Princeton University Athletics
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Ivy Test Continues for Women's Hoops with Yale, Brown at Jadwin This Weekend
January 30, 2007 | Women's Basketball
PRINCETON, N.J. -- As if the recent final exam period weren't enough, the Princeton women's basketball team (8-9, 2-1 Ivy) has another major test just ahead. One of the two teams ahead of the Tigers in the Ivy League standings is Yale (10-8, 3-1), winners of 8 of 9, which Princeton will meet Friday at 7 p.m. at Jadwin Gym. The Tigers will then have to recover in time for Brown (3-15, 1-3) Saturday at 7 p.m. Both games will be video and audio streamed live at www.GoPrincetonTigers.com and Friday's game can be seen live locally on Patriot 8 with Keith Irizarry and Lou Brogno.
It's been a wait: The Tigers have had 19 days away from competition before this weekend's games, giving the team almost three weeks since the difficult loss to Cornell, 70-66, in Princeton's last game and only Ivy blemish.
Could happen this weekend: After 66 points in her last two games, Meagan Cowher could become Princeton's 17th 1,000-point scorer this weekend. She needs only 34 points, a weekend total below her Ivy-best 19 points-per-game average.
Last year against Yale and Brown: Princeton won a low-scoring affair at Yale last Feb. 3, 53-37, before riding a second-half surge to a 67-52 home win Mar. 4. The game at Brown may have been the biggest heartbreaker of last season, with a two-point loss in the final seconds effectively keeping the Tigers from advancing directly to the NCAA Tournament. Princeton had little trouble with Brown in the return meeting, winning 72-55 last Mar. 3.
What a run: Meagan Cowher is averaging 29.3 points per game in three Ivy League contests, with 22 at Penn, 31 versus Columbia and 35 versus Cornell. With her 27 points against Lafayette, she is averaging 28.8 points per game in calendar year 2007.
Almost a record: Meagan Cowher's 35 points against Cornell were the most for any Tiger since 1989, when all-time leading scorer Sandi Bittler '90 put up 35 against Rider. Cowher was only three points from matching the all-time record of 38 by Ellen DeVoe against Long Island University in 1985.
Ivy race heating up: It's only a few weeks into the Ivy League season, but the race is already exciting. Cornell has started conference play with four straight wins, while Yale is at 3-1. Prinecton and Harvard are tied at 2-1. This weekend will be the first that all eight Ivy teams will be in action against each other, and the last non-league game was played Jan. 25.
Some company: Meagan Cowher's 66-point weekend was the most productive two-game output of any Princeton women's basketball player in program history. It was also the most productive Ivy League weekend of any Princeton player, men's or women's, outside of Bill Bradley '65.
Turning 70: Head coach Richard Barron moved past Liz Feeley, Princeton's head coach from 1995-2000, for third place in wins at Princeton with last weekend's win over Columbia. He now has 69 wins at Princeton. Second place is not far ahead as Pat Walsh, the head coach from 1974-79, has 72 wins.
Prichard picking up: The Tigers are reaping the benefits of a recent surge by junior forward Ali Prichard. She has had six double-digit scoring games this season, including a career-high 20-point game at Penn. With 136 points this year, Prichard already has more this season than in her two previous seasons combined (116).
A steady rotation: Through the first 12 games of the season, head coach Richard Barron had tapped anywhere from 11 to all 17 players on the roster for floor time. In the last five games, however, Barron has used between nine and 11 players and has used the same starting lineup (M. Cowher, Lockwood, Berry, Prichard, Downs) in six of the last seven games. Princeton has used seven lineup combinations this year.
Listen to the game, see the game: John Sadak will call both games this weekend from courtside at Jadwin Gym. Fans can access just the audio broadcast or the video stream as well at www.GoPrincetonTigers.com by clicking on the speaker or video camera icons on the women's basketball schedule page or on the right side of the front page under “Schedule.”
On Yale: After starting the year 2-7, the Bulldogs have won 8 of 9 and three of their first four Ivy League games. Yale's only Ivy League loss, however, shows how close the Ivy League is. After beating Brown by 20 points Jan. 13, the Bears won by seven a week later. Following last weekend's sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth, three Bulldogs average double-figure points per game, including senior Erica Davis (15.2 ppg), rookie Melissa Colborne (10.8) and senior Chinenye Okafor (10.8). Davis and Okafor are also strong rebounders, each averaging nine per game. Davis has also blocked 40 shots this year. Point guard Stephanie Marciano is averaging 7.4 points per game, but re-set her career-high in points against Harvard and again versus Dartmouth, with 16 and 22. She has 79 assists for 53 turnovers this year.
On Brown: As hot as Yale has been, Brown will enter the weekend having lost eight of nine, though the lone win in that stretch was over Yale. Ashley King-Bischof leads the Bears in both scoring and rebounding, with 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as the only Bear averaging double-figure points. Opponents' accuracy from the field has hurt the Bears, with Brown's foes shooting 43.1 percent overall and 37.9 percent from three-point range. That is compared to Brown's 36.3 percent overall and 24.6 percent from distance.
The series: Princeton leads Yale 38-27 all-time and trails Brown 29-26. Accordingly, Princeton has won four straight and seven of the last eight against the Bulldogs while going only 4-6 in the Barron era against Brown.
Princeton, Yale high in Ivy rankings: While Meagan Cowher continues to lead the Ivy League with 19.0 points per game, Yale's Chinenye Okafor, Erica Davis and Stephanie Marciano lead statistical categories as well. Okafor is the Ivy's leading rebounder at 9.4 per game, while Davis is the most accurate shooter at 51.5 percent. Okafor is also the leading thief with 2.29 steals per game, and Davis leads the league with 2.22 blocks per game. Marciano has an Ivy-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.49 helpers for every giveaway.
As a team, Yale tops the Ivy in scoring defense (63.1 points per game), scoring margin (+1.6 points per game, the only positive margin in the league), three-point field goal percentage (33.7 percent), rebounding margin (+5.7 boards per game) and steals (9.11 per game). Princeton leads the league in field goal percentage defense (41.3 percent), three-point percentage defense (30.7 percent), blocks (3.65 per game), assists (15.41 per game) and three-pointers (5.71 per game).
Princeton in the NCAA rankings: With her recent big weekend, Meagan Cowher moved up to 26th in Division I in points per game with 19. As a team, the Tigers are in the top 100 of the 324 ranked schools in five categories, including assists per game (15.4, 53rd), three-pointers per game (5.7, 55th), field goal percentage (42.7, 78th), three-point percentage (33.3, 88th) and blocks per game (3.6, 90th). Yale ranks 38th in rebound margin at 5.7 per game with Erica Davis and Chinenye Okafor both just inside the top 50 individually. Davis also ranks 31st in blocks per game (2.2).
High school reunions: Just as with the Columbia game, two Princeton players will see old high school mates this weekend. Tiger freshman Jillian Schurle shares an alma mater with Yale sophomore guard Kaitlyn Lillemoe (Hopkins High in Minnesota) and Princeton senior Lillie Romeiser does so with Brown senior guard Kathleen Barr (Lake Forest High in Illinois).