Princeton University Athletics
Friday, March 17
Princeton, N.J.
6:00 p.m.
Princeton University
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Villanova
Players Mentioned
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Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Tigers Ready For Villanova In WNIT First Round
March 15, 2017 | Women's Basketball
| Week 20 Game Notes: Villanova Wildcats | |
| Gametimes | Fri., Mar. 17 - 6 p.m. l Jadwin Gym |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats - Watch (Ivy League Digital Network) |
| @PUTigers l @NovaAthletics | |
| All-Time Series | Villanova leads 9-7. |
| Last Meeting | Dec. 13, 2012 - Villanova 61, Princeton 54 (Recap) |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @PrincetonWBB |
| Villanova | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @NovaWBasketball |
| Related Links | Game Notes |
WNIT Preview
- The Women's Invitational Tournament (WNIT) has announced that the Princeton Tigers are among its field of 64 teams. Princeton received the Ivy League's automatic qualifier which is given to the highest team in the regular season that does not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
- The Tigers will host the Villanova Wildcats on Friday at Jadwin Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and a live broadcast is available on the Ivy League Digital Network (Jon Mozes play-by-play, Megan O'Brien analyst). Villanova was selected as the Big East's automatic qualifier. The Tigers and Wildcats have faced off in 16 games all-time with the Big East foe winning nine times. The last time these two teams met was in 2012 with Villanova pulling out a 61-54 decision.
- This is the third time that the Tigers have been selected to the postseason WNIT. Princeton became the first Ivy League team to receive an at-large bid in 1996 and picked up its first ever WNIT victory in 2014. It's the eighth straight season that Princeton will play in a postseason tournament, making the NCAA Tournament six times and the WNIT twice.
- First-round WNIT action tips off Wednesday, March 15 and concludes Friday, March 17. Second-round games will run March 18-21, round three goes March 22-24, quarterfinals are March 25-27, and the semifinals will be played March 29-30. The championship game will be played Saturday, April 1 and will be televised live and in HD on CBS Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET. All games are hosted by participating schools.
- "We're honored to represent the Ivy League as the automatic qualifier in the WNIT," said head coach Courtney Banghart. "To play in the post-season, in an event of this caliber, is something we don't take lightly and we'll honor the opportunity by playing hard and together. This gritty team is excited about continuing on in our journey. The time has come for a survive and advance opportunity and the preparation is underway."
All-Ivy Teams -
- The Princeton Tigers had two players named to the All-Ivy League teams last week. Bella Alarie was selected as first team All-Ivy League and Rookie of the Year while Leslie Robinson was second team All-Ivy.
- The two were also named to the Ivy League All-Tournament team. Alarie, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, averaged 14.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in the two games. She posted back-to-back double-doubles, giving her eight on the season. Against Harvard, she set a career high with 16 rebounds in the win. Her three blocks against the Crimson also tied the single-season record (50) set by Ellen Devoe during the 1984-85 season. Robinson, second team All-Ivy, contributed 12.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
- Alarie is the third Tiger in Ivy history to be Rookie of the Year (Meagan Cowher, 2005, Niveen Rasheed, 2010). The Bethesda, Md., native was selected as Rookie of the Week nine times this season, tied for the most in program history with Rasheed in 2010. Alarie and Rasheed are also the most recent Tigers to be rookies on the first team All-Ivy.Â
- The freshman ranked in the Ivy League's top ten in blocks, (fourth), total rebounds (fifth), rebounds per game (fifth), defensive rebounds (sixth), field goals (sixth), field goal percentage (seventh), three-point field goal percentage (seventh), points (eighth), points per game (eighth) and points per 40 minutes (eighth).
- Alarie has had one of the greatest freshman seasons in Princeton history. Her 50 blocks has tied the single-season block record, her 368 points is fourth most for a freshman, 38 three-pointers is third most for a rookie.
- The multi-position player had eight double-doubles this year including a sparkling 26-point, 15-rebound, 6-assists performance vs. Seton Hall. Her game vs. Seton Hall is one of the most unique in program history as Alarie is the first player to score 25 points, grab 14 rebounds and dish out six assists in a game since Ellen Devoe vs. Lehigh on Nov. 25, 1983.
- Robinson picked up her first All-Ivy accolade as she was honored on the second team All-Ivy League. She currently is averaging 10.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals for the Tigers, all of which are career highs.
- The junior forward is second in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (49.2), sixth in rebounds per game, sixth in assists (80), offensive rebounds (67) and sixth in total rebounds (202). Robinson had six double-doubles this year, five of which came in Ivy play.
Ivy Notes
- On the offensive end, Princeton is tops in the conference in offensive rebounds (14.7), second in field goals made (24.0), field goal attempts (61.3) and fourth in field goal percentage (39.2).
- A strong defensive unit has always been a staple of Banghart's tenure as Princeton is first in steals (8.3), first in opponents' three-point field goal percentage (28.4), second in points allowed (55.4), opponent's field goal percentage (35.8), second in rebound margin (+6.2), third in blocks (4.2) and total rebounds (41.8).
- Sophomore Gabrielle Rush is sixth in three-point field goals per game (1.8).
- Sophomore Sydney Jordan is seventh in offensive rebounds per game (2.3).
- Junior Tia Weledji is tied for fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8)
- Senior Taylor Brown is tied for ninth in steals per game (1.5).
- Fans flocked to Jadwin Gym to see the Tigers as they placed first in attendance (871).Â
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.
- Alarie's seven blocks vs. Brown on Jan. 13 were the highest for a single game by a freshman in program history.
 On the Upswing
- After beginning the season 0-4, the Tigers have gone 16-9 with victories over Rutgers, UMBC, Seton Hall, Lafayette, Wagner, Lipscomb, Yale (twice), Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia (twice), Brown and Harvard (three times).Â
- Princeton has held a scoring margin of +10.0 and are averaging 66.1 points per game during that stretch.
- The team is dropping in 6.3 three-pointers per contest during that span.
- Bella Alarie, Taylor Brown and Kenya Holland are shooting at least 35 percent from deep in that stretch.
- Rush has made 30 of her last 33 free throws.Â
- After getting outrebounded in two of its first three contests, the Tigers have won the rebounding battle in 20 of the last 25 games. During that span, Princeton holds a +7.3 margin.Â
- This season, three players are averaging at least four rebounds per game in Alarie, Robinson and Smith.
In the National Rankings
- Princeton is 13th nationally in rebounds per game (43.1), 19th in field goal percentage defense (35.6), 38th in rebounding margin (+6.1), 32nd in scoring defense (57.1), 43rd in three-point field goal defense (28.7) and 55th in blocked shots (4.4).
Ivy League Tournament RecapÂ
- The No. 1 seeded Penn Quakers held off a late charge, defeating the No. 2 seeded Princeton Tigers, 57-48, to win the Ivy League Tournament Championship at the Palestra on Sunday afternoon.Â
- Bella Alarie snagged her second straight double-double and her eighth of the season as she amassed 11 points and 11 rebounds. Vanessa Smith had eight points while Gabrielle Rush had seven points and five rebounds in the loss.
- The Princeton Tigers, behind their two All-Ivy players, ran past the Harvard Crimson in the second half, 68-47, in the Ivy League Semifinal at the Palestra on Saturday evening.
- Bella Alarie recorded her seventh double-double with a game-high 17 points and career-high 16 rebounds while Leslie Robinson added 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block. Alarie's three blocks against the Crimson also tied the single-season record (50) set by Ellen Devoe during the 1984-85 season.
- The Crimson made a push, rolling out 11 of the first 14 points of the fourth frame, cutting its deficit to 52-42 with 5:51 to go. Alarie stemmed the Harvard rush with a bucket as the clock ticked under four and half minutes. Princeton recorded five consecutive points after that basket to put the game out of the reach.
Summer Trip
- After traveling to France and Africa in 2011, the Princeton women's basketball team flew to Australia this summer.Â
- 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.Â
- 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.Â
- 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 - Villanova Wildcats
- The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 9-7.
- The two teams last met in 2012 with Villanova taking home a 61-54 decision.Â
- Princeton last won against Villanova in 2011, 56-41.
Scouting Villanova -
- Villanova enters postseason play with a 16-14 overall record. The Wildcats went 11-7 in Big East play during the regular season which was good enough for fourth place in the final league standings. This was the fourth straight season that Villanova has tallied 11 or more conference wins.
- The team's top two scorers are sophomore guard Adrianna Hahn who is averaging 13.2 points per game and junior guard Alex Louin with a 12.3 points per contest average. Junior center Megan Quinn leads the team in rebounds with a 5.5 rebounds per game average. Villanova has six players averaging over 20 minutes per game, including Louin (34.6 mpg.), Hahn (34.3 mpg.), sophomore Jannah Tucker (28.7 mpg.), Quinn (24.3 mpg.), senior Samantha Wilkes (24.2 mpg.) and freshman Kelly Jekot (21.5 mpg.).Â
 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.Â
- Jordan Muhammad's father, Muhsin, played 14 seasons in the NFL, for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.Â
- 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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