Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Basketball to End 2006 at No. 12 Vanderbilt Saturday
December 23, 2006 | Women's Basketball
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Coming off an exciting win at Duquesne where Pittsburgh native Meagan Cowher made the game-winning basket, the Tigers will break for the holiday and return to face No. 12 Vanderbilt Saturday in Nashville. The contest will tip at 2 p.m. Central Time.
Last time out: Princeton was down for most of the game at Duquesne Friday, Dec. 22, but a layup with 24 seconds left by junior Meagan Cowher, playing in her hometown, broke a 59-59 tie and a Duquesne player calling a timeout her team didn't have sealed the game in a 62-59 Princeton win.
Streak snapped: Cowher had scored at least 10 points in the last 17 games dating back to last year before Dec. 22 at Duquesne. She scored nine, though her last bucket was the difference-maker.
Good to Tennes-see ya again: The Volunteer State has become familiar for the Orange and Black since Richard Barron, who attended high school in Tennessee and whose family still lives in Knoxville, took over in 2001. The Tigers made their first appearance in the state in 2003 in a two-game tournament at Vanderbilt, though they didn't play the Commodores. Last year, Princeton made the trip to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Princeton is 1-2 all-time against teams from Tennessee, counting losses to Vanderbilt (1999-00) and Tennessee (2005-06) and a win over Tennessee-Martin (2002-03) in a home game.
Home visit finale: Eight Tigers from outside New Jersey will play in their home states this season, with the final such Princeton player doing so at Vanderbilt. Whitney Downs, from Franklin, Tenn., and a Harpeth Hall Academy graduate, will get the chance to play in her home city as Barron looks to schedule a game in each player's home area during her four seasons at Princeton.
On Vanderbilt: The Commodores are ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Vanderbilt won its first eight games before falling to Duke, ranked third in the most recent poll, 69-48. The two teams have just one common opponent on the schedule, but it's a very familiar one to Princeton as Vanderbilt took down Dartmouth, 79-49, on Nov. 18. Four players average double-figures for the Commodores, led by senior forward/center Carla Thomas' 18.2 points per game as well as 6.6 rebounds per contest. A hot-shooting club, Vandy is hitting 51.3 percent of it shots from the field, 41.2 percent from three-point range and 74.4 percent from the free-throw line.
She knows the area: Vanderbilt head coach Melanie Balcomb, in her fifth season in Nashville, has strong ties to Princeton University and the capital region. Her father coached at South Brunswick High School, just north of Princeton, before becoming an assistant to longtime men's coach Pete Carril. A Cranbury, N.J., native, Balcomb is a Highstown High School graduate and matriculated at Trenton State University, now The College of New Jersey.
Rank 'em: Facing a ranked opponent is nothing new for Princeton. Heading into their Dec. 9 game, Rutgers was ranked 19th by the Associated Press and 21st by the coaches. Last season, Princeton faced consensus No. 1 Tennessee and faced another top-10 team in Rutgers.
Previous meeting: Princeton and Vanderbilt's only previous meeting came Dec. 21, 1999, at the Paradise Classic hosted by the University of Hawai'i. It was a four-team tournament involving Fairfield and Hawai'i in addition to the Tigers and Commodores. Vanderbilt won all three games, beating Princeton by 55 and Fairfield by 50 before getting past Hawai'i by 13. Princeton went home from the islands without a win while struggling through a tough 9-19 season.
Princeton versus the SEC: Princeton is 0-6 all-time against Southeastern Conference schools, including 0-2 versus Arkansas and 0-1 versus Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The Florida and LSU games came in the 1980s while Princeton met Arkansas during the 1995-96 and 1999-2000 seasons, the latter of which came five games before Princeton's only meeting with Vanderbilt. Richard Barron is 0-1 against the SEC with the loss at Tennessee last year.
So much for statistics: Entering its last game, Princeton had been 0-7 when getting outrebounded and 4-0 when winning the battle of the boards. The Tigers were outrebounded 33-23 at Duquesne, but won the game.
Keeping it close: Through its first 10 games, Princeton hadn't had a contest finish closer than seven points either way. Then, Dec. 16 against St. Francis (N.Y.), Princeton fell by one point before defeating Duquesne by three Dec. 22.
Trying new combinations: Richard Barron has used six different lineups through Princeton's first 12 games and none more frequently than four times. The most recent starting combination, Cowher (F), Lockwood (F), Prichard (F), Downs (F) and Berry (G), has been used the last two games. Only Cowher and Lockwood have started all 12 games.
Keep 'em coming: Barron has tapped no fewer than 11 players and, once, all 17 players on the roster to get time in games this season. After developing a consistent starting five last year, Barron is employing a new up-tempo offensive scheme this season to adjust to the graduation of two senior starters, center Becky Brown and shooting guard Katy O'Brien, after last season.
For threeee: Princeton has attempted 58 more three-pointers than its foes this year, hitting no fewer than three and as many as 11 (its most since 2004) in games this season. Against Duquesne, Princeton hit nine, its second-most three-pointers of the year. Six players have accounted for 89 percent of those three-point attempts, with Caitlin O'Neill (43 of the team's 201 tries) and Ali Prichard (42) liking the long-distance shot the most.
Schurle a great performance: For just the second time in 12 games this year, and for the first time in a victory, only one Tiger was in double-figures against Duquesne. That Tiger was freshman Jillian Schurle, who set a career-best with 12 points on 4 of 4 shooting from the field and 2 for 2 from beyond the arc.
Hold that Tiger: Princeton won for the first time this season when being down at the half against Duquesne. The Tigers were down by 10 at the half and, except for a period of less than two minutes early in the first half, didn't lead until the last 24 seconds of the game. Princeton also held Duquesne to 20 points in the second half, a season-low for any Tiger opponent in the second half this season.
A look at the Ivy: The Ivy League's women's basketball teams went on a five-day holiday break after two games, including Princeton's, Dec. 22. Through the games of Dec. 28, when play resumed, the Ancient Eight has a combined record of 20-58 and no team is above .500 with Penn leading the league at 4-4.
Holding on to the basketball: Princeton had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for just the third time in 12 games this season against Duquesne with 17 helpers and tying a season low with 14 giveaways. Princeton is 2-1 in those games.
Looking ahead: The Vanderbilt game is Princeton's last contest of 2006. After ringing in the new year, the Tigers will reconvene in Easton, Pa., against Lafayette on Jan. 3 before opening the Ivy schedule as one of two games on the slate Jan. 6 at Penn. The Tigers will then end a string of nearly a month without home games, since Dec. 16, with its first home Ivy weekend against Columbia and Cornell, Jan. 12-13, before breaking for finals.