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Sunday, March 17
New Haven, Conn.
4:00 PM
Princeton University
22-9
65
vs
54
Penn
23-6
1
2
3
4
F
Penn
17
14
16
7
54
Princeton
19
11
14
21
65
Photo by: Ivy League
BACK-TO-BACK! Princeton Earns Second Straight Ivy Tournament Title
March 17, 2019 | Women's Basketball
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Princeton Tigers won their second straight Ivy League Tournament title with a 65-54 victory over the Penn Quakers at the Lee Amphitheater on Sunday afternoon.
Just like the game at the Palestra, the Tigers' defense shined in the fourth quarter as they held the Quakers to one basket.
Penn's Kendall Grasela hit a jumper with 6:28 remaining that tied the Ivy Tournament Final at 51-all.
The Quakers would only score on three free throws after that.
Gabrielle Rush's jumper as the clock ticked under five minutes proved to be the game-winner, but it was this trey from Julia Cunningham that proved to be the most clutch …
"I can't say enough about what team has gone through," said head coach Courtney Banghart. "I've got two players that have suited up in every game this year and it happened to be our two captains. I had to look in Gabrielle (Rush) and Sydney (Jordan)'s eyes all year and said trust it and lead competitively. You saw the competitiveness of this group today."
The Tigers rolled eight of the first 10 points of the game before the Quakers roared back with eight straight to take a 10-8 advantage halfway through the frame. The back and forth continued as the quarter featured six lead changes and two ties before Alarie's jumper handed the Tigers a 19-17 lead after 10 minutes.
Princeton held the Penn without a basket for over five minutes of action, extending its margin to six, 23-17, at the 8:13 mark of the second frame. This time the Quakers went on a run, registering a 14-2 sprint, jumping ahead, 31-25, with 70 seconds left in the first half. The Tigers finished off the half with a flurry, getting a bucket from Alarie and a trey from Rush as the clock expired to set the score at 31-30 Penn.
A 10-2 run by the Quakers out of the break extended their lead to seven, 41-34, as the clock ticked under five minutes to go in the stanza. A jumper by Carlie Littlefield made the matchup at 47-44 affair as the fourth quarter started.
Alarie was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer for the second straight season. She was remarkable against the Quakers with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, contributing six rebounds, five blocks and three assists. The two-time Ivy Player of the Year averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 blocks in the tournament.
"It doesn't hurt to have Bella Alarie on your team," mentioned Banghart. "Those people who are just getting to see her … come back. She held another pro in Eleah Parker to 5-of-23 from the field and that's a stat line that speaks for itself."
Littlefield, Cunningham and Rush were also named to the All-Tournament Team with Alarie. Penn's Ashley Russell and Parker were also named to the All-Tournament squad with the four Tigers. Russell led the Quakers with 14 points in the loss.
Princeton has now won 12 straight and 21 out of the last 23 games. Prior to Banghart's arrival, the Tigers had never made the NCAA Tournament.
Tonight made it the eighth NCAA appearance for the Tigers … since 2010.
The NCAA Selection Show will be on ESPN tomorrow (Mar. 18) at 7 p.m.
Just like the game at the Palestra, the Tigers' defense shined in the fourth quarter as they held the Quakers to one basket.
Penn's Kendall Grasela hit a jumper with 6:28 remaining that tied the Ivy Tournament Final at 51-all.
The Quakers would only score on three free throws after that.
Gabrielle Rush's jumper as the clock ticked under five minutes proved to be the game-winner, but it was this trey from Julia Cunningham that proved to be the most clutch …
Princeton hit seven free throws in the final 77 seconds to keep its distance from Penn and secure the win. The Tigers shot 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) in the fourth quarter, outscoring Penn, 21-7.Princeton 58, Penn 52 | 2:06 4th
— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) March 17, 2019
An unbelievable clutch three-pointer from Julia Cunningham! Quakers call timeout!
Watch: https://t.co/bf6dQcdBWK pic.twitter.com/QiPYHHnrrj
"I can't say enough about what team has gone through," said head coach Courtney Banghart. "I've got two players that have suited up in every game this year and it happened to be our two captains. I had to look in Gabrielle (Rush) and Sydney (Jordan)'s eyes all year and said trust it and lead competitively. You saw the competitiveness of this group today."
The Tigers rolled eight of the first 10 points of the game before the Quakers roared back with eight straight to take a 10-8 advantage halfway through the frame. The back and forth continued as the quarter featured six lead changes and two ties before Alarie's jumper handed the Tigers a 19-17 lead after 10 minutes.
Princeton held the Penn without a basket for over five minutes of action, extending its margin to six, 23-17, at the 8:13 mark of the second frame. This time the Quakers went on a run, registering a 14-2 sprint, jumping ahead, 31-25, with 70 seconds left in the first half. The Tigers finished off the half with a flurry, getting a bucket from Alarie and a trey from Rush as the clock expired to set the score at 31-30 Penn.
A 10-2 run by the Quakers out of the break extended their lead to seven, 41-34, as the clock ticked under five minutes to go in the stanza. A jumper by Carlie Littlefield made the matchup at 47-44 affair as the fourth quarter started.
Alarie was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer for the second straight season. She was remarkable against the Quakers with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, contributing six rebounds, five blocks and three assists. The two-time Ivy Player of the Year averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 blocks in the tournament.
"It doesn't hurt to have Bella Alarie on your team," mentioned Banghart. "Those people who are just getting to see her … come back. She held another pro in Eleah Parker to 5-of-23 from the field and that's a stat line that speaks for itself."
Littlefield, Cunningham and Rush were also named to the All-Tournament Team with Alarie. Penn's Ashley Russell and Parker were also named to the All-Tournament squad with the four Tigers. Russell led the Quakers with 14 points in the loss.
Princeton has now won 12 straight and 21 out of the last 23 games. Prior to Banghart's arrival, the Tigers had never made the NCAA Tournament.
Tonight made it the eighth NCAA appearance for the Tigers … since 2010.
The NCAA Selection Show will be on ESPN tomorrow (Mar. 18) at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
PENN
PRIN
FG%
.357
.460
3FG%
.364
.429
FT%
.714
.722
RB
36
29
TO
12
9
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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