Lafayette Makes Trip To Jadwin Wednesday

Week 5 Game Notes: Lafayette
Gametimes	Wed, Dec. 7 - 6 p.m. l Jadwin Gym
Game Coverage	Live Stats - Ivy League Digital Network
Twitter	@PUTigers l @GoLeopards
All-Time Series	Princeton leads 23-18
Last Meeting	Nov. 15, 2011 - Princeton 87, Lafayette 47 (Recap )
Princeton	Roster l Schedule l Stats l @PrincetonWBB
Lafayette	Roster l Schedule l Stats l @LafayetteWBB
Related Links	Game Notes

The Week That Was

Freshman Bella Alarie posted her second career double-double with a season-high 26 points and 15 rebounds in Princeton's 94-67 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates at Jadwin Gymnasium on last Wednesday.
Alarie's 26 points are tied for the 5th most in a single-game by a freshman in program history as were her 15 boards. Her five treys in the game matched the third most by freshman in a single game. She also added a personal-high six assists in the win.
Wednesday's contest began similarly to the fourth quarter of the UMBC game as the Tigers raced out with the first 11 points behind three buckets from beyond the arc. Seton Hall cut its deficit to six with an 11-6 run, but Princeton quickly re-upped its lead to 25-13 after the first frame.
The Pirates opened up the second stanza with a 5-1 spurt, getting back to within six, however Princeton answered with seven straight. Trailing by 14 after two free throws from Alarie, back-to-back triples from Seton Hall made the halftime score 45-37.
Princeton set a season-high with its 17-of-32 shooting (53.1 percent) in the first half. Junior Leslie Robinson was 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) from the floor, putting up 11 points in the first 20 minutes of game action. The Tigers were lights out from long distance, making seven of its 12 attempts (58.3 percent).
Head coach Courtney Banghart's squad put the game away with a tremendous third quarter, outscoring Seton Hall, 29-13. The Tigers scored the first seven points of the stanza, improving its advantage to 15 (52-37), leading to a Seton Hall timeout. Two free throws from the Pirates briefly slowed the Tigers' offensive rush before another eight consecutive points by the home team pushed the score to 65-39. Seton Hall got the game back to a 20-point deficit twice, but could not get any closer.
Senior Taylor Brown was perfect from deep, making all four three-pointers. She finished with career-high 18 points along with four assists and two steals. Robinson snagged 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Junior Tia Weledji contributed 11 points off the bench. The Tigers had four players in double figures for the first time this season.
Princeton's 49 points in the second half was a season best while it was the first time they've reached the 90-point plateau since a 94-57 victory over Cornell last February. The team's 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from three was also its best mark of the 2016 campaign. Wednesdayt was the first time that Princeton defeated Seton Hall since 1987.

Ivy Notes -As of Friday

The Tigers lead the Ivy League in assists (15.3) despite only having one player ranked among the top 15 in the league (Robinson, 2.9).
Princeton is third in the conference in steals (8.1), highlighted by two players (Robinson, Brown) ranked among the Ivy's best.

On a Roll

Princeton is currently on a three-game winning streak, dropping Rutgers, UMBC and Seton Hall with a scoring margin of +22.7.
During that streak, the Tigers have four players averaging double figures in scoring in Alarie, Brown, Weledji and Holland.
The Tigers' offense has picked up in its last three games, posting 75.7 points per game.
The team is shooting 40.5 percent from deep, dropping in about 10 threes per game.
Against UMBC, head coach Courtney Banghart's team set a single-game record with 14 threes on 37 attempts.
Princeton is holding opponents to .329 field goal percentage and .254 from beyond the arc.
After getting outrebounded in its first three contests, the Tigers have won the rebounding battle in the last four games. During that span, Princeton holds a +10 rebounding margin.

Freshman Sensation

Freshman Bella Alarie is registering a double-double during the team's three-game winning streak, averaging 16.7 points, 10.3 rebounds 3.0 assists per game.
Alarie's stellar performance vs. Seton Hall was something uncommon in Princeton women's basketball history.
The last person to score 25 points, grab 14 rebounds and dish out six assists in a game was Ellen Devoe vs. Lehigh on Nov. 25, 1983.
Alarie has been named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week the past two weeks.
The freshman leads the team in scoring (14.4), rebounding (8.8) , three-point field goal percentage (.441) and blocks (1.1).

In the National Rankings

Princeton sits in the top-40 nationally in three-point field goal percentage (24.8 percent, 30th), rebounds per game (44.4, 37th).
Alarie is 65th in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.441)

Ivy League Tournament

For the first time ever, the Ivy League will feature a four-team tournament for the 2016-17 season. The tournament will both be held over the same two competition days, March 11 and 12, at The Palestra in Philadelphia.
The format for each tournament will be two semifinal games on the first day (Saturday) with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed playing the No. 3 seed, followed by the championship game played the next day (Sunday). The tournaments' winners will receive the League's automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.

Ivy League Hoops TV Coverage

The Ivy League has announced the game times for the inaugural Ivy League Tournament as well as its additional TV package with ESPN and the American Sports Network.
The men's basketball team will have a total of 10 games available on platforms beyond the ILDN and five ESPN3 simulcasts, the women's team will have five such games.
The listing of the team's TV/ESPN3 games are below:
- Nov. 25 vs. Rutgers, 2 p.m., ILDN/ESPN3 - W, 64-34
- Nov. 30 vs. Seton Hall, 6 p.m., ILDN/ESPN3 - W, 94-67
- Jan. 7, vs. Penn, 2 p.m., ILDN/ESPN3
- Feb. 17 at Yale, Time TBD, ILDN/ESPN3
- Mar. 4 at Dartmouth, Time TBD, ILDN/ESPN3

Captains

The team named seniors Vanessa Smith and Taylor Brown captains for the 2016-17 season.
Smith is the lone starter returning from last year's squad that went 23-6. The senior started in 28 games, averaging 8.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and just under a steal per game.
Brown saw time in 24 games in last season off the bench and set career bests in points (3.3), rebounds (1.7) and assists (0.95) per game, three-pointers (12) and field goal percentage (.375). The Woodstock, Ga., native has also improved year-by-year in scoring, rebounding and assists.

Summer Trip

After traveling to France and Africa in 2011, the Princeton women's basketball team flew to Australia this summer.
The team departed on August 22nd and spent the first four days of the trip in Sydney and the final four days in Cairns, Queensland before leaving to come home on September 1st.
In Sydney, Banghart's squad explored the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney Opera House and did the Sydney Bridge Climb. On the court, Princeton battled the Norths Bears and the Waratah League All-Stars.
While in Cairns, the Tigers checked out the Rainforest Wildlife Park, went to the Aboriginal Cultural and Education Experience before conducting a youth clinch at the Yarrabah PCYC.
The team also took on the Cairn Dolphins of the Queensland Basketball League. On the last day of the trip, the Tigers enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef and have the opportunity to snorkel and take in the spectacular coral and sea life.

2015-16 Season Review

The Tigers finished with 23 wins, the seventh straight year that the program won at least 20 games.
Princeton became the first Ivy League team to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament since the conference became an automatic qualifier.
The Class of 2016 became the fourth senior group in program history to win at least 20 games all four years.
The Tigers have swept 40 of the last 43 Ivy League weekends.
Head coach Courtney Banghart's team ranked in the top 10 nationally in rebounding margin (third), defensive rebounds per game (fourth), rebounds per game (seventh) and scoring margin (seventh).
Four players had at least 60 assists this year with Amanda Berntsen '16 leading the way (101).
Alex Wheatley's '16 57.7 field goal percentage and Michelle Miller's '16 42.6 percent from deep led the Ivy League.
Princeton claimed 9 Ivy POTW awards last season.

Series History

Princeton leads the all-time series, 23-18.
The Tigers have won three straight contests vs. the Leopards.
Lafayette last won in 2009.
This series began during the 1977-78 season.

Last Meeting at Lafayette - Nov. 15, 2011

Lauren Edwards reached two milestones in the game as she secured her 100th career three-pointer and 1,000th career point in the Tigers 87-47 victory.
Edwards became the 10th player in program history to reach the 100 career three-pointer mark and 19th player to score 1,000 points.
The Tigers led by 20 points at the break, 38-18. They would lead by as many as 43 before taking home the victory.

Scouting Lafayette Leopards

The Leopards are 1-8 on the season, winning their first game of the season vs. LaSalle.
Anna Ptasinski leads Lafayette in scoring (8.1) while Olivia Gumbs is the team's leading rebounder (5.9) and is second in scoring (7.1).
In the Leopards' eight losses, only one has been by less than 10 points.

News and Notes

After graduating last season, Annie Tarakchian signed a contract with BCF Elfic Fribourg Basket, a team from Switzerland.
Blake Dietrick '15 is currently playing for Bendigo Bank Spirit in Australia. Earlier this year, Dietrick was named to the Women's National Basketball Association's (WNBA) Seattle Storm's opening night roster.
Dietrick is the first Princeton women's basketball player ever to make a WNBA opening night roster and the second Ivy League player. Harvard's Allison Feaster played for the Los Angeles Sparks (1998-2000), Charlotte Sting (2001-06) and the Indiana Fever (2008).
Junior Leslie Robinson is the daughter of Princeton alumnus Craig Robinson, who is one of only two men's players in program history to twice be named Ivy League Player of the Year. Her aunt Michelle Robinson (Michelle Obama) graduated from Princeton in 1985 and is currently the First Lady of the United States and the wife of President Barack Obama.
Sophomore Qalea Ismail is the daughter of Qadry "The Missle" Ismail, who played 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with her uncle Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, who played for nine seasons.
Jordan Muhammad's father, Muhsin, played 14 seasons in the NFL, for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.
Freshman Bella Alarie's dad, Mark, drafted in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft and played for five seasons in the NBA.
Freshman Taylor Baur's dad, Turner, played in the NFL for the New England Patriots.

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Players Mentioned

Bella Alarie

Taylor Baur

Amanda Berntsen

Taylor Brown

Qalea Ismail

Michelle Miller

Jordan Muhammad

Leslie Robinson

Vanessa Smith

Annie Tarakchian

Tia Weledji

Alex Wheatley