Princeton asserts itself as top team in Ivy League
There’s a clear top two in Ivy League women’s basketball, but the Princeton Tigers wanted to prove Saturday that they aren’t No. 2.
Madison St. Rose racked up 21 points, six rebounds and three steals and the Tigers ended Columbia’s 10game winning streak with an assertive 80-65 victory on Saturday at Jadwin Gym.
In her first taste of the growing rivalry, Princeton freshman Skye Belker scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added four assists. Ellie Mitchell posted a season-high 14 points and 15 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
Princeton (14-3, 4-0 Ivy) won its ninth game in a row while handing the Lions (12-5, 3-1) their first defeat since Nov. 22. The Tigers have won 29 of their past 30 meetings with the Lions — the lone loss in that span coming last season, at home.
“Coming into this game, I just felt I wanted to bring it all for my teammates,” St. Rose said, “whether it be rebounding, whether it be scoring in any way possible, just to help out because I really wanted this win. I don’t like when people win on our home court.”
Princeton had to rally, though, after Columbia made its final eight fieldgoal attempts of the first half to grab a 37-33 lead.
Belker knocked down a pair of jumpers 1:15 apart in the third quarter, first to tie the game and then to push Princeton ahead. Chet Nweke’s open layup made it a 10-2 Princeton run for a 45-41 advantage.
Princeton led 56-51 at the end of the third quarter, but not before star point guard Kaitlyn Chen (11 points) picked up her fourth foul. Freshman Ashley Chea ran the point for most of the fourth quarter, and Mitchell took over by scoring 11 of her points in the frame as Princeton pulled away by as many as 17.
Columbia shot just 12of-34 after halftime after a 9-for-11 second quarter.
“We just needed to talk about a few things at halftime and play the way we’re capable of playing,” Princeton coach Carla Berube said. “I thought we came out with a lot of energy in that third quarter and then I think we locked down really well in that fourth quarter.”
Nweke, a key role player for three seasons at Princeton, made her first college start in her 76th game. She tallied nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbed six rebounds, and Berube was thrilled with her performance on defense.
“I’m a defensive coach so I want to get my best defensive team out there, and Chet’s really been playing well on that side of the ball,” Berube said. “… She came up big, she had a really great game.”
Nweke, a senior, said she found out Tuesday that she was in line to start against Columbia’s guard-heavy lineup.
“I was really excited, because obviously I don’t mind coming off the bench, I do whatever I need to do for my team,” Nweke said. “But I think getting this opportunity meant a lot to me and I just wanted to take advantage of it, play the best defense that I could so that my team could be successful.”
Belker also drew praise for her defense on Columbia’s leading scorer, Abbey Hsu. While Hsu scored 22 points, she shot an inefficient 8-of-22 from the field.
“I was told before our game a lot about the environment and the history of Princeton playing Columbia,” Belker said. “I kind of tried to put myself in their shoes and take everything that’s happened in the past personally so that we could really get them today.”
Princeton and Columbia
will meet again Feb. 24 at Columbia’s Levien Gymnasium; that’s also the site of this year’s Ivy Madness tournament, where the programs could be on a collision course for a third showdown in the final.
Coached by former Princeton assistant Megan Griffith, Columbia reached the WNIT quarterfinals two years ago and were WNIT runners-up last season. Each year, the Lions fell short of the Ivy League title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Could this be the year both teams make NCAAs? Princeton was ranked No. 40 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) and Columbia was No. 66 entering the weekend.
For Princeton’s players, postseason talk is premature, but confidence is rising.
“I think this team can hang with anybody … I have faith in this team, in that we can take on anyone,” Nweke said.