Tigers Win 5th Straight Ivy League Contest, Dropping Columbia, 62-52

Saturday, February 11

New York, N.Y.

6:00 p.m.

Princeton University

11-9, 5-2

Columbia

12-9, 2-6

Princeton

Columbia

Photo by: Kobus Reyneke

Tigers Win 5th Straight Ivy League Contest, Dropping Columbia, 62-52

February 11, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEW YORK – Junior Leslie Robinson posted her fifth double-double of the season as the Princeton Tigers held off a surging Columbia Lions, 62-52, at Levien Gymnasium on Saturday evening.

Robinson was one of four players in double figures, finishing with a team-high 14 points along with 11 rebounds. Freshman Bella Alarie had 11 points and four blocks while Taylor Brown and Vanessa Smith each added 10 points in the win.

Princeton did not allow a point over the first 2:19 of the game as it ran off seven straight points including this sparkling fast-break layup from Robinson off a block from Alarie...

End of the 1st: Tigers 16, Lions 8. Alarie with the block and Robinson with the pretty finish. #GoTigers #TigerUp #PathToThePalestra pic.twitter.com/eJqIHbVWas
— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) February 11, 2017

Robinson completed the three-point play. A trey from Taylor Brown put Princeton up 10 (12-2) and led to a Columbia timeout with 6:14 to go. The Tigers continued to push in front, scoring 16 of the first 20 points, taking a 16-8 advantage after the first quarter.

Again, head coach Courtney Banghart's squad was stellar on defense, keeping the Lions off the scoreboard for the first 4:54 of the second stanza. The Tigers rattled off 17 consecutive points during that stretch, leading by as many as 28 before heading into the intermission up 38-16. The Tigers held the Ivy League's leading scorer, Camille Zimmerman, to 2-of-10 shooting and five points in the first half.

Columbia ended the third stanza on a 7-2 spurt to get within 15, heading into the final 10 minutes. The Lions then held Princeton without a basket for a five-minute span of the fourth frame, using a 13-2 run to close within six (58-52) with 21 seconds to go. Sophomore Gabrielle Rush sank two free throws and then Robinson came up with a big block on the other end to finish off the 62-52 victory.

FINAL: Tigers 62, Lions 52. Robinson's block seals the win for the Tigers. Princeton has won 5 straight Ivy contests. #GoTigers #TigerUp pic.twitter.com/euqVdPWm95
— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) February 12, 2017

Zimmerman finished with a game-high 24 points for Columbia. The Tigers outrebounded the Lions, 42-39, blocked seven shots and stole 11 passes. Brown had a career-high four steals in victory.

Princeton sits at 11-9 overall and 5-2 in the Ivy League while Columbia dropped to 12-9 this season and 2-6 in the conference. The Tigers move into a tie for second place in the Ivy League with Harvard, trailing just Penn (7-0). Banghart's team will make the trip to Yale (Feb. 17) and Brown (Feb. 18). Tip-off for the Yale game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and will be featured on the Ivy League Digital Network and ESPN3.