebound and O'Brien rewarded the team with two more free throws. Penn got a pair of looks, including a three-point attempt, but failed to get any closer, and Mary Cate Opila put the game away with a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining.
Princeton shot 39.6% from the field (29 for 48) and 86.7% from the foul line (13 for 15). O'Brien ended with 11 points while Kelly Schaeffer contributed nine points. Rebecca Brown had a team-high seven rebounds, while Allison Cahill ended with four assists.
Clark led Penn with 17 points, while Katie Kilker added 12 points.
Princeton is off until Jan. 28, when it will travel to Lafayette. Following that game, Princeton will play the remainder of its season in Ivy League play.
"It's nice to be able to wipe the slate clean and say everybody is 0-0," said Barron, referring to the beginning of the Ivy League season. "Our free throw shooting down the stretch was really clutch."