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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Princeton Opens Ivy League Season At Penn
January 05, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Courtney Banghart Q&A Prior To Princeton's Ivy League Opener
Part I of the Princeton women's basketball season ended last weekend at Drexel with a 10-4 record against a daunting schedule, one of the very toughest in Division I. It was a seven-week run that left the Tigers feeling pretty good about where they are.
Part II begins right back in West Philadelphia, as the Ivy League season begins Saturday at Penn (7 tip-off). History suggests that a 10-4 record in the next 14 games won't be as fulfilling.
Princeton starts its bid to become the first team since the Ivy League went to a double round-robin format in 1982-83 to win three consecutive outright titles.
No team has won the league title with more than three losses since that time. There have been four teams to go 14-0, while one loss has won the championship nine times, two losses have done so 10 times and three losses have done so six times.
Princeton went 14-0 while winning the 2009-10 Ivy title and then 13-1 last year while winning a second time. Dating back to the end of the 2009 Ivy season, Princeton is 32-1 in its last 33 league games.
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Princeton (10-4) and Penn (7-3) have the two best non-conference records in the Ivy League. In all, four league teams - including Brown (9-4) and Yale (7-6) - are over .500 and a fifth (Harvard, 6-6) is at .500.
The Princeton-Penn game is the first of the Ivy League season and the only league game this weekend.
Next weekend is a total rarity, as seven of the eight teams play in the league, including travel partner matchups between Yale and Brown and Harvard and Dartmouth. Princeton will host Cornell Friday night and Columbia Sunday afternoon, while Penn will not play either opponent until the last weekend of January, when Princeton will still be on first semester exam break.
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Princeton and Penn have three common opponents to date, and both teams are 3-0 against those opponents, though Princeton's margin of victory was greater in each case.
Penn defeated Rider by nine, Lafayette by 10 and Drexel by two in overtime.
Princeton defeated Rider by 20, Lafayette by 40 and Drexel by 12.
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Princeton ranks 12th in Division I in the RPI released this week by the NCAA. The Tigers' strength of schedule is 11th.
Princeton is 5-3 against teams in the top 77 of the RPI, with wins over No. 16 Villanova, No. 31 Hofstra, No. 54 St. Joe's, No. 61 Marist and No. 77 Drexel.
Three of Princeton's four losses have been to teams in the top 13: No. 1 Delaware, No. 4 Stanford and No. 13 DePaul.
Penn ranks exactly 100th in RPI.
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Princeton ranks No. 1 in the Ivy League in scoring offense (67.4 points per game); Penn ranks first in scoring defense (53.7).
Princeton is third in scoring defense (59.4); Penn ranks sixth (54.6).
Princeton is 6-0 when holding teams to Penn's scoring average of 54.6, with another win when its opponent scored 55. Princeton, on the other hand, is 1-4 when the other team reaches at least 65 points, while Penn is 4-0 when it gets above 60.
Penn leads the league in field goal percentage defense (34.7%) and three-point percentage defense (22.0%). Princeton is second in the league in field goal percentage (40.1%) and fourth in three-point percentage (29.4%).
Missed shots aren't the end of the world for Princeton, as the Tigers lead the league in offensive rebounds. Penn ranks eighth in defensive rebounding percentage, which measures the percentage of missed opponents' shots a team rebounds.
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Princeton's Niveen Rasheed and Penn's Alyssa Baron have both been Ivy League Player of the Week three times. One or the other has been the league's Player of the Week six times in nine weeks.
Baron (18.4) and Rasheed (17.6) rank 1-2 in the league in scoring.
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Princeton has had two players reach 1,000 points this season.
Lauren Edwards went over the 1,000-point mark in Princeton's second game of the current season, when she did so against Lafayette.
Devona Allgood did so against Drexel in the Tigers' most recet game.
Princeton could have another 1,000-point scorer this season if Niveen Rasheed can score another 110 in Princeton's remaining 14 regular-season games. That would require Rasheed to average 7.9 points per game, or a fewer than half of her 17.6 points per game average. Princeton has never had three players reach 1,000 points in the same season.
Rasheed would have reached 1,000 points already if she'd continued to average the 16.4 points per game she was averaging a year ago, when she tore her ACL in the 12th game of the season. Instead, she missed 17 games, which at 16.4 points per game would have been an additional 279 points.
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Princeton has played 14 games, and 12 of them have been decided by at least 10 points. No game has been closer than five points, and that one (Princeton's 74-69 win over Hofstra) was the only one closer than nine points.
Of Princeton's 14 games, only one has featured a second-half lead change - the loss to Navy.
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The win over Drexel was Courtney Banghart's 81st as Princeton head coach; now in her fifth season, she is already second all-time in wins at Princeton in women's basketball.
In fact, Banghart is about halfway to the record. Joan Kowalik won 163 games (losing 131) in 11 seasons at Princeton.
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What Can You Say About ...
Devona Allgood #44
• 2010-11 first-team All-Ivy League
• 2009-10 second-team All-Ivy League
• 2008-09 honorable mention All-Ivy League
• became the 20th 1,000 point scorer in school history with 4:44 to go in the first half against Drexel; finished with 13 points and three rebounds in the game
• has 1010 career points, leaving her nine points away from 19th place all-time at Princeton (held by Kim Allen); next after that would be Allison Cahill (1,058) and Maureen Lane (1,098)
• is fifth in program history with 721 career rebounds; ahead are Becky Brown (724) and Jennifer Donnelly (736), before a huge jump to Ellen Devoe (942) and Margaret Meier (1,099)
• has at least six rebounds in nine of 14 games
• had 10 points and eight rebounds against Hofstra
• had 14 points and nine rebounds against DePaul
• had 12 points and four rebounds against Santa Clara
• had eight points (all from the foul line, on 8 for 10 shooting) and seven rebounds against UMBC
• had 10 points and nine rebounds against Rider
• had a career-high four assists, along with eight points and seven rebounds, against Delaware
• had 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting and scored the first nine Princeton points of the second half against Villanova
• had nine points and six rebounds vs. St. Joe's and six points and six rebounds against Lafayette
• has 18 rebounds in her last two games, including a season-high 10 against Davidson
• scored in double figures in 21 of 29 games last year
• has attempted - and made - one career three-pointer, as the shot clock was expiring against Harvard last year
• has played in all 99 games of her career, starting 85, including every game the last three seasons until the UMBC game, when Meg Bowen's No. 43 was entered in the starting lineup in the official book instead of her No. 44; came off the bench at the first deadball
Megan Bowen #43
• made first career start againt UMBC when her number was incorrectly entered in the official book; had nine points on 4 of 5 shooting in the game
• had 12 points in the win over St. Joe's
• had 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting against Hofstra
• had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists against Rider
• returned after missing Villanova and Marist games with a concussion to have six points against Davidson
• had five points, three rebounds and two assists against Santa Clara
• had six points and three rebounds against Lafayette
• appeared in the first 24 games of last year before injuring her shoulder against Columbia; missed four games before returning for NCAA tournament
• scored nine points on 3 of 5 shooting and added five rebounds in NCAA tournament game against Georgetown
• had a career-high 15 in win at home against Yale
• led team in scoring for first time in career with 14 points at Dartmouth
Blake Dietrick #11
• has made a team-best 47.4% (9 for 19) of her three-point shots
• had first career double figure game with 10 points against Rider, shooting 4 for 4 from the field, including 2 for 2 from three-point range
• had six points and three rebounds in 15 minutes against UMBC
• had six points on two three-pointers in 11 minutes against Navy
• had four points and three rebounds against Hofstra
• had four points, two rebounds and an assist in five minutes against Marist, including a big three-pointer early in the second half as Princeton took control of the game
• scored her first seven points and had her first career three-pointer and assist in win over Lafayette
• made first collegiate appearance in game against St. Joe's
• led her high school team to an 84-9 record
• scored 1,440 career high school points, the most ever by a boy or girl at the school
• 2011 Massachusetts Player of the Year
Lauren Edwards #30
• first-team All-Ivy League each of the last two years
• started every game since the start of her sophomore year
• became the 19th 1,000-point scorer in Princeton women's basketball history against Lafayette
• is one of 10 players in school history with at least 100 career three-pointers
• has 1,130 career points, 13th all-time at Princeton; next is Margaret Meier (1,165)
• has 121 career three-pointers; needs 41 to tie Kim Allen for eighth all-time at Princeton
• has been in double figures in four straight games; was in double figures in four of the nine games prior to that
• had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists, steals and blocks against Hofstra
• had 16 points on 7 of 15 shooting against Stanford
• had 13 points (3 for 6 three-point shooting) with three rebounds and two assists against Santa Clara
• had season-high 23 points against Delaware; shot 9 for 14 from the field and 4 for 8 from three-point range in the game
• had a team-high 14 points against Rider
• had eight points and six rebounds against Drexel
• had 10 points and six rebounds against DePaul
• was in double figures in points in both of the first two games before having five points, but also six rebounds and four steals, against Villanova
• had 13 points and 10 rebounds in opener against St. Joe's
• had three blocked shots against Davidson
• scored in double figures in 20 of 29 games a year ago
• had a career-high six rebounds against Villanova
• had five points, four rebounds and three assists against Drexel
• had five points and two rebounds in 12 minutes against Lafayette
• had six points and four rebounds against Rider
• had five points against Navy
• had four points and four rebounds against UMBC
• had four points and three rebounds against Davidson
• had a steal and rebound in four minutes against St. Joe's
• played in 16 games freshman year
• high game was 16 points against Penn
• scored six points in 19 minutes against Georgetown in the NCAA tournament game
Nicole Hung #10
• made first career start and scored nine points with five rebounds in 24 minutes against UMBC
• tied season-high with 11 points against Delaware
• had 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal against Stanford
• had 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 16 minutes against Lafayette
• had 10 points against Hofstra
• had six points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals against Santa Clara
• had six points and three rebounds against Drexel
• had five points and career-high five rebounds against Villanova
• tied career-high in rebounds against Davidson
• tied her career high with four assists against Marist
• had seven points and four rebounds against Rider
• had five points and two rebounds against St. Joe's
• had a key three-point play during 10-0 run that broke game open early in second half against St. Joe's
• played in 22 games as a freshman
• led team with four assists and two steals in NCAA game against Georgetown
Laura Johnson #22
• scored 13 points, all in the second half, against Marist
• made three crucial second half three-pointers against Marist
• had six points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes against Lafayette; made both of her three-pointers in the game
• had three points and two steals against Stanford
• had five points and two rebounds against Santa Clara
• had two blocks against Villanova
• played in every game last year, starting four
• led team with 16 points at Harvard last year
Kate Miller #20
• started the first seven games of the season, came off the bench against UMBC and Navy and has started since
• had nine points and four rebounds against Hofstra; also drew five charges, including two in the final minute, and made two foul shots to seal the win
• had 10 points, three steals and two assists against DePaul
• had 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block against Santa Clara
• had a team-high and career-high 18 points against St. Joe's
• had seven points, four rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes against UMBC
• had eight points and five rebounds against Rider
• had five points and four rebounds against Stanford
• had four points, three rebounds and three steals against Davidson
• led team in scoring in a game for the first time in her career
• moved into starting lineup last year after Niveen Rasheed's knee injury
• played in all 29 games, starting 14, as a sophomore
• has played in every game of her career
• had eight steals against Davidson, the second-highest single-game total in school history, behind only C.B. Tomasiewicz, who had 10 against Yale in 1976
• had no points but career highs with 10 rebounds and seven assists against Hofstra
• had three assists and five steals against Delaware
• had a career-high 12 points - along with six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot - in the win against Marist
• had seven rebounds against Santa Clara and six rebounds against Drexel
• had six rebounds and five assists against Villanova
• had five points, six rebounds and two assists against Stanford
• had four assists, four rebounds and four steals in the opener against St. Joe's
• did not score against Rider, but did have five assists and four steals
• had four steals against DePaul
• 2011 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year
• has started 61 games her career
• missed one game last year due to injury
• has 126 career steals; needs 34 to move into school's all-time top 10
• has 185 assists and 118 turnovers for her career
Niveen Rasheed #24
• leads team in scoring, rebounding and assists and is second in steals
• has led team in scoring 10 times, in rebounding eight times and in assists and steals seven times
• leads the Ivy League in rebounding and is second in points per game; is in the top five in the league in eight statistical categories, including shooting percentage and assists
• has had at least 20 points six times in 14 games
• has 890 career points
• Ivy League Co-Player of the Week after wins against Hofstra and Drexel
• Ivy League Player of the Week after games against DePaul and Stanford
• the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week after wins over Lafayette and Villanova
• averaged 19.7 points and 10 rebounds in three games against nationally ranked teams
• had 23 points and career-high 18 rebounds (fifth-highest single-game total in school history) against DePaul
• had 16 points and seven rebounds against Stanford
• had 14 points, six steals, six rebounds and five assists against Hofstra before fouling out with two minutes left
• had 22 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals against Drexel
• had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists against Santa Clara
• had 20 points and five rebounds against Delaware
• had 24 points and nine rebounds against Davidson
• had 18 points and 11 rebounds against Marist, along with three steals and her first two made three-pointers of the year
• had 19 points and 12 rebounds against Villanova, of which 15 of her points came in the second half
• had 16 points and 11 rebounds against Navy
• had team-bests with 22 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists - in 23 minutes - against Lafayette
• had 17 points, six rebounds and three assists against St. Joe's
• returned this season after suffering a torn ACL against Davidson, in the 12th game of last season
• was averaging team-best 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game at the time of the injury
• finished with the fourth-highest number of points on the team last year (197) despite playing only 12 games
• was the 2010 Ivy League Rookie of the Year (and a nine-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week) and a first-team All-Ivy League selection
Alex Rodgers #5
• had a career-high 10 points against Lafayette
• shot 3 for 4 against the Leopards, including 2 for 3 from three-point range; also had three rebounds, an assist and a steal
• played in 18 games as a freshman
Jess Shivers #23
• made her first career appearance in win over Davidson
• had a rebound and assist against Santa Clara
• high school team went 80-8 in her four years, including 45-0 her sophomore and junior years
• shot 63 percent from the floor as a senior
• averaged 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.7 steals and 1.5 assists per game her senior season
Mariah Smith #25
• had three points and three rebounds against Stanford
• had three points, two rebounds and first career assist in nine minutes against Navy
• had first career point and first two career rebounds in the game against Lafayette
• scored 1,897 career points in high school
• earned five all-state recognitions as a senior
• late father Mark Smith scored 1,653 points at Illinois and was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks