Women's Basketball: Tigers take on surging Lions

The Tigers will be playing at home in Jadwin Gymnasium tonight against Columbia and against Cornell on Saturday. Princeton’s strong performance (15-4 overall, 4-1 Ivy League) makes them favorites in both games, but the Tigers will need to keep on their toes tonight to slow down the Lions’ (5-15, 4-2) momentum.

Columbia has not been a problem for Princeton in recent memory. Last year, the Tigers defeated the Lions by 22 points while on the road. When the teams met again in Jadwin two weeks later, Princeton once again came out on top. Since women’s basketball began at the University in the spring of 1972, the Tigers have won more than two-thirds of their games against Columbia.

This year is as good as any for the Lions to turn over a new leaf — and, apparently, they have done just that. After opening the season with 13 consecutive losses, Columbia turned things around in early January. Since their game against Cornell on Jan. 15, the Lions have won five games, losing two by a combined four points.

Columbia’s record is a poor indicator of their chances entering tonight’s game. If Princeton is not careful, the Lions could turn tonight’s game into another surprise loss for the Tigers. Columbia lost to Harvard by only one point last month, and Princeton fell to the Crimson by six last Friday.

The Lions were not expected to be competitive in conference play this year. Following the graduation of 2010 Ivy League Player of the Year Judie Lomax, Columbia was picked fifth in the preseason media poll and appeared headed for a worse finish after an 0-13 start.

Of course, the momentum from the Tigers’ previous six-game win streak did not entirely evaporate. Regardless of the matchup, Princeton’s 75-50 victory against Dartmouth last Saturday proves that its stumble ended by the time the Tigers reached Hanover, N.H. Overall, spectators should expect two motivated teams at tonight’s game.

As with last weekend, Princeton’s main challenge will be on Friday. That is not to say that Cornell (5-15, 2-4) should be discounted; it had a convincing win over Dartmouth last month. On the road, however, the Big Red has continually faltered. Cornell has not won a game outside their Newman Arena home since games began in November.

These losses have been spread throughout the season, preventing the Big Red from gaining momentum. Unlike Columbia’s record, that of Cornell is perfectly telling. It can stay competitive in games at home, but on the road the Big Red consistently loses, badly. Most of Cornell’s away losses have come by at least 10 points.

The Big Red’s chances this weekend? Slim to none. If the Tigers beat Columbia tonight, they will have proven that last Friday was a mere hiccup and will have recovered their momentum. Even if Princeton loses, it is doubtful that the Tigers will allow Cornell to come away with its first road win of the season. If the Big Red loses to Penn on Friday, it will have to wait for a chance to end its away-game losing streak until facing Harvard and Dartmouth the next weekend.

The women’s basketball regular season will close early next month. Before then, Princeton will have a second shot at every other school in the Ivy League. These rematches will begin next weekend when the Tigers take on Yale and Brown in Jadwin on Friday and Saturday, respectively.