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Princeton Women's Hoops Gets Ahead Early, Sprints Past Rider, 74-45
December 12, 2006 | Women's Basketball
PRINCETON, N.J. -- There would be no letdown against Rider this time. The Princeton women's basketball team got out to a 30-point halftime lead and gave only one point back by the end of the second half in a 74-45 win over Rider Tuesday night at Jadwin Gym.
In last season's meeting, Princeton was ahead by 20 points with seven minutes to play. Rider got to within two before the Tigers held on, despite 19 second-half turnovers, for a 67-63 win.
This year, Princeton had fewer turnovers in the game than they did in that second half a year ago, with 17 giveaways.
"I was pleased with the way we ran. We had an offensive rhythm. It was smooth, fluid," head coach Richard Barron said.
Princeton improved to 4-6 while Rider stayed winless at 0-8.
Meagan Cowher scored a season-high 21 points in just 17 minutes of play, hitting her first six shots on a 7 of 11 shooting night from the field while making all seven free throws. Casey Lockwood, Ali Prichard and Caitlin O'Neill each had 10 points as Princeton had four players in double-figures for the second time this year.
Rider scored the first two baskets, but Princeton quickly recovered and had several runs that consistently ballooned the lead until the Tigers had a 30-point edge at the half at 47-17.
Princeton shot an outstanding 70.4 percent (19 of 27) through the half's first 18 minutes before missing its last three shots to finish the half at 63.3 percent. Rider shot just 25.9 percent in the opening period.
The Tigers settled down to 35.7 percent in the second half, but Rider got no closer than 25 points. Princeton led by as much as 37 when O'Neill buried a couple free throws to give the Tigers a 68-31 lead with 7:06 to play.
"I think that we broke down a little in the second half and this game revealed a lot of our weaknesses," Cowher said. "The Ivy schedule is right around the corner."
Princeton had seven turnovers in the first half and 10 in the second half, a familiar Achilles heel for the Orange and Black, but the Tigers' cool-down from the field in the second half prevented the lead from growing further.
"We just kind of got into that role of swapping baskets, which is dangerous for our team to do because you let other teams back into it," Barron said.
Fortunately for the Tigers, as opposed to last year, the Broncs didn't take advantage of Princeton calming down after the break.
Princeton will look for back-to-back wins for the first time this year when it hosts St. Francis (N.Y.) Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will follow a 4 p.m. men's contest against Marshall.
NOTES
The margin of victory was the second largest in the series for either team, matching the score from the 1991-92 season's meeting. Only the 1974-75 game, a 68-34 Princeton win, was more disparate.
Meagan Cowher's 21 points were the eighth 20-point game of her career and second of the season after she hit 20 at Lehigh Nov. 24.
Cowher, a junior, moved past the 800-point mark and now has 811 for her career. She stands 189 points from becoming Princeton's 17th 1,000-point scorer. She would need to average 10.5 points per game to make the milestone by the end of the regular season. Cowher currently averages 16.8 per game.
Richard Barron used all 17 players for the first time this year.
With 10 points, junior forward Ali Prichard has scored double-digits in three straight games for the first time in her career.
Princeton's nine blocked shots were a season-high and were the most since last year's game at Dartmouth, Feb. 24, 2006.
Barron has used the same starting lineup (M. Cowher, Lockwood, Downs, Slemp, Prichard) in the last four games after using five different lineups in the five games prior.
Princeton got to the line more than its opponent for just the third time in 10 games this season, taking 19 shots to Rider's 13.
Lauren Cowher scored her first collegiate points on a bucket with one minute remaining in the game. All 17 Tigers have now scored at least two points this season.