Princeton University Athletics
Craving Some Home Cookin'
December 15, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2003
Princeton, N.J. - The Tigers hope for some comfort at home this week when they host three games at Jadwin, beginning with Wagner this Wed., Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. Princeton (1-5) comes off four straight losses after its first and only win of the season, an 84-58 thrashing of Samford at the Vanderbilt Tournament in Nashville.
While the Tigers have the advantages of the home gym and a fierce craving for a win, Wagner (3-3) has won three of its last four and is high off a 72-62 victory over Northeast Conference rival Sacred Heart.
Princeton and Wagner have not met since 1996 when the Seahawks defeated the Tigers 64-56 to even the series at 4-4. This year, Princeton's young and deep roster matches up with a Wagner team that relies heavily on its senior leader and struggles with turnovers.
Senior forward Carrie Walker averages a double-double of 18.3 points and 12.3 rebounds for the Seahawks and is a candidate for the NEC Player of the Year award. Walker, sophomore forward Vanessa Wyffels and sophomore shooting guard Joy Gallagher account for 72% of the Seahawks' scoring. Wyffels is shooting 34 for 46 (.739) from the floor and Gallagher has made 18 three-pointers, twice as many as any of her teammates. Wagner's weakness is turnovers, averaging 24.0 turnovers per game and 27.0 in its three losses.
Princeton has used four solid starters while rotating two players in the shooting guard position this season. Sophomore point guard Katy O'Brien comes off her best game of the season against Hofstra when she played all 40 minutes, scored four three-pointers and finished with 15 points, four assists and six steals.
Becky Brown, who was Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder as a freshman last year, also added 12 points and is now tied with freshman Katy Digovich for a team-high 12.5 points per game. Freshman Casey Lockwood also averages double-figure scoring with 10.7 points while leading the Tigers with 8.2 rebounds per game.
Freshman Shelly Slemp started on the wing for Princeton's first four games until sophomore Lauren Nestor came alive with her sharp-shooting and solid play to earn a starting position in the last two games.
Princeton vs. Wagner * Dec. 17 * 7 p.m.
All Tied Up - Princeton and Wagner have met eight times and have each won four games. The teams have not played since 1996, when the Seahawks won 64-56.
(Not So) Great Expectations - Wagner was picked to finish sixth in the Northeast Conference coaches' poll after ending last season at 15-13 overall and in sixth place in the league. Princeton was also picked last in its conference after last year's 4-10 finish in the Ivy League.
Common Enemy - The teams share one opponent this season - Sacred Heart. Princeton lost to the Pioneers 71-47 on Dec. 6 and Wagner defeated Sacred Heart 72-62 on Dec. 13.
Tigers In A Hole - Princeton has lost its last four games since its 84-58 win over Samford at the Vanderbilt Tournament in Nashville.
Slow Start - Wagner lost its first two games to South Florida 64-58 and Colgate 64-54, both in its home gym but has gone 3-1 since then.
Major Letup = Major Letdown - Wagner led Colgate throughout the game until 14:40 remained in the second half. Colgate went on a 17-4 run, scoring 12 points on second chance shots. Princeton led Hofstra with 2:28 to go but did not score again as the Pride went on a 7-0 run to win the game.
Achilles' Heel - Wagner committed 32, 28 and 21 turnovers in its three losses and averages 24 per game.
Shuffling the Lineup - Nine different Seahawks have started at least one game this season and only two (Carrie Walker and Joy Gallagher) have started all six.
Doing It All - Walker is the out-and-out leader of Wagner, averaging double figures in points (18.4) and rebounding (12.3). Last season, Walker earned first-team All-NEC honors, ranking in the league's top 10 in points, rebounds, field goal %, free throw %, steals, and blocks.
Walking the Talk - Walker is a NEC Player of the Year candidate and was named the Choice Hotels Player of the Week when she averaged 23.0 points and 14.5 rebounds against Lafayette and Marquette this season.
Milestones - Walker scored her 1,000th career point in the Seahawks' second game this season.
20-20 - Walker's best game came against Lafayette when she poured in 26 points and 20 rebounds.
Peeping Thomas - Junior Leeah Thomas came out of her shell this year, posting career-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds to go with three block shots in Wagner's season-opener. The double-double was her career first.
Joyous Occasion - Joy Gallagher scored five threes, including four in the first half, in Game 1 this season.
Career Days - Wyffels had her first career double-double with 15 points and 10 boards against Colgate. She followed that with a career-best 30 points against Iona and had 29 points and 10 rebounds against Sacred Heart.
Clean Game - Linscott had 10 assists and did not commit a single turnover against Iona. She has a 1.48 assist/turnover ratio.
Doing the Dishes - Linscott leads Wagner in assists with 37, over twice as many as any of her teammates.
She's Money - Wyffels is shooting 74% from the floor, hitting 34 of 46 shots.
Three-point Threat - Gallagher has made more threes than any of her teammates have attempted. She is 18 for 53 while Walker is next best with 9-for-17 shooting.
Bread and Butter - Wagner dominates on the boards, averaging nearly four rebounds more than its opponents.
Triple Threat - Princeton has three players scoring in double figures - Katy Digovich with 12.5, Becky Brown with 12.5 and Casey Lockwood with 10.7.
Ultimate Depth - Every player on the Princeton roster has played in at least three games and has scored at least five points.
Rookie Time - The Tigers with the most minutes-played are freshmen - Digovich (200) and Lockwood (184).
It's Raining Threes - Katy O'Brien has a team-high 10 three-pointers, four of which came in her last game against Hofstra. She is shooting 50% behind the arc while Digovich has made 9 of 21.
On the Boards - Lockwood is among the conference leaders in rebounds with 8.2 per game. She is tied with Brown for a team-high 17 offensive rebounds and has 32 defensive rebounds, twice as more as any other Princeton player.
Clean Dishes - O'Brien leads Princeton with 25 assists, 13 more than any of her teammates.
Center Blocks - Brown has five blocks in six games this year while backup center Maureen McCracken has four.
Legal Robbery - Lockwood and O'Brien are tied for the lead in steals with 10 each. O'Brien had six in Princeton's game against Hofstra.
Getting Younger - Junior Karen Bolster is no longer on the Princeton roster, leaving the Tigers with just two seniors and no juniors.
The Honor Roll - Lockwood was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll after the first three games while Digovich earned all-tournament honors at Vanderbilt, averaging 16.5 points in the two games.
Upward Bound - Princeton has a combined 20 wins in the past two seasons after finishing just 2-25 overall in 2000-01.
Returning Stengths - Brown was the team's on-floor leader last season, when she averaged team-highs in scoring (14.9 PPG) and rebounding (6.2 RPG) and had four double-doubles.
The New Crew - This year's freshmen class is the most highly-touted in years with 6-0 forward Digovich leading the crew. She had 1,960 points and 1,028 rebounds in high school and was an honorable mention McDonald's All-American.
More Mickey-D's - Freshman wing Lockwood was also a McDonald's All-American candidate at Marin Catholic, where she set the school record for scoring in a eason.
Quick Dishes - Freshman Slemp will do the serving and dishing for Princeton. She was the three-time leader in steals and assists at Marion Senior, where she was also a track star.
Freshmen Five? - Head coach Richard Barron says it is possible for five freshmen to be in the starting lineup at some point this season. Rounding out the lineup would be Elyse Umeda, a four-year high school starter from Hawaii, and Kelli Hughes, a 6-2 swing player.
Spanning the Country - This season's Tigers meet opponents from 11 different conferences including the SEC, ACC and Big 12. Trips to Nebraska, Tennessee and Montana are all on the schedule.