Friday at #IvyMadness: Princeton Prepares For Tournament Semifinal

PHILADELPHIA – On the eve of the Ivy League Tournament, the Princeton Tigers had their shootaround at the world-famous Palestra.

Head coach Courtney Banghart along with Taylor Brown, Vanessa Smith and Bella Alarie met with the media prior to the team's shootaround. Check out the video in the story link.

Ivy League Tournament Preview - Story
Alarie/Robinson named All-Ivy - Story

As we head into the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, here are five things to watch out for this weekend.

Harvard's Defense - Princeton's opponent, Harvard, is one of the top rebounding teams in the country, sitting ninth. The Crimson also rank 27th in Division I in blocked shots and 50th in three-point defense.

In the first matchup at Jadwin, the Crimson blocked eight shots, seven of which came in the second half as it rallied in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

In the second meeting at Harvard, the Tigers were held to just 2-of-11 from the floor as the Crimson got within two points in the quarter after trailing by as many as 20 in the second half.

Princeton won both games vs. Harvard, winning the rebounding margin by a combined 93-80:
Princeton 63, Harvard 58 - Recap/Box Score/Highlights/Rush Postgame Interview
Princeton 64, Harvard 60 - Recap/Box Score/Highlights

Closing out Harvard – Princeton was in front by eight points as the fourth quarter got underway against when the two teams met in February. Harvard outscored Princeton, 18-10, over the final 10 minutes. Destiny Nunley registered nine points during that quarter, but the Tigers recorded the overtime victory.

Trailing by 15 at halftime against Princeton in March, the Crimson outscored the Tigers, 40-29, in the last 20 minutes, behind six three-pointers. The Crimson are 73rd in the NCAA in three-pointers made while Katie Benzan places 30th nationally (2.85). Harvard got within two, but the Tigers kept the Crimson without a basket during the last 47 seconds to pick up the Ivy League win.

The Tigers will look to finish better offensively against the Crimson to secure a trip to the Ivy League Championship game.

Brown's Offense – The Brown Bears had the top Ivy League offense, averaging 72.0 points per game. Brown also has the best field goal percentage (41.8) and makes the most three-pointers (7.2). The Bears had two players, Justine Gaziano and Shayna Mehta, picked for second team All-Ivy.

Gaziano leads the team in scoring (17.0) while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. She also grabbed 4.2 rebounds and dished out 1.3 assists per game. Mehta was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season. This year, she's averaging 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. She's shooting 41 percent and 37.5 percent from deep.

Gaziano scored 33 points as the Bears took down Princeton, 98-88, at Jadwin in January. Brown shot 48 percent from the field in the victory. In the second matchup at Brown, Princeton held the Bears to 38.7 percent shooting while picking up an 81-75 victory.

Brown 98, Princeton 88 - Recap/Box Score/Highlights
Princeton 81, Brown 75 - Box Score/Recap/Highlights

Penn's Defense – Penn boasts the third best scoring defense in the country (51.5) while placing 10th in opponent's field goal percentage (34.9) and 28th in blocks (5.9).

In the first contest vs. Princeton, the Quakers held the Tigers to just eight baskets in the second half as it snagged a 62-57 victory to open up Ivy League play. On Tuesday, Princeton shot 26 percent (15-of-57) as Penn took its fourth straight game against the Tigers.

Penn 62, Princeton 57 - Box Score/Recap/Highlights
Penn 52, Princeton 40 - Box Score/Recap/Highlights

Michelle Nwokedi – Penn's Michelle Nwokedi was selected as the Ivy League Player of the Year. She leads the Quakers in scoring (14.7), rebounding (9.3) and blocks (2.8), ranking fifth, second and first in the League in those categories, respectively. She has 12 double-doubles on the year, second only to Columbia's Camille Zimmerman (13).

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Bella Alarie

Taylor Brown

Vanessa Smith