Women’s basketball finished first half of Ivy League play undefeated

No. 25 Princeton women’s basketball team is officially halfway done with Ivy League play and plowing through every opponent that they meet.

Currently undefeated in the Ivy League and on a 15-game winning streak, the Tigers breezed through the halfway mark against Yale and Brown this weekend.

Against Yale, junior guard Carlie Littlefield rallied off 20 points as the leading scorer for Princeton in the 55–39 victory. Of Littlefield’s 20 points, 14 of them came in the second half of the game. While the Bulldogs took a quick 12–0 lead in the first quarter, the Tigers rallied back to finish the quarter with a six point run to trail by only four. Yale continued to battle in the second quarter to extend their lead to 18–10.

Princeton, with the current No. 1 scoring defense in the country, didn’t give up the battle. They shut the Bulldogs down, only allowing them to score one more basket the remainder of the second quarter.

The first half ended with a quick 11–2 run by the Tigers to push their lead to 29–21.

The third quarter was a tough fought battle between both teams. While Princeton took a big lead with only six minutes left in the quarter, Yale didn’t allow the Tigers to pull away as they cut Princeton’s lead to only five points. Princeton started the fourth quarter with seven of the first nine points, pushing their lead to 12 points. After that, Littlefield added six consecutive points to the board and secured the victory for Princeton.

The Tigers traveled to Providence, R.I. the next day to take on the Brown Bears. To start the 85–48 victory, Princeton came out strong in the first half of the game. In the first 20 minutes of play time between the two teams, the Tigers only allowed six baskets from the Bears.

With a 20 point lead in the first quarter, the Tigers didn’t let up. They led Brown 46–16 at the end of the first half.

Halftime gave Brown a chance to recuperate and prepare for the next half. The Bears outscored Princeton 23–15 in the third quarter to put the score at 61–39. During the next quarter, the Tigers only allowed nine more points for Brown in a great defensive game.

Littlefield added 19 points this game, putting her at 39 for the weekend. Senior captain Bella Alarie added 16 points this game. Both Littlefield and Alarie had nine rebounds and five assists.

Whether it is being nationally ranked or taking the Ivy League by storm, the Tigers are nothing short of accomplishments this season. Assistant Coach Lauren Battista was named the D2East Hoops East Division Player of the Decade from her time at Bentley University, and Alarie was named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy’s Midseason Team, along with being named Katrina McClain Award Finalist.

The second half of conference play begins against Harvard on Friday. This will be the first of five home games for the Tigers.