Princeton University Athletics
Women's Hoops Host Final Three Games This Week
March 01, 2004 | Women's Basketball
March 1, 2004
Princeton, N.J. - When Princeton and Penn meet this Tuesday, they will both be desperate for a win but for very different reasons. The Tigers (6-18 overall, 3-8 Ivy League) want to stop a five game losing skid and enter the final weekend of their season on a high note, while the Quakers (15-9, 9-2) look to clinch the Ivy League title.
The 7 p.m. game can be seen live on Patriot Television and heard on www.GoPrincetonTigers.com. Click below for complete release, statistics and game notes.
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No matter the reasoning, both teams need the win to get back on track after losses on the road last weekend. The Tigers dropped both games at Columbia (49-45) and Cornell (71-61) while the Quakers, who were No. 1 with just one loss in the league, barely slipped past Cornell (69-66) and then fell to Columbia (74-69).
Penn defeated Princeton 65-54 earlier this season (1/9/04 at the Palestra) in the league-opener for both teams, and then surged to a 7-0 record in the Ivies before its first loss. Midway through the conference schedule, the Quakers were No. 1 and the only undefeated team in the league, beating each team once and Yale twice.
Penn then went 2-2 in their next conference games, falling to Brown (85-75) and Columbia (74-69) on the road. At 9-2, the Quakers are still one game ahead of Dartmouth (8-3) after Yale upset the Big Green 78-71 on Saturday.
The Tigers are worse off, losing five straight and three against teams they defeated the first time around (Yale, Brown and Cornell). Princeton hasn't won since Feb. 13 when it survived Cornell 74-67 despite losing Casey Lockwood to a season-ending knee injury. The Tigers were forced to readjust their lineup and find ways to replace Lockwood's 10.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, as well as her leadership and intangibles in over 30 minutes per game. Becky Brown stepped up on offense and has been the team's leading scorer for the past six games. Freshman Elyse Umeda also came to bat, scoring a career-high 10 points in that first Cornell game and earning a starting role for the next two weeks. Last weekend, she had five points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals at Columbia, and eight points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists at Cornell.
Katy Digovich (10.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Katy O'Brien (9.4 ppg, 3.3 apg) have been the most solid contributors this season while Ali Smith and Lauren Nestor have increased their numbers in the second half of the season. O'Brien comes off one of her best all-around performances with 12 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists at Cornell. All 12 of her points came from three-point land, where she shot 4 for 8. She shoots 42% behind the arc this season.
Jewel Clark leads Penn in scoring (19.5 points per game), field goal shooting (49%), steals (2.0 per game) and minutes played (35.2 per game) and is second in rebounds (9.2 per game) and assists (2.4 per game). She and Amanda Kammes, who has a team-high 3.6 assists per game, are the only two Quakers to play and start in all 24 games.
Karen Habrukowich is second in scoring and the only other Quaker in double-digits with 10.1 points per game. She is 34 for 74 (46%) from three-point range and shoots 83% from the foul line. Jennifer Fleischer adds 9.0 points and team-highs of 9.5 boards and 1.3 blocks per game.
The Notebook
Home Advantage - The Tigers are 0-12 on the road but have won their three Ivy League games in Jadwin while both of Penn's conference losses came on the road.
The First Time - In the first meeting this season at the Palestra, Princeton led by as many as 12 points and was ahead 48-45 with under eight minutes to play, but the Tigers did not score a field goal in the final 8:12 and finished with its biggest deficit of the game (65-54). Digovich and Penn's Clark each had 20 points while Lockwood had 14 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two assists.
The History Book - Princeton leads the all-time series with Penn 35-20 and the teams split games last season. The Tigers won the first game of the year, 56-51 on Jan. 11 at Jadwin, but lost the second, 79-69 on March 12 at the Palestra. Princeton led by as many as nine points in the first half before the Quakers rallied a comeback.
Better Than Expected - In the preseason poll, Penn was picked to finish second in the conference after a 15-12 overall mark and 9-5 finish in the Ivy League last season, while the Tigers were predicted to be last. Currently, Penn is first and Princeton is seventh.
Injury Report - Lockwood is out for the season with a torn ACL. Mary Cate Opila sat the last four games with a recurring injury and is questionable tonight.
Stepping Up - Brown averaged 20.8 points in the last six games, up from 12.2 before Lockwood was injured. She has led Princeton in scoring since the injury, beginning with 25 points against Cornell and including a season-high 28 points at Yale.
Long Range - O'Brien averages 2.38 three-pointers per game, good for second in the league. Her .416 three-point percentage puts her in fourth place in the Ivies.
Crashing The Boards - Four different players have led Princeton in rebounding for the last five games, making up for the 7.9 rebounds per game lost with Lockwood's injury. Smith had nine against Columbia, Digovich had 12 at Yale, Maureen McCracken had seven at Brown, and Brown had seven at Columbia and Cornell.
Scoring Woes - Princeton scored under its average (58.0 points per game) in four of its last five games, including a season-low 39 at Brown. The Tigers averaged 70.2 points in their six wins.
In Their Defense - The Tigers are second in the Ivy League in scoring defense, allowing just 63.7 points per game. They are also second in three-point defense with opponents shooting just 32% from long range.
Home Stretch - Princeton is home for the remaining three games on its schedule. The Tigers host Havard and Dartmouth this weekend.
Looking Ahead - Three high school seniors committed early decision to play at Princeton. Meagan Cowher (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Ali Prichard (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Ariel Rogers (Evanston, Ill.) join the Tigers in 2004-05.