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Players Mentioned
Princeton to Host Lafayette Saturday in Women's Basketball
November 22, 2007 | Women's Basketball
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Lafayette at Princeton
Sat., Nov. 24 at 2 p.m.
Jadwin Gym (Princeton)
Records: Princeton 1-4, 0-0 Ivy; Lafayette 1-3, 0-0 Patriot
All-Time Series: Princeton leads 20-16
Princeton head coach: Courtney Banghart (1st season/Dartmouth '00)
Lafayette head coach: Tammy Smith (6th season/East Stroudsburg '82)
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At last: Princeton's rookie head coach Courtney Banghart picked up her first collegiate head coaching victory Tuesday over Lehigh. The Tigers had dropped their first four games but narrowed their margins over the span, crossing into positive territory in their most recent game.
Yearly acquaintances: Princeton has met Lafayette more than any other non-conference opponent, getting together 36 times. The teams have met every year since Princeton added varsity women's basketball in the 1971-72 season except for 1977-78. The Tigers and Leopards met twice the season before. Princeton holds a 20-16 advantage in the series and has won six straight and four straight at home.
Keep the lights on: Princeton is scheduled to tie a program high this year with 14 home games, matching the 1999-00 season. The Tigers are also set to near a program record with 30 total games, the most since the 1995-96 season when Princeton played 31. That year, the Tigers capped the season with an appearance in the three-game National Women's Invitational Tournament, different from today's WNIT.
Patriot games: Princeton has faced every school in the Patriot League all-time except for its most distant member, Holy Cross. The Tigers have faced four PL schools in the last three seasons: Army, Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh. Princeton is 49-35 all-time against PL schools and 57 of those meetings (68%) have come against Lehigh or Lafayette, counting Tuesday's win. The Tigers have an eight-game winning streak against Patriot schools extending to the 2004-05 season.
Addie-ing up the points: Rookie Addie Micir has hit double-digits (12 both times) in back-to-back games, last Saturday against Delaware State and Tuesday night against Lehigh. Only two current Tigers, both seniors, had as many as two double-digit games in their first five: Meagan Cowher (three, 2004-05) and Katy Digovich (four, 2003-04).
All aboard: With both Princeton and Lehigh going through periods of shooting struggles from the floor Tuesday night, plenty of rebounds were available. The Tigers won that battle 49-45 as the teams combined for the most rebounds in the five Princeton games this year. It was the second time in those five games Princeton outrebounded its opponent.
Lehigh recap: Lehigh made just 1 of 19 from the field to start the game Tuesday but Princeton didn't run away with it. At the half, the Tigers were ahead by six, 29-23, before gaining a lead as much as 14 midway through the second half. Princeton ended up winning by 12, 61-49.
Take care of the basketball: Princeton committed a season-low 12 turnovers versus Lehigh while the Mountain Hawks had 17 giveaways, a high for a Princeton opponent this year.
Scoring streaks: The list of Tigers who have had points in all five games so far stands at two with Meagan Cowher and Whitney Downs. After achieving her season high of 14 in the opener against Maryland, Downs nearly broke back into double figures with nine points each against Delaware State and Lehigh.
On Lafayette: The Leopards will look to snap a three-game losing skid on the season when it meets Princeton Saturday. Two of those losses have come to Ivy League schools with a 25-point loss to Cornell following the Leopards' only win in the season opener against Monmouth. Since then, Lafayette has dropped games to Mount St. Mary's and Columbia.
More Lafayette: Vanessa Van De Venter leads Lafayette with 15.5 points per game as the only Leopard averaging double figures. Two more shooters are at 9.0 points per game in Emily Varner and Cristin Zavocki. Despite Lafayette's 1-3 record, the Leopards have turned the ball over 18 fewer times (83 to 65) than their foes in the four games, and both Lafayette and its opponents are shooting better than 40 percent from the field. Opponents, however, are outrebounding Lafayette by nearly seven rebounds per game and have a lead in field goal percentage, three point percentage and free throw accuracy.
Doubly difficult streak: Meagan Cowher has scored in double-digits in all five games this year. Last season, she started with 11 straight double-digit games.
Similar slates: Princeton and Lafayette will play seven of the same opponents this year (Monmouth, Cornell, Columbia, Lehigh, St. Francis N.Y., NJIT and Penn).
Everybody helps: Eleven of the 13 Tigers have recorded an assist this year. Meagan Cowher, also the team's leading scorer, is its leading helper with 11.
Everybody boards: While all but two Tigers have assists, every Tiger has a rebound this season. Meagan Cowher leads with nine rebounds per game, including tying a career high of 14 at Wagner Nov. 13.
Watch, listen to the Tigers online: Derek Jones will call Saturday's game live on GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton is scheduled to broadcast all 30 games this season on the Web free of charge, while video broadcasts of home and select away games, including the Lafayette game, will be available for a monthly subscription through TigerZone.
From the stripe: Meagan Cowher has taken 38 percent of Princeton's free throws on the young season (28 of 74).
Last time versus Lafayette: Ali Prichard had five three-pointers and Meagan Cowher had 27 points as the Tigers outrebounded the Leopards 49-24 and shot 49 percent from the field. All that added up to a 79-62 Tiger win in its first game of 2007.
Starting early: After entering the halftime locker room in a deficit the first three games, the Tigers have led at halftime the last two games. The first occasion, a 10-point lead at the break over Delaware State, resulted in an overtime loss. However, the Tigers were able to hold a six-point lead versus Lehigh Tuesday and end with a 12-point win.
Not always the magic number: Princeton had as many or more three-pointers than its opponents in the first four games. The only time it didn't have more threes was the Lehigh game, when the Mountain Hawks had five to Princeton's three. That game is also Princeton's victory to this point.
Looking ahead: Princeton will end its two-game homestand when it visits New York City next Thursday for the second of three times this year. The Tigers will take on St. Francis College, a team that won a 54-53 decision at Jadwin Gym a year ago on a full-court running layup in the waning seconds.