This Week for the Tigers: Riding a three-game winning
streak, the Princeton women's basketball team (6-2) hits the road for a Sunday,
Dec. 9 meeting with Delaware (4-2) at 2 p.m.
Last Time Out: The Tigers dismantled Hofstra,
84-54, on Dec. 5 to wrap up their three-game homestand undefeated. Princeton
saw two 20-point scorers, while shooting 48.4 percent (31-for-64) from the
field. The Tigers also held differentials in rebounding (49-38) and assists (22-10),
and forced the Pride to commit 18 turnovers, which they converted into 13
points.
On Deck: Princeton remains on the road, heading to
Villanova on Wednesday, Dec. 12. First tip is at 7 p.m.
Follow the Tigers: Live video and stats will be
available for all Princeton home games at GoPrincetonTigers.com. Live stats and
video will be available from Delaware via GoPrincetonTigers.com. Dan Loney will
also be live from the sidelines with play-by-play from Newark, Del.
Get Connected: Are you following Princeton on
Facebook and Twitter? Follow the athletics department at
Facebook.com/PrincetonAthletics and Twitter.com/PUTIGERS. Connect with the
Tiger women's basketball team on Facebook.com/PrincetonWBB or follow head coach
Courtney Banghart on Twitter @CoachBanghart.
Scouting Delaware: Delaware is riding a three-game
winning streak entering Sunday's matchup. The Blue Hens most recently defeated
Rhode Island, 57-40, on the road on Dec. 5.
The Hens' (4-2) most touted player Elena Delle Donne has only seen
action in one game due to Lyme disease. In her absence, Lauren Carra has
headlined the Delaware offense with 14.8 points per game. Danielle Parker leads
the Hens in rebounding with 10.7 boards per game and is the squad's
second-leading scorer with 10.3 points per game.
All-Time vs. Delaware: Delaware leads the all-time
series 15-7, winning the last meeting 81-70 on Dec. 1, 2011 in Princeton. The
series between the Tigers and Blue Hens was established during the 1983-94
season.
Helmstetter Has Career Game vs. Hofstra: Junior Kristen Helmstetter, who was making her
third straight start, recorded career-highs in both points with 21, including a
personal-best four treys, and assists with seven versus Hofstra on Dec. 5. The
forward also had six defensive boards, nearly tying a career mark in rebounds.
Crashing the Boards: Point guard Lauren Polansky
grabbed a team-high and career-high 11 rebounds, including nine defensive
boards, in only 21 minutes of work versus Hofstra on Dec. 5. Polansky was a
crux on defense, preventing the Pride from creating second chance
opportunities, while igniting offensive runs for Princeton. She also had three
steals, two assists and a block.
Comforts of Home: The Tigers are 4-0 at home this
season, putting together a quartet of dominant performances at Jadwin.
At home, Princeton is outscoring opponents 336-197. The Tigers saw
a season-best performance versus UMBC on Dec. 2, outscoring the Retrievers 51-8
in the first half.
Quintet in Double Figures: For the first time this season
five players scored in double figures versus UMBC on Dec. 2. Four of the
starting five reached the scoring mark, along with newcomer Michelle Miller in
17 bench minutes.
Kate Miller led the offense for the first time this season with 13
points, going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Leading the Pack: As she has done throughout her
career, senior Niveen Rasheed leads the Tigers in both points with 15.5 and
rebounds with 8.8 per game. Rasheed also leads the team in assists with 28 and
is second in steals with 16. In seven of eight games, she's scored in double
figures and has a pair of double-doubles on the year.
Have You Had Your Wheaties?: Freshman Alex Wheatley scored a
career-high and team-leading 17 points versus Rutgers on Nov. 29. The forward
has been a consistent contributor off the bench and is the Tigers'
second-leading scorer with 8.3 points per game. She also is averaging 4.4
rebounds per game, while adding 11 steals and 13 assists over eight appearances.
Assists 4 Africa: The Princeton women's basketball
team will be hosting Assists 4 Africa events at Jadwin Gym as part of the
Princeton Varsity Club Service Circle. Its efforts will raise money for Vivre
Ensemble Madeshael, the orphanage in Senegal the team visited in 2011, working
with Progress 4 Africa (501(c)3) charity.
To pledge a one-time donation search for "Assists4Africa" on
www.crowdrise.com or pledge an amount based on the number of assists the team
makes throughout the season. Please direct all questions to
PrincetonAssists4Africa@gmail.com.
Banghart Reaches Career Milestone: Sixth season head coach Courtney
Banghart won her 100th career game at the helm of the Princeton women's
basketball program Sunday in the Tigers' 93-46 win over UMBC. Banghart is now
101-52 all-time and 65-16 in Ivy play. Assistant coach Milena Flores has been
on Banghart's coaching staff throughout that span, as well.
Inside Ivy League Basketball: Head coach Courtney Banghart was
this week's guest on "Inside Ivy League Basketball". To hear what she had to
say about the Tigers, click here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/insideivyleaguebasketball.
Rookie Debuts: All five freshmen made their
Jadwin Gym debut versus Rider on Nov. 20. The game also marked the collegiate
debuts of Annie Tarakchian and Taylor Williams. The quintet scored 26 of
Princeton's 47 bench points.
Ranked Opponents: Princeton's meeting between
then-No. 19/22 UCLA on Nov. 25 marked the squad's first game versus a ranked
team. When the Tigers faced Rutgers on Nov. 29, the Scarlet Knights were
receiving votes in both national top-25 polls.
College Insider Mid-Major Top-25: The Tigers reamain tabbed No. 7
in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Tigers received
575 votes in the Dec. 4 poll.
Rasheed Named to Wooden Award Preseason Team
& Naismith Watch List: Senior Niveen Rasheed was selected to the Wooden Award Women's
Preseason Top 30 and to the 50-player Naismith Watch List. The Tiger guard is
the only Ivy League representative on the prestigious preseason teams
recognizing the top NCAA Division I players in the nation.
Preseason Poll Predicts Ivy Four-Peat: Behind 132 votes and 13
first-place nods, Princeton was predicted to win the Ivy League title for the
fourth consecutive season in the Ivy preseason media poll. Harvard was the only
other team to collect first-place votes, earning 120 points and three
first-place votes.
Ivy First: The Tigers made history a year ago by
becoming the only Ivy League women's basketball program to earn a national
ranking. Princeton was No. 24 in the final AP Poll of 2011-12.
Welcome Back: The Tigers welcome back 10 letterwinners from
a year ago, including unanimous Ivy Player of the Year Niveen Rasheed and
two-time Ivy Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Polansky. Princeton will be
led by a sturdy group of four seniors, looking to conclude their careers on top
of the League for a fourth straight season.
The Newbies: Five freshmen join the Tigers in 2012-13.
Princeton bolsters its lineup with a versatile group, each looking to become
immediate contributors. The Tiger newcomers are: point guard Amanda Berntsen,
guard Michelle Miller, guard/forward Annie Tarakchian, forward Alex Wheatley and
forward/center Taylor Williams.
Preseason Honors: The Tigers have already picked up
several preseason honors entering 2012-13. College Sports Madness tabbed head
coach Courtney Banghart as the Preseason All-Mid Major and Ivy League Coach of
the Year. Senior Niveen Rasheed was named the Preseason Ivy League Player of
the Year and to the Preseason All-Mid Major and All-Ivy First Team.
Ivy Domination: This year's senior class has only
seen one Ivy League loss throughout their careers, going 41-1. They have won
the last three consecutive conference championships and were members of the
first group to advance to the NCAA Tournament in Princeton history.
Milestone Ahead: Sixth season head coach Courtney
Banghart currently boasts a 99-52 all-time record, including a staggering 65-16
all-time Ivy record. She is one win away from another career milestone - her
100th victory at the helm of the program.
Rasheed Featured on ESPN: Senior Niveen Rasheed was
featured on ESPN.com in a preseason article by women's sports writer Graham
Hays. To view the article click here:
http://m.espn.go.com/ncw/story?storyId=8603963
My Captain, Oh My Captain: Princeton's co-captains in
2012-13 are reigning Ivy Player of the Year Niveen Rasheed and two-time
Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Polansky.
You'll Be Missed: Princeton graduated three players
for last year's team, including All-Ivy Devona Allgood and Lauren Edwards.
Between the returners and quintet of newbies, Princeton will look to fill their
void.
New Faces, New Roles: In addition to five new players
on the court, the Princeton coaching staff saw some new additions. After two
years at the team's director of basketball operations Megan Griffith has been
promoted to assistant coach. Griffith replaces Melanie Moore.
Tyler
Cordell was hired during the summer as the program's new director of basketball
operations. Cordell comes from Ithaca where she was a graduate assistant with
the Division III women's basketball team.