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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
NJIT
Players Mentioned
Women's Hoops Rebounds Way to 56-45 Win at NJIT
December 05, 2007 | Women's Basketball
NEWARK, N.J. -- Ten Tigers contributed to a considerable rebounding margin that helped the Princeton women's basketball team grab a win from NJIT Wednesday night in Newark, 56-45.
Meagan Cowher led the Tigers with 13 points and 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and 17th of her career. Ali Prichard was also in double-figures in the scoring column with 11 points and Shelbie Pool scored 10 to follow up her 12 points in Princeton's last outing against Duquesne.
Cowher, Princeton's leading scorer in five of the season's first six games but neither of the last two, returned to the top of the scoring column while moving past Ellen DeVoe '86 for sixth place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,296 points.
Princeton out-rebounded NJIT 50-34 as Cowher's 11 led the team in that category. Whitney Downs had seven boards and Prichard and Addie Micir added six apiece. The win improves the Tigers to 3-6 while dropping the Highlanders to 1-5.
The Tigers kept NJIT off the board for nearly seven minutes to start the game, by which time Princeton had a 7-0 lead. It looked early on like a rout was at hand as Princeton pulled ahead 20-2 with six minutes left in the half, but the Tigers cooled their pace.
Princeton had an 11-point lead at the break and the Highlanders were able to get as close as three at 42-39 with seven minutes left in the game. Though the Tigers followed that with a 7-0 run, the lead was back down to four when NJIT's Katie Piekielski canned a three-pointer with 4:28 to play that brought the Highlanders within 49-45.
Though Piekielski was one of three Highlanders in double figures with 10 points, her three-pointer represented the last points NJIT scored. Princeton ended the game like it started it, keeping NJIT off the scoreboard for a stretch while scoring the game's final six points. Jessica Gerald and Erika Velez each added 12 points for NJIT.
Neither team was hot from the field as Princeton won the shooting percentage battle 32.7 percent to 25.9 percent, and the Tigers survived 22 turnovers to NJIT's 15.
Princeton will host the first of two back-to-back highly ranked teams Saturday when No. 11 (AP)/12 (coaches poll) California visits Jadwin Gym for a 6 p.m. tip.