Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Women's Basketball to Visit NJIT Wednesday
December 03, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Princeton vs. NJIT
Wed., Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
Fleisher Athletic Center (NJIT)
Records: Princeton 2-6, 0-0 Ivy; NJIT 1-4
All-Time Series: Princeton leads 1-0
Princeton head coach: Courtney Banghart (1st season/Dartmouth '00)
NJIT head coach: Margaret McKeon (1st season/St. John's '91)
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Same foes, different results: Though Princeton has played just eight games so far this season and NJIT five, the teams have faced two common opponents. Lafayette has tagged both the Tigers and Highlanders for victories, and while St. Francis (N.Y.) was able to knock off NJIT, the Tigers grabbed an eight-point win in Brooklyn last week. Lehigh, Wagner, Columbia and Cornell are the other common opponents, and the Big Red will meet the Highlanders in the Prudential Center in Newark Jan. 15.
First trip: Princeton and NJIT hadn't faced each other prior to last year, the first year NJIT began playing a majority Division I schedule after being a member of Division II. The Highlanders are in the third year of a five-year process that will result in full membership in Division I, including postseason eligibility. NJIT has home-and-home series scheduled with other independents Longwood, Chicago State, Texas Pan-American, Utah Valley State and Savannah State.
Topping the charts: Meagan Cowher leads the Ivy League in both scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.2 rpg). If that holds, she will become the first player to lead the Ivy League in both categories since the 2003-04 season when Harvard's Hana Peljto did so. Cowher would be the first Tiger to make that statistical achievement.
Tigers versus the Garden State: When it completes its transition to Division I, NJIT will be the New Jersey's eighth Division I program, joining Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, Rider, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. Peter's and the Tigers. Princeton has a 34-27 record against the other six full Division I schools in the state and has faced all of those schools in the past five years. Monmouth, Rider and Rutgers are the other New Jersey schools on this year's docket.
Ten-plus: With 12 points against Duquesne Saturday, Shelbie Pool became the sixth Tiger to reach double-digits in points this season. The total was a career-best for the freshman, who joins Ali Prichard, Whitney Downs, Meagan Cowher, Addie Micir and Caitlin O'Neill on the list of double-digit scorers this season.
Last time versus NJIT: Princeton outshot NJIT nearly 2-to-1 in the only other series meeting last season. Princeton was 25 of 51 from the field (49.0 percent), while the Highlanders were 16 of 56 (28.6 percent). The Tigers canned 11 three-pointers and 23 attempts.
Diversification: In Princeton's two wins, Meagan Cowher is averaging 15.5 points per game and 18.8 points per game in the team's six losses. However, in the two wins, Caitlin O'Neill has averaged 10 points per game while no Tiger other than Cowher is averaging more than 5.7 ppg in the losses.
Freshmen beyond the arc: Of Princeton's 52 three-pointers, 22 have come from the trio of Tiger freshmen, Addie Micir (10), Shelbie Pool (10) and Krystal Hill (two). Senior Ali Prichard and junior Caitlin O'Neill co-lead the team with 11.
Crashing the glass: Meagan Cowher has twice as many rebounds as any other Tiger with 74 as Ali Prichard is the next-closest Tiger with 36. The Tigers look to make it up by committee, however, as every Tiger has at least two rebounds and the team as a whole has only two fewer rebounds than its opponents.
A race between teammates: Becky Brown and Meagan Cowher were teammates for two seasons in 2004-05 and 2005-06, guiding Princeton's run to the doorstep of the NCAA Tournament in Brown's final year. Cowher began the season 22 points behind where Brown was on the Princeton all-time scoring list entering her senior year. Currently, however, thanks to Cowher's torrid scoring stretch early this season, Cowher leads Brown by 10 points, 1,283-1,273, eight games into each player's senior season.
More Brown-Cowher: Becky Brown topped out with eight double-doubles as a senior and 15 for her career. With her most recent of the statistical achievements, Meagan Cowher topped that with her 16th double-double. Cowher also had eight last year.
Double-digit streak: Meagan Cowher's double-digit scoring streak has reached 11, stretching back to last season. Her collegiate best streak is 17 over the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
Getting to 60: Both of Princeton's wins have come when the team scores at least 60 points. Though the Tigers have also lost three games when they've reached 60, Princeton has not won a game when it did not reach 60. Saturday, the Tigers scored 58 in a loss to Duquesne.
Keep that ball: Princeton had 20-plus turnovers in back-to-back games for the first time this season with 21 in a win over St. Francis (N.Y.) and 23 in the loss to Duquesne. The Tigers came close to their season-high for turnovers against the Dukes. Princeton had 24 giveaways against Wagner and Delaware State.
However...: Despite nearing its season-high in turnovers Saturday, Princeton had two positive season-bests when it had 12 steals and four blocks. Whitney Downs had six steals, the first Tiger to have six steals in exactly two years, since Jessica Berry at Monmouth Dec. 1, 2005. The Tigers also had nine three-pointers, a season-high achieved for the third time.
Developing leadership: The Tigers have had other leading scorers than Meagan Cowher in each of the last two games. It has been two years since Cowher's name did not appear atop the scoring column in three straight games. In games from Dec. 20-30, 2005, Becky Brown led the team three contests straight.
Watch, listen to the Tigers online: Derek Jones will call Wednesday'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 will be available for a monthly subscription through TigerZone.
Mercer County represented: NJIT has one player from Princeton's home county. Ewing native Keri Washington attended The Pennington School and is a Highlander freshman.
Everybody in: Princeton has used no fewer than 10 of the 13 players on its roster in any game this year. All 13 have made the floor twice, against Maryland and Lafayette.
Been a long time: No Tiger has averaged a double-double since Ellen DeVoe '86 did so in the 1984-85 season. She averaged 14.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game that year. Cowher is close to averaging a double-double with 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game
Tough road ahead: The Tigers won't play on another team's floor again until Dec. 22, but that doesn't mean games will be easy. On the contrary, California, ranked 11th in the AP poll and 13th by the coaches, will visit Jadwin Gym Saturday while No. 4 (AP)/6 (coaches) Rutgers will meet the Tigers Dec. 12. The three-game homestand concludes with one of Rutgers' Big East foes, Syracuse.