This Week for the Tigers: The Princeton women's basketball team (4-2) remains at home this weekend hosting UMBC (3-4) on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.

Last Time Out: After its heartbreaker at UCLA Sunday, Princeton responded by throttling Rutgers, 71-55, Thursday evening at Jadwin Gym. An early offensive run, three double figure scorers and solid play on the boards lifted the Tigers their fourth win of the year.

Freshman Alex Wheatley scored a team-high 17 points off the bench, while starters Niveen Rasheed and Kristen Helmstetter had 15 and 14 points, respectively. Lauren Polansky led the team with nine rebounds, while adding seven assists.

The win over Rutgers was the first in 12 meetings between both programs.

On Deck: Princeton hosts Hofstra on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. The game is part of the Holiday Hoops Food Drive. By donating two cans of food, all fans will receive free admission.

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 UMBC: UMBC enters Sunday's contest riding a 3-4 overall record. The Retrievers are coming off an 85-57 loss at American on Nov. 27. Over its first seven games, teams are outscoring UMBC 67.1-64.1 (-3.0) and are outrebounding them 42.3-36.1 (-6.1).

Four Retriever players are scoring in double figures: Lauren Chase (13.6 ppg), Bria White (13.0 ppg), Brittany Crowell (11.1 ppg) and Raven Harris (10.7 ppg).  Crowell leads the squad's rebounding efforts with 6.3 rebounds per game.

All-Time vs. UMBC: Princeton and UMBC are 1-1 in the all-time series in program history. In the last meeting, the Tigers handed the Retrievers a 56-41 loss on Dec. 3, 2011 in Maryland.

Holiday Hoops Food Drive: Fans are encouraged to donate cans of food at both Sunday's UMBC and Wednesday's Hofstra games. By donating a two cans at each game, fans will receive free admission.

Comforts of Home: The Tigers are 2-0 at home this season, putting together consecutive dominant performances at Jadwin.

On Point: Point guard Lauren Polansky was an all-around threat for the Tigers versus Rutgers on Nov. 29. She tied a career-high with nine defensive rebounds, while dishing a season-high seven assists. The co-captain also had three blocks in the game.

Leading the Pack: As she has done throughout her career, senior Niveen Rasheed leads the Tigers in both points with 14.8 and rebounds with 9.2 per game. Rasheed also leads the team in assists with 20 and is second on the team in steals with 13. In five of six games, she's scored in double figures and has a pair of double-doubles on the year.  

This week Rasheed was named the College Sports Madness Ivy Player of the Week.

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 8.5 points per game. She is also tied for second in rebounding with 4.3 rebounds per game and has made a third-best 10 steals over six appearances.

Honoring the 2012 Ivy League Champs: Prior to Thursday's game versus Rutgers, Princeton honored the 2011-12 team that won the program's third consecutive Ivy League championship with the unveiling its updated Ivy and NCAA banners.

Helmstetter Makes First Career Start: Junior Kristen Helmstetter moved into the starting five versus Rutgers on Nov. 29, in place of injured Nicole Hung. In her first career start, the forward scored 14 points, including going a perfect 4-for-4 from the stripe, and grabbed six rebounds.

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.

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.

College Insider Mid-Major Top-25: The Tigers dropped to No. 7 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Tigers received 549 votes in the Nov. 27 poll.

Holiday Hoops Food Drive: The Tigers' games on Dec. 2 and Dec. 5 are part of Princeton's Holiday Hoops Food Drive. By donating two cans of food, fans will receive free admission to the games.

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.