HANOVER, N.H.
? Dartmouth's Leede Arena wasn't any kinder to
the Princeton women's basketball team Friday
night, even with a Big Green alum now on the Tiger bench.
Princeton had little luck
from the field in the first half and never sustained control after the break in
a 68-55 loss. It was rookie head coach Courtney Banghart's first visit to New Hampshire since
serving eight years as a player and assistant coach.
The Tigers led on four occasions in the second half, but
never by more than three. A 10-o run by the Big Green ended with less than four
minutes left in the game and turned a two-point Dartmouth lead into a 12-point margin too much
to overcome.
Princeton dropped to 1-1 in
the Ivy League with the loss and 4-14 overall while the Big Green improve to
2-1 in league play, 5-12 overall. The Tigers have won just six times in 29
tries in Hanover
and has swept the Harvard-Dartmouth trip only once despite making it annually since
1983.
“I couldn't be happier with the kids tonight,” Banghart
said. “They played their hearts out. We shot 16 percent in the first half and
they never gave up. We were completely outmatched on the interior.”
Banghart also noted the absence of Addie Micir, a recent Ivy
League Player and Rookie of the Week after a 22-point performance against Penn
Jan. 16, who did not play due to injury.
Meagan Cowher led the Tigers with 17 points, 12 coming after
the break. She now has 1,458 for her career, good for fourth place. Cowher
added a career-best 15 rebounds. Jessica Berry was the only other Tiger in
double-figures, getting nine of her 11 points on three-pointers as Princeton was 7 for 27 from beyond the arc.
Princeton fell behind
early, shooting 16.7 percent in the first half. The Tigers were behind by just
eight at the half, however, but Princeton's
rebounding kept it in the game. Princeton
pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and led the Big Green overall 24-23 in the game's
first 20 minutes. Dartmouth
shot 39.3 percent in the first half.
The Tigers needed just three minutes out of the halftime
break to turn an eight-point deficit into a one-point lead on a Cowher bucket.
Whitney Downs added two more to give Princeton
a 32-29 lead with 16:02 to play, but the Tigers were unable to sustain the
momentum.
Dartmouth
had three players in double-figures, led by Betsy Williams with 17, Brittney
Smith with 13 and Sydney Scott with 12.
Princeton finished shooting 30.6 percent on the night to Dartmouth's 48 percent
and the Tigers were outrebounded 41-38.
Princeton will now head to
Harvard for a 6 p.m. game Saturday.
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