Women's Basketball: Key rivalry game in Cambridge awaits

Princeton also leads the conference in rebounding by a whopping margin, with a season total of 849. Harvard, the next closest team, trails by more than 100.

“We have focused on rebounding for the past few weeks, and so far we’ve been averaging over 50 rebounds a game in the Ivy League,” senior guard and captain Lauren Edwards said. “The more possessions we have, the better.”

Junior forward Niveen Rasheed has been the statistical star for Princeton this season, leading the Ivy League with averages of 16.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Edwards has also been a leader for the Tigers, averaging 10.4 points, and senior center Devona Allgood has added 9.4 points and six rebounds per game.

Princeton is coming off of a huge 25-point victory against Yale on Saturday. That win, like those before, allowed the Tigers to play many young bench players who do not get on the court very frequently. Edwards explained that winning games by a large margin and getting these players on the court are pivotal for the team as a whole, showing just how many Tigers have bite.

“It’s been great to see other people step up on the team from our bench,” Edwards said. “Players like [sophomore guard] Nicole Hung and [junior center] Meg Bowen have certainly added a spark to our scoring and intensity on the court. It speaks to our depth in all of our positions.”

Looking forward to what this weekend has to offer, Princeton is slated to play two games on the road, starting at Dartmouth on Friday. One of the league’s historical powers, the Big Green (3-16, 1-4) has struggled so far this season. Dartmouth has lost 14 of its last 15 games, the only win coming at Columbia last Friday.

The Big Green is led by guard Faziah Steen, averaging 15.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and center Tia Dawson, adding 7.2 points and seven rebounds per contest. With only one senior on the current roster, Dartmouth is a young and energetic team that should not be taken lightly by the heavily favored Tigers, despite its record.

The game that has the attention of many, however, is Princeton’s matchup at Harvard (11-8, 4-1) this Saturday. This game promises to be an exciting, action-packed battle between the two best teams in the Ivy League. Harvard is the only in-conference team that has beaten Princeton in the last three years, winning by six points at Lavietes Pavilion last season. Additionally, there is an obvious rivalry between the two schools.

“There is certainly an added motivation when we will be playing at Harvard this weekend because of what happened last year,” Edwards said. “We didn’t defend like we wanted to, and we didn’t knock down shots. We know that they are a good team, so we will have to play well, execute and defend if we want to win.”

Harvard is paced by the Ivy League’s third-leading scorer, guard Christine Clark, who has scored 15.9 points per game. Joining her in the backcourt are Victoria Lippert and Brogan Berry, who are also averaging double digits.

Princeton will face Dartmouth on Friday at 7 p.m., then travel to Massachusetts to play Harvard on Saturday at 6 p.m.