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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
St. Joseph's
Players Mentioned
Rasheed Returns As Princeton Tops St. Joe's For First Time Ever
November 12, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Niveen Rasheed drove hard to the basket, scored and was fouled. She also crashed into the basket support, gasping as she hit the ground while the entire Princeton women's basketball team held its collective breath.
And then she popped right up and completed the three-point play.
Rasheed, 10 months removed from a torn ACL, scored 17 points, added six rebounds and three assists and thrilled a Jadwin Gym crowd of 816 who watched the Tigers defeat St. Joseph's 79-62 in the season opener for both teams.
Kate Miller had a career-high 18 points to lead four Tigers in double figures. Lauren Edwards had 13 points, giving her 995 for her career, while adding 10 rebounds, and Megan Bowen had 12 points on 5 for 8 shooting.
"It's great to be back," Rasheed said.
Rasheed suffered her injury in the 12th game of last season and had to watch the rest of the way as her teammates raced to a 24-5 record and a second-straight Ivy League title and NCAA tournament bid.
After surgery and the long rehab back, Rasheed was out there again, at top speed, leading four Tigers in double figures and sparking the 14-2 run that broke the game open in the second half. Included in that spurt was the three-point play in which she ended up on the floor, for one of several times in the game.
"What can you do?" Princeton coach Courtney Banghart asked rhetorically. "She plays so hard."
If the injury was the low point of last season, then the game before it was in second. In that one, Princeton lost 70-61 in double overtime to St. Joe's, as Rasheed shot 4 for 8 from the foul line and 7 for 23 from the field.
That loss dropped Princeton to 0-9 all-time against the Hawks.
That streak was clearly in trouble from the start this time around. Princeton celebrated before the game with the unveiling of the 2011 Ivy League championship and NCAA tournament banners, and the Tigers went out and never trailed in earning their first win ever against SJU.
The Hawks cut a 40-32 halftime deficit to 42-38 early in the second before the big run, which started with Rasheed's three-point play and continued with Nicole Hung's three-point play and back-to-back Bowen baskets.
Hung's three-pointer made it a 10-point game, and it would never be single digits again.
Princeton shot 28 for 61 for the game, including 26 for 45 on two-point shots and 2 for 16 on three-pointers.
The Tigers are at Lafayette Monday night.