Princeton University Athletics
Friday, November 16
Birmingham, Ala.
8 p.m. CT
Princeton University
68
at
77
Samford
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Women's Hoops Comes Up Short in Long-Range Battle at Samford 77-68
November 17, 2007 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Despite a long-range barrage not seen in years from Princeton and Samford Friday night in the second game of the Preseason WNIT, three-pointers didn't make the difference in Samford's 77-68 win.
Princeton turned over the ball 14 times, a sum down considerably from the 24-turnover game Tuesday at Wagner that gave the Tigers a 26-point loss. But Samford kept its turnovers to just six and hit its free throws down the stretch to hold off a tireless Princeton team.
The loss dropped Princeton to 0-3 on the season and sent the Tigers to a 5:30 p.m. CT Saturday tilt with Delaware State to wrap up the WNIT.
Princeton outrebounded Samford 41-31 with senior Ali Prichard getting her first career double-double on a collegiate-best 11 rebounds, adding that to her 12 points. Eleven of those Princeton boards were on the offensive end, but neither that nor a comparable shooting clip to Samford, a category the Bulldogs led 44.2 percent to 41.4 percent, could make up for Samford's ball protection and free-throw shooting.
Samford hit 22 of 29 attempts from the line while Princeton made 11 of 18.
The Tigers grabbed an early 2-0 lead on a bucket by Cowher, who led Princeton with a season-high 20 points. That moved her career total to 1,186, good for a jump into ninth place on the all-time career list and just two points shy of Maggie Langlas '00 at 1,188.
After a brief 7-4 Samford lead, the Tigers ripped off seven straight points with five coming from Caitlin O'Neill. Samford, however, answered with an 8-0 run and held the lead for the rest of the half, though never by more than six. The last Samford six-point lead of the opening half came on a three-pointer by Savannah Hill, who was 4 for 4 from distance in the first period. Shelbie Pool answered for Princeton with her second three-pointer of the half and Samford took a 33-30 lead into the locker room.
Samford's Chika Okoli put in back-to-back layups to widen the lead to seven, and the Tigers spent the rest of the game chasing it down. Eight straight points from Okoli and Monica Maxwell opened Samford's largest lead of 14 at 50-36 with 12:55 to play, though Princeton would make a run.
A 10-2 Tiger run, featuring three-pointers from Whitney Downs and Addie Micir, cut the Samford lead to three at 52-49 with 9:44 to play.
After Samford pushed it back to eight within two minutes, Princeton got as close as it would to retaking the lead on back-to-back threes by Micir and Prichard that pulled the Tigers within 57-55 and seven minutes left to play.
Samford held Princeton without a field goal and only a Micir free throw for a crucial stretch of more than four minutes as it opened an eight point lead at 64-56 with 3:02 to play.
Princeton got back within three at 69-66 on a Pool three-pointer with 55 seconds to play, but Samford made all eight free throws in the last minute as the Tigers couldn't catch a break and cut the lead further.
The teams combined to shoot 50 three-point attempts, the most combined in a Princeton game since the first Yale game of the 2002-03 season. Princeton's 27 three-point attempts were its most since the Tigers put up 29 against Wagner in the fall of the 2004-05 campaign. Each team hit nine from distance.
Hill led Samford with 18 points as one of four Bulldogs in double-figures. Maxwell added 14 while Taryn Towns had 13 and Megan Wilderotter 10.
Princeton turned over the ball 14 times, a sum down considerably from the 24-turnover game Tuesday at Wagner that gave the Tigers a 26-point loss. But Samford kept its turnovers to just six and hit its free throws down the stretch to hold off a tireless Princeton team.
The loss dropped Princeton to 0-3 on the season and sent the Tigers to a 5:30 p.m. CT Saturday tilt with Delaware State to wrap up the WNIT.
Princeton outrebounded Samford 41-31 with senior Ali Prichard getting her first career double-double on a collegiate-best 11 rebounds, adding that to her 12 points. Eleven of those Princeton boards were on the offensive end, but neither that nor a comparable shooting clip to Samford, a category the Bulldogs led 44.2 percent to 41.4 percent, could make up for Samford's ball protection and free-throw shooting.
Samford hit 22 of 29 attempts from the line while Princeton made 11 of 18.
The Tigers grabbed an early 2-0 lead on a bucket by Cowher, who led Princeton with a season-high 20 points. That moved her career total to 1,186, good for a jump into ninth place on the all-time career list and just two points shy of Maggie Langlas '00 at 1,188.
After a brief 7-4 Samford lead, the Tigers ripped off seven straight points with five coming from Caitlin O'Neill. Samford, however, answered with an 8-0 run and held the lead for the rest of the half, though never by more than six. The last Samford six-point lead of the opening half came on a three-pointer by Savannah Hill, who was 4 for 4 from distance in the first period. Shelbie Pool answered for Princeton with her second three-pointer of the half and Samford took a 33-30 lead into the locker room.
Samford's Chika Okoli put in back-to-back layups to widen the lead to seven, and the Tigers spent the rest of the game chasing it down. Eight straight points from Okoli and Monica Maxwell opened Samford's largest lead of 14 at 50-36 with 12:55 to play, though Princeton would make a run.
A 10-2 Tiger run, featuring three-pointers from Whitney Downs and Addie Micir, cut the Samford lead to three at 52-49 with 9:44 to play.
After Samford pushed it back to eight within two minutes, Princeton got as close as it would to retaking the lead on back-to-back threes by Micir and Prichard that pulled the Tigers within 57-55 and seven minutes left to play.
Samford held Princeton without a field goal and only a Micir free throw for a crucial stretch of more than four minutes as it opened an eight point lead at 64-56 with 3:02 to play.
Princeton got back within three at 69-66 on a Pool three-pointer with 55 seconds to play, but Samford made all eight free throws in the last minute as the Tigers couldn't catch a break and cut the lead further.
The teams combined to shoot 50 three-point attempts, the most combined in a Princeton game since the first Yale game of the 2002-03 season. Princeton's 27 three-point attempts were its most since the Tigers put up 29 against Wagner in the fall of the 2004-05 campaign. Each team hit nine from distance.
Hill led Samford with 18 points as one of four Bulldogs in double-figures. Maxwell added 14 while Taryn Towns had 13 and Megan Wilderotter 10.
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