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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Drexel
Players Mentioned
Strong Defensive Effort Helps Women's Basketball Stop Drexel, 59-43
November 20, 2014 | Women's Basketball
BOX SCORE
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
PRINCETON, N.J. – Buoyed by another strong defensive effort, the Princeton University women's basketball team improved to 3-0 on the season with a 59-43 victory over Drexel University in its 2014-15 home opener at Jadwin Gymnasium.
Holding an opponent under 40.0 percent shooting for the third consecutive game, the Tigers helped force 21 turnovers, racking up 15 steals and five blocks. Connecting on just 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) of its shots in the first half, Drexel was just 18-of-53 (34.0 percent) from the field over the final 20 minutes.
Filling up the stat sheet, Blake Dietrick finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Alex Wheatley led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding four rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Annie Tarakchian was one rebound shy of matching a career-high, pulling down 11 boards. Vanessa Smith and Taylor Williams had eight and six points, respectively, while combining for seven rebounds.
After Wheatley opened the scoring with a layup on Princeton's first possession, Drexel rattled off nine unanswered over a span of four-plus minutes. Knifing into the paint, Amanda Berntsen put the brakes on the Tigers' dryspell at 14:08. Vanessa Smith trimmed the Princeton deficit to 9-6 with a bucket the next time down the floor, but back-to-back Rachel Pearson and Jackie Schluth jumpers stretched the Dragon lead to seven.
Battling back, Princeton pieced together a 9-2 spurt. Wheatley got the run started with a layup at 10:53 before a Smith jumper from the right baseline pulled the Tigers within three. Williams connected on a turnaround from the left block with just over nine minutes remaining in the half to make it 13-12. After a Kelsi Lidge basket, Dietrick knocked down a triple to pull the Orange and Black even.
Tied at 18-18 with just over five minutes to play in the first, Tarakchian ducked into the lane for two to give the Tigers their first lead since the 19:50 mark. Later ahead 22-20, Williams again converted down low before a Wheatley steal and fastbreak layup padded the Tiger cushion. Running the floor, Wheatley got another easy basket at 1:34 to make it an eight-point game. Schluth answered with a jumper cut it to 28-22, but a Michelle Miller bucket just before the intermission put the wraps on a 12-4 Princeton run over the final 5:27 of the half.
Feeding off a strong defensive effort early in the second period, the Tigers netted eight of the frame's first 10 points. On top 33-24, Michelle Miller drained a three-pointer to up the lead to 12. Getting out in transition after blocking a Pearson jumper, Wheatley laid it in at 16:03 to make it 38-24.
Up 12 with just over 10 and a half minutes remaining, Princeton mounted a 14-6 run over a span of 4:49 to take control. Smith got things started with a jumper at 10:35 before a pair of Leslie Robinson free throws staked Princeton to a 44-28 edge. With the margin at 15 following an Alexis Smith bucket at 6:42, Robinson and Dietrick combined for the game's next five points, with Dietrick converting a three-point play the old-fashioned way at 5:46 to put Princeton up 54-34.
Pearson was the only Dragon in double figures with 15 points and five rebounds. Alexis Smith had six points on 3-of-5 shooting, while Sarah Curran, Schluth and Lidge each chipped in with four points.
The Tigers return to action on Sunday, Nov. 23 at American University.