Tonight: Tigers Battle Columbia, Have Senior Day Saturday vs. Cornell

Week 16 Game Notes: Columbia/Cornell
Gametimes	Columbia - Fri. Feb. 24 - 7:00 p.m. l Jadwin Gym
	Cornell - Sat. Feb. 25 - 6:00 p.m. l Jadwin Gym
Game Coverage	Columbia - Live Stats - Ivy League Digital Network Cornell - Live Stats - Ivy League Digital Network
Twitter	@PUTigers l @CornellSports l@ColumbiaLions
All-Time Series	Princeton leads Columbia, 49-16 l Princeton leads Cornell, 53-20
Last Meeting	Mar. 5, 2016 - Princeton 68, Dartmouth 42 (Recap)
	Mar. 4, 2016 - Princeton 79, Harvard 69 (Recap)
Princeton	Roster l Schedule l Stats l @PrincetonWBB
Columbia	Roster l Schedule l Stats l@CUWBBLions
Cornell	Roster l Schedule l Stats l@Cornellwbball
Related Links	Game Notes

Brown Recap - 2/18/17

The Princeton Tigers used a well-balanced offensive attack to hold off the Brown Bears, 81-75, at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Saturday afternoon.
Leslie Robinson had a team-high 17 points while Gabrielle Rush, Taylor Brown and Bella Alarie also reached double-figures. Alarie amassed her fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds along with three blocks and two steals. Rush added 15 points along with four three-pointers off the bench in the victory.
After the Bears registered the first basket, the Tigers rolled off seven straight points. Brown got as close as two on two occasions in the frame, but Princeton pushed in front by eight (20-12) following a free throw from Taylor Brown with 2:18 to go. The Tigers led 22-17 after the first quarter led by Brown's nine points.
As the second stanza rolled on, the Tigers scored on four consecutive possessions to set the contest at 32-24 with 7:22 remaining. Trailing by 10, Brown rallied off a 13-3 spurt to tie the game at 37-all as the clock ticked near two minutes (2:19). A layup from Caroline Davis put the Tigers ahead, 41-39, at the intermission.
Out of the break, the Tigers sprinted out with an 11-2 jump to go in front, 52-41, with 5:38 to remaining in the third frame. During that stretch, Brown could only muster one basket on seven attempts while turning the ball over three times. The Bears got the score within seven before Princeton settled with a 61-50 advantage after 30 minutes.
Down by 13 as the fourth quarter ticked under seven minutes (6:52), Brown made one more push, running off eight straight, to climb within five (69-64), forcing Princeton use a timeout with 4:54 left. Smith snagged a loose ball and laid in to keep Brown at bay, but six free throws from the Bears set the Ivy matchup at 74-72 with 2:05 to go. A layup from Sydney Jordan stemmed the Bears' comeback to push the Tigers back up five.
A trey from Brown's Shayna Meta made the score 77-75, but four free throws sealed the victory for Princeton.

Ivy Notes

Head coach Courtney Banghart's team leads the Ivy League in offensive rebounds (15.2) and total rebounds (44.1).
Fans have flocked to Jadwin Gym to see the Tigers as they place first in attendance (841).
On the offensive end, Princeton is tops in the conference in field goals attempts (64.4) and field goals made (25.7), second in assists (14.7) but is only fourth in field goal percentage (40.0).
A strong defensive unit has always been a staple of Banghart's tenure as Princeton is first in steals (8.7), opponent's field goal percentage (35.6), opponent's three-point field goal percentage (27.9), second in points allowed (57.9), and third in blocks (4.9).
Junior Leslie Robinson is second in the Ivy in field goal percentage (51.1), tied for fourth in offensive rebounds per game (2.7), fifth in total rebounds (7.9), tied for seventh in defensive rebounds (5.1) and 10th in field goals made (4.5).
Sophomore Gabrielle Rush is tied for third in three-point field goals per game (2.0) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (38.7).
Junior Tia Weledji is seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8)
Senior Taylor Brown is eighth in steals per game (1.5).

Record-Breaking Performances

Against UMBC, head coach Courtney Banghart's team set a single-game record with 14 threes on 37 attempts.
On Dec. 21 vs. Wagner, the Tigers broke the program record for points in a game, breaking the mark set against Portland State (104) on December 19th, 2014.
Princeton also broke the single-game record for points in a quarter (34) and in a half with 60 during the first 20 minutes of game action.
Banghart's squad was the 27th team this season to score over 100 points at the Division-I level.

On the Upswing

After beginning the season 0-4, the Tigers have gone 13-5 with victories over Rutgers, UMBC, Seton Hall, Lafayette, Wagner, Lipscomb, Yale (twice), Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia and Brown.
Princeton has held a scoring margin of +13.1 and are averaging 69.7 points per game during that stretch.
The team is dropping in 7.1 three-pointers per contest during that span.
Gabrielle Rush, Tia Weledji, Taylor Brown and Kenya Holland are shooting at least 35 percent from deep over the last 18 games.
Rush has made 24 of her last 27 free throws while Brown has sunk 16 of her last 22 free throws.
After getting outrebounded in two of its first three contests, the Tigers have won the rebounding battle in 15 of the last 18 games. During that span, Princeton holds a +8.4 margin.
This season, three players are averaging at least four rebounds per game in Alarie, Robinson and Smith.

Freshman Sensation

Bella Alarie leads the team in scoring (12.8) and blocks (2.0).
She is second on the team in assists (2.3) and rebounding (7.1).
She has five double-doubles this season vs. UMBC (11/27), Seton Hall (11/30), at Lipscomb (12/31), Yale (1/14) and Brown (2/18).
Alarie's stellar performance (26 points, 15 rebounds, 6assists) 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.
Her seven blocks vs. Brown on Jan. 13 were the highest for a single game by a freshman in program history.
Alarie has been named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week eight times and the conference Co-Player of the Week three times. She was also picked as USBWA National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 7.
Her eight Rookie of the Week accolades are second in Princeton history behind Niveen Rasheed's nine awards in 2010.
She is third in the Ivy League in blocks per game, sixth in rebounds per game (7.1), seventh in in defensive rebounds (114) and 10th in points per game (12.8).
Her 44 blocks this season are tied for the Princeton freshman record while she is six shy of matching the all-time single season record (Ellen DeVoe, 1984-85).

In the National Rankings

Princeton is ninth nationally in rebounds per game (44.1).
Banghart's squad is 20th in defensive rebounds per game (29.0), 28th opponent's three-point field goal percentage (27.9), 32nd in rebounding margin (+6.8), 41st in blocks per game (4.9) and 42nd in scoring defense (57.9).

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 Tournament.
Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Ivy League men's and women's basketball tournaments, March 11-12 at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Join us as the top four mens' and women's teams play for the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournaments. For more information and to purchase tickets for this historic event, please visit IvyMadness.com.

Ivy League Hoops TV Coverage

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 six 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
- Dec. 18, at Kansas State, 2 p.m. - ESPN3 - L, 60-42
- Jan. 7, vs. Penn, 4:00 p.m., ILDN/ESPN3 - L, 62-57
- Feb. 17 at Yale, 5:30 p.m., ILDN/ESPN3 - W, 69-47
- Mar. 4 at Dartmouth, Time TBD, ILDN/ESPN3

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.

Series History - Columbia

Princeton leads the all-time series, 49-16.
The Tigers have won 17 straight games vs. the Lions, a span of 3,292 days.

Scouting Columbia

The Lions are one of the best rebounding teams in the country, sitting 20th in the country in rebounds per game (42.9) and seventh in rebounding margin (+9.9). In the meeting vs. Princeton earlier this year, Columbia lost the rebounding battle, 42-39.
One of the favorites for Ivy League Player of the Year, Camille Zimmerman is in the conference's top ten in minutes played, field goals made, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, free throws made, free throw percentage, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, rebounds per game, assists and blocks.

Series History - Cornell

The Tigers leads the all-time series, 53-20.
Princeton has won the last 17 matchups against Cornell, a stretch of 3,291 days.

Scouting Cornell Big Red

Nia Marshall leads the Big Red in scoring (15.9), rebounding (6.6), steals (1.8) and blocks (.8).
The Big Red is in the NCAA's top 100 in assist/turnover ratio, fewest fouls, fewest turnovers, personal fouls per game, scoring defense, three-point field goal percentage, turnover margin and turnovers per game.

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 formerly the First Lady of the United States and the wife of former 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, was 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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Tonight: Tigers Battle Columbia, Have Senior Day Saturday vs. Cornell

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Players Mentioned

Bella Alarie

Taylor Baur

Taylor Brown

Caroline Davis

Kenya Holland

Qalea Ismail

Sydney Jordan

Jordan Muhammad

Leslie Robinson

Gabrielle Rush

Annie Tarakchian

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Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Tonight: Tigers Battle Columbia, Have Senior Day Saturday vs. Cornell

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bella Alarie

Taylor Baur

Taylor Brown

Caroline Davis

Kenya Holland

Qalea Ismail

Sydney Jordan

Jordan Muhammad

Leslie Robinson

Gabrielle Rush

Annie Tarakchian

Tia Weledji

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