Women's Basketball: Clash with Drexel will test 13-game Jadwin run

Princeton is now on a 13-game win streak at home that it established last season. The Tigers defeated Drexel 66-49 last year, and Princeton finished the season 26-3 overall, as the undefeated Ivy League champion. The Tigers had the same record at this meeting point as last year, whereas Drexel is outperforming its early 2009-10 record of 4-4.

Despite Princeton’s season-opening success, Drexel is also having a strong season, with half its victories marked by wins of 20 points or more. The Dragons are undefeated at home this year and have a 1-1 record on the road. Drexel does not open its Colonial Athletic Association conference games until January against the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Drexel has dropped its single loss to the University of Virginia. The Dragons’ most recent game was a 66-43 victory over Seton Hall. Forward Tyler Hale recorded the first double-double of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and she contributed a team-leading five assists and three steals.

The Dragons had five other players reach double digits in scoring, including guards Kamile Nacickaite and Hollie Mershon, who both have shooting percentages over .450. Drexel has outscored opponents 438-336 this season. Nacickaite is also Drexel’s strongest defensive player, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game. The Dragons have a tendency to front-load their games, scoring early and often in the first half to establish a strong lead.

Drexel’s offense will be matched by the formidable Tigers, who boast a .445 shooting percentage, led by junior center Devona Allgood’s .559 average. Sophomore forward Niveen Rasheed leads the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 18 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Allgood has the next-best rebounding rate on the team with an average of 6.8 per game.

Like Drexel, the Tigers have clearly distanced themselves from the opposition, having outscored their opponents by a 647-490 margin. In their game against Navy last Friday, the Tigers used a second-half surge to build on a three-point lead at halftime and cruise to a 74-61 victory against the Midshipmen.

On Monday night, the Tigers stormed to a 90-58 home win over Lafayette. Rasheed scored a career-high 28 points, the most points scored in a game by a Princeton player since 2006. The Tigers shot better than 53.6 percent from the field against the Leopards and were above the mid-century mark in their last two games.

Drexel is sure to be a challenging opponent for the Tigers, who nevertheless are favored to win. Having been on both sides of close games — losing 60-59 on a last-second shot to Rutgers on Nov. 18 and topping University of Southern California 60-59 on Nov. 26 — the Tigers will need to stick to their strong offensive skills in order to extend their home winning streak to 14.