The First Postseason Bid

It had been eight years since the Princeton women's basketball team had won 20 games.

Nine since it had finished in the top two in the Ivy League.

It was also looking for a new coach.

Liz Feeley was in the middle of recruiting in the summer when she went to campus for an interview. She was hired in late July.

"We talked about the legacy the seniors would leave in the first year," said Feeley about the expectations heading into the year. "The name on the lockers were temporary, but they wanted to start building something. The players embraced a new philosophy. Younger players played a lot, and they had a chance to see the success of the seniors and it helped later."

The season began with two wins over Northern Illinois and Siena in Minnesota before a victory over Lafayette. Following a loss to Rutgers, the Tigers rebounded with decisions over Delaware, Bucknell, St. Bonaventure and Army. A loss to Fairleigh Dickinson put Princeton at 7-2 before a trek to Hawaii.

"The enthusiasm and energy really aligned," revealed Feeley. "I didn't know what to expect to start the season but winning the tournament in Minnesota was an incredible boost.

"Going to Hawaii was quite an honor and privilege," remembered Andrea Razi-Thomas '96. We got television coverage and had fun playing in that high level tournament. Those holiday tournaments and trips each year were a fun way to assess where we stood nationally as the Ivy League fought to prove its worth on a national level."

"The Hawaii trip was a big highlight for our team — it seemed a "glamorous" basketball trip to make after tournaments in places like Nebraska, Connecticut and Minnesota," declared Kim Allen '97. "That trip gave us a lot of confidence as we headed into our Ivy League season."

The Tigers went 2-1 in Hawaii before ending the non-conference portion of the season with a loss at home to Wake Forest.

Princeton began Ivy action with an impressive 18-point victory over Penn but followed it with a loss at Yale.

Despite the loss being 25 years ago, it still resonates with Razi-Thomas. "I remember that loss and how badly we played, said the point guard who is the all-time leader in career assists (447). "That said, we didn't rise to the challenge and should have won. We felt we were the better team. From there, we knew we had to win to live up to our own expectations of ourselves as a championship caliber team."

Feeley's unit proceeded to rattle off four straight victories.

"It was great to start off so strong since every game had weight," verbalized Feeley. "It was a burst of confidence and gave us success to look back upon."

"We were in the flow as a team," stated Trish (Klock) Omoqui '96. "Our hard work, intense focus and our care for one another were what brought about these amazing results. "

The season did get tougher as the Tigers dropped two of three before a weekend trip to Harvard and Dartmouth.

Princeton collected a split, falling to Harvard, but defeating Dartmouth. It was the first time the program won at Dartmouth in four years. That put the Tigers in the driver's seat for second place in the Ivy League, but there was still work to do.

The Tigers finished off the regular season with three wins including a one-point victory over Penn to finish the regular season and secure second place outright.

In most years, this would end the season.

Not for this team, though.

"When we dropped our away game to Harvard late in the season, we were devastated — with no Ivy League Tournament, the opportunity to win the league and get the automatic bid to NCAAs was likely lost," assumed Allen. "We refocused to win our last games of the season — including a very close one at the Palestra — a great achievement for the seniors we were graduating that year."

For the first time, the Tigers were going to the postseason as they were invited Women's National Invitational Tournament.

"It was an honor to be chosen-- not something any of us had planned on or understood was possible," affirmed Omoqui '96. "It was shocking, exciting and exhilarating to be part of creating history in this way."

"We were extremely proud of our at-large bid to the post season," recalled Razi-Thomas '96. "We felt it was deserved and we were excited to travel and extend our season. It was a true honor to represent our league on the national level. We got right to work preparing to compete."

The team traveled to Amarillo, Texas where it faced off against Arkansas, an SEC school, for the first time ever. The Tigers lost to the Razorbacks and then fell to Western Kentucky before finishing the tournament with a three-point victory over Illinois State.

The last victory was a steppingstone for the program as it was the team's 20th of the season. It was the first time Princeton reached that milestone since 1987-88.

"I feel very proud to have been part of Princeton Women's Basketball history and to have been a leader on a nationally recognized team," pointed out Razi-Thomas. "That helps me feel connected to the successful teams in recent history, that we were part of starting that."

"I am still in awe that we came together, worked hard and were chosen for this honor," exclaimed Omoqui. "25 years ago, our team paved the way for postseason play! It's remarkable to see how the program has grown and what the players who have come after us have achieved."

The impact on the 1995-96 squad left an important impact on the program. Allen and Omoqui were second-team All-Ivy while Razi's 131 helpers that season were tied for second all-time.

As Feeley said earlier the success of the seniors helped later as the Tigers would go on to earn its first Ivy title in 14 years three years later.

What a year, what a season, 1995-96 was, even 25 years later.

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