Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Basketball Remains Unbeaten With 85-55 Rout of Michigan
December 10, 2014 | Women's Basketball
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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
TIGERBLOG ON THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Princeton University women's basketball team continued to roll on Tuesday evening with a decisive 85-55 victory over the University of Michigan at Crisler Arena.
The only Ivy League team to ever start a season 9-0, the Tigers handed the Wolverines (6-2) just their second loss of the season while evening the all-time series with Michigan at 1-1.
Ranked 11th in the latest NCAA RPI Ratings, the Wolverines were second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin heading into the contest, but would lose the battle on the boards, 35-23. Up by as much as 34, it was the fourth consecutive game in which the Tigers held a lead of at least 30 points.
Coming off a 26-point effort against Georgetown, Blake Dietrick netted 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Narrowly missing out on a triple double, she also collected nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals with no turnovers in 35 minutes.
Hitting 10 of her 14 shot attempts and 5-of-7 three-pointers, Michelle Miller finished with a game-high 25 points. Annie Tarakchian chipped in with 12 points and six boards, while Taylor Williams finished with 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
With the game knotted at 4-4, Princeton netted five unanswered coming out of the first media timeout. Alex Wheatley gave the Tigers' their first lead with a layup at 15:29 before Miller hit a triple from the left baseline.
Battling back, the Wolverines responded with a 9-3 run over the next 3:43, going up 13-12 on a Katelynn Flaherty three-point play. Coming right back, the Orange and Black netted 21 of the game's next 28 points.
Miller and Vanessa Smith got things started with back-to-back jumpers before a Mariah Smith bucket at 8:47 made it 18-13. Kelsey Mitchell momentarily stemmed the tide with a layup on the other end, but a Dietrick basket coupled with another Miller jumper put Princeton up 22-15.
With the Tigers later up 27-20, Princeton strung together nine straight points, eventually building a 16-point lead on a Miller three-pointer. Michigan's Shannon Smith trimmed the deficit to 14 with a layup on the Wolverines' next possession, but a Dietrick trey and a pair of Amanda Berntsen free throws staked the Tigers to a 19-point advantage with 1:26 left in the opening period.
Looking to carry its momentum into the second half, Princeton opened the frame on a 13-6 run. Ahead 45-28, Miller dialed one in from distance before Dietrick went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to make it 50-28. A Wheatley putback later made it 54-32 before Williams ducked into the paint for two to give the Tigers a 24-point edge.
Hoping to gain some traction, the Wolverines pieced together a 5-2 spurt to pull back within 21 on a Siera Thompson bucket at 14:28. Undaunted, the Tigers came up with a 10-2 run over the next 4:15 to carve out a 68-39 cushion at 10:13. Dietrick had four points during the stretch while Tarakchian and Miller hit a pair of threes.
Netting a season-high 85 points, Princeton shot 58.3 percent (35-of-60) from the floor and 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from behind the arc. Shooting 56.3 percent (18-of-32) in the first half, the Tigers were even better following the intermission, knocking down 60.7 percent (17-of-28) of their shot attempts, including 6-of-8 threes. The team's 25 assists and 11 triples were also both season highs.
Holding Michigan nearly 20 points below its season average, the Princeton defense limited the Wolverines to 41.1 percent (23-of-56) shooting. Cyesha Goree led the Maize and Blue with 14 points, while Flaherty was the only other Michigan player to score in double digits with 11.
Princeton returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 13 against Binghamton.