Princeton Wins Its Eighth Straight Game, Clinches Ivy Tournament Berth

Calendar

Women's Basketball

November 9, 2PM

at Georgia Tech

Women's Basketball

November 12, 7PM

at Villanova

Women's Basketball

November 16, 12AM

at Maryland

Women's Basketball

November 19, 7PM

vs Rice

Women's Basketball

November 22, 12AM

vs College MTE

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton Tigers clinched a berth in the first Ivy League Tournament with a 78-54 victory over the Columbia Lions at Jadwin Gym on Friday evening.

It's the fourth straight game that Princeton has had four players in double figures. Vanessa Smith and Bella Alarie chipped in 15 points each to lead the Tigers. The two combined to go 13-of-15 from the field. Alarie added six rebounds and four steals. Leslie Robinson and Taylor Brown contributed 11 points each. It's the fourth consecutive game for Brown with at least 10 points. Jackie Reyneke had a team-high seven rebounds off the bench in the win.

Ahead by two in the first quarter, the Tigers gained separation with a 10-0 run, taking a 17-5 lead with 3:13 to go. Columbia closed the frame with three baskets to set the score at 17-11 after 10 minutes.

The Lions used a 21-9 spurt over a 10-minute stretch between the first and second quarters to tie the score at 26-all with 2:52 left in the half. During that stretch, Columbia was lights out from the floor, going 10-of-20 while holding Princeton could only muster four baskets. Columbia's Camille Zimmerman recorded 11 points during that time.

A 9-2 push from the Tigers which included a trey from Gabrielle Rush and two three-point plays from Kenya Holland and Sydney Jordan put them in front, 35-28, at the half. Eight different players for the Tigers scored in the first 20 minutes of game action while the home squad was 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) from beyond the arc.

Princeton raced out to a 14-point advantage (44-30) with a 9-2 sprint to open the third quarter, highlighted by seven points from Smith. Four points by Lions put them within striking distance (53-41) as the clock ticked under a minute (0:43), but back-to-back field goals from Princeton made the contest, 56-41, after three quarters.

Columbia made one more push, recording the first five points of the fourth quarter, but head coach Courtney Banghart's unit put the game away with a 15-0 run over the next four minutes, making the Ivy League matchup, a 26-point affair (72-46). In that span, the Tigers were 5-of-7 (71.4 percent), forced three Lions turnovers and held the road team to 0-of-6 shooting.

Zimmerman had a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds for Columbia. Tori Oliver amassed 11 points for the Lions in the loss. After making 13 baskets in the first half, the Lions were held to four in the second half. Columbia's Megan Griffin made her first appearance at Jadwin Gym as a head coach after spending the previous six seasons on coach Banghart's staff.

The Tigers improve to 14-9 overall and 8-2 in the Ivy League, taking home their eighth consecutive victory. Columbia fell to 13-11 this season and 3-8 in the conference. Princeton holds the second spot in the Ivy League standings, one game behind Penn (9-1), who also clinched a spot in the postseason tournament. The Tigers will honor its three seniors, Brown, Smith and Reyneke in a pregame ceremony before tomorrow's game vs. Cornell. The trio has gone 88-25 in their careers, 44-7 in conference play and has played in three postseason tournaments. Tip-off for the game is 6:00 p.m.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results