Princeton’s seniors add another Ivy trophy to growing collection
PRINCETON >> Another year, another Ivy League regularseason championship.
The Princeton women’s basketball team captured its 18th regular-season title on Saturday after soundly defeating Penn, 72-55, to complete an undefeated home slate at Jadwin Gymnasium.
Kaitlyn Chen, Ellie Mitchell, and Chet Nweke were honored before the game on Senior Day, and each of them played a major role in the Tigers securing the conference title.
Chen, who has led Princeton to success all year long, was a force on the court, as she flirted with a triple-double, tallying 19 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Nweke also provided strong play as she scored 11 points while adding five rebounds and a block. Mitchell provided four points, but her presence was felt on the boards as she grabbed a game-high eight rebounds (three offensive, five defensive) with two steals.
“It was just a lot of fun” Chen said. “People were just getting into the right spots. It was easy to find them, and it’s just like once we got on our run, it felt like everything was flowing.”
The senior trio played pivotal parts in Princeton’s win, but how it’s played, and what it’s meant to this team on and off the court has just been a staple of the Tigers’ identity throughout the season, as well as the last three years these women have played together.
“It’s kinda hard to put into words,” Princeton coach Carla Berube said about her seniors. “Ellie has been here the whole time that I’ve been here and [I] couldn’t have had a better player and leader. The way that she can impact a game defensively, the blue collar work that she puts in, it’s everyday in practice.”
“Chet and Kaitlyn came in and just kinda hit the ground running.” Berube continued. “They’re great friends, great teammates. They lead by example every single day. We’ll be sad when they’re gone, but I think they’ve left a really great legacy here.”
Penn made it clear early on that it wasn’t going to just lay down and let the defending champions run it over. It was a close game through the first three quarters as the Quakers fought tooth-and-nail to spoil Princeton’s championship aspirations.
“That’s a very good team,” Berube said about Penn. “Great young guard play, (Stina) Almqvist and (Jordan) Obi are tough … they’re hard, they’re tough, and they’re well coached, and we knew it wasn’t gonna be any kind of walk in the park today.”
The Tigers led, 55-47, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, before a 13-0 run blew the game wide open as they cruised to a decisive victory to capture their sixth straight Ivy League title.
While Saturday was all about the seniors, sophomore guard Madison St.Rose made it clear that she was ready to carry the torch moving forward. She finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting, as she came out scorching hot in the first half.
“She certainly started this game off ‘en fuego’,” Berube said about St.Rose. “It was really fun to see her get her groove back a little bit. She’s having a great season, and (I’m) excited that she’s only a sophomore.”
As the regular season comes to an end, Chen was able to reflect on what she’s learned, how she’s grown with her teammates as a player and a mentor, and how that has translated onto the court with their play.
“It’s amazing” Chen said about the success she has achieved. “I said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s so special when you get to do it with this group of people.
“I think I’ll just be grateful for all the memories that I’ve made here and all the friendships and relationships that I’ve sorta grown and developed. Those will be with me for the rest of my life.”
Chen has truly made her mark on Princeton, and will carry that success with her wherever she goes, but right now she still has one last shot at glory with the Ivy League, and NCAA Tournaments on the horizon.
“I think we’re just gonna take it one game at a time,” Chen said about the team’s preparation for their upcoming tournament run. “Just looking forward to it, and give it our all.”
Princeton (23-4, 13-1) is the top seed at the Ivy League Tournament next weekend in New York where it faces Penn (15-12, 7-7) in the first of two semifinals on Friday. The Tigers shared the regular-season title with Columbia for the second straight year, but have the No. 1 seed thanks to their higher NET ranking.
Columbia (22-5, 13-1), which is hosting the tournament, is the No. 2 seed and faces No. 3 seed Harvard (16-11, 9-5) in the other semifinal. Princeton is considered by most bracketologists to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament regardless of results this weekend, and Columbia is firmly on the bubble as one of the last four in or out.