.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University
Brown
Players Mentioned
No. 14 Women's Basketball Sets New Wins Record With 79-67 Victory Over Brown
March 01, 2015 | Women's Basketball
BOX SCORE
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS & HALFTIME INTERVIEW WITH MARIAH SMITH
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
PRINCETON, N.J. – Securing a 79-67 victory over Brown on Senior Day at Jadwin Gymnasium, the 14th-ranked Princeton University women's basketball team extended its Ivy League record start to 27-0 (11-0 Ivy), setting a new single-season program record for wins in the process.
Reaching another benchmark in an already historic season, the Tigers surpassed the 2009-10 squad's record of 26-3. At 27-0, Princeton is second only to the 1970-71 Penn men's team (28-0) for the best start in Ivy League basketball history.
Hitting eight of her 13 field goal attempts, including 3-of-5 threes, Michelle Miller netted a team-high 20 points. Blake Dietrick went 6-of-10 from the floor, finishing with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds. Alex Wheatley was the only other Tiger in double figures with 13, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.
Trailing 13-12 after the first 7:41, Princeton rattled off a 12-2 run. Vanessa Smith got things going with a layup at 12:07. Miller then netted five straight points before Brown's Sophie Bikofsky knocked down a pair of free throws. Annie Tarakchian followed with a layup that made it 21-15 before Miller drained a triple to make it a nine-point game.
Battling back, Brown whittled the lead down to 28-26 with 4:22 left in the half. Up three with just over a minute remaining in the period, Dietrick hit a pair of free throws before a Miller layup extended the margin to seven with 28 seconds on the clock.
On top 35-30 at the intermission, Tarakchian opened up the second half scoring with a three-pointer from the left corner. Tracking down a Miller misfire, Wheatley finished with her left hand in the paint to give Princeton its first double-digit lead. Passing up a chance at another corner three, Tarakchian knocked down a jumper from the left side to make it 42-30.
Putting the breaks on a 7-0 Tiger run, Jordin Alexander netted Brown's first points of the half with a pull-up jumper from the left elbow at 17:13. Coming right back down the floor, Dietrick converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way to give Princeton a 13-point cushion.
With the Bears back within nine on a Rebecca Musgrove three-pointer with less than 12 minutes to play, the Tigers pieced together a 9-2 burst. After a Wheatley basket, Miller drained a trey to make it 59-45. Following a pair of Ellise Sharpe free throws, Mariah Smith connected on consecutive buckets down low to stretch the lead to 63-47 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Shooting 54.2 percent from the floor, the Tigers finished with a 44-31 rebounding edge. Despite tallying the most points (67) Princeton has allowed this season, Brown shot just 38.2 percent (26-68) from the floor, which included an 11.8 percent (2-17) showing from long distance.
Prior to the game, the Tigers honored Dietrick, M. Smith, Jess Shivers and Alex Rodgers as part of the program's Senior Day festivities. Since their arrival, the Class of 2015 has helped Princeton to a 94-21 (0.817) overall record and 49-4 (0.925) mark in Ivy League play.