WBB vs. Kentucky, Indiana (NCAA Tournament)
The women’s basketball team (25–4 overall, 14–0 Ivy League) didn’t back down entering March Madness. The No. 11-seed Tigers toppled sixth-seeded Kentucky (19–12, 8–8 Southeastern) on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. In their 69–62 victory against the Wildcats, the Tigers demonstrated their talent on national television, holding the lead for more than 37 minutes of the game. Senior guard Abby Meyers led the team in scoring with 29 points, followed by sophomore guard Kaitlyn Chen with 17.
In the second round of the tournament, the Tigers took on third-seeded Indiana (24–8, 11–5 Big Ten). A spot in the Sweet 16 was on the line, and both teams were ready to leave it all on the court. While it was a hard fought battle until the very last second, Princeton fell 56–55. Despite being down ten points at the half, Princeton bounced back and took a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, courtesy of a field goal from Chen. The two teams struggled on the offensive to make plays as their dominant defense kept each other from entering the paint. With less than 30 seconds left in the game, the Tigers were down by just two at 54–52. The Hoosiers converted two points from free throws, extending the lead to four with 1.3 seconds remaining. Those few seconds were enough for Meyers to basket a three-pointer, but it wasn’t enough to tie or win the game for the Tigers. The devastating loss for Princeton concludes the Tigers’ postseason play.
Check out this article by contributor Isabel Rodrigues for a full recap of the Kentucky game.
Men’s basketball vs. VCU
In the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), the Tigers took on third seeded Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and fell short, losing 90–79. Princeton (23–7, 12–2 Ivy League) took an early lead, but the Rams (22–9, 14–4 Atlantic 10) led the Tigers 39–32 going into the half. Despite efforts from Princeton to close the gap after the half, they trailed VCU for the remainder of the game. Junior forward Tosan Evbuomwan continued his stellar play, earning a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Ethan Wright contributed 18 points and seven rebounds himself.
With this, the Tigers ended their post-season play for the 2021–22 season. Although it was a disappointing loss to close off the season, the Tigers ended with a bang. They set four new program records: highest scoring average of 79.8 percent, most points scored with 2,395, most field-goals made with 910, and the most three-point baskets with 327.
Check out this article by Head Sports Editor Wilson Conn for a full recap of the Tigers’ game against VCU.
Wrestling at NCAA Championships
This past weekend, six Tigers competed in the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit, Mich. Placing 16th out of 69 teams, the Tigers finished with two finalists: third-seeded junior Patrick Glory and fifth-seeded junior Quincy Monday. The last time a Tiger had competed as a finalist in any weight class at NCAAs was 20 years ago, but it was even more impressive to have two in a single year. Despite a hard fought battle, Glory lost 5–3 to Michigan wrestler Nick Suriano, and Monday was defeated 9–2 by Northeastern wrestler Ryan Deakin. Although unable to secure a championship, both Glory and Monday earned All-American honors and were named NCAA-runner ups.
Women’s Lacrosse vs. Penn State
The No. 11 Tigers (6–0 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) remain undefeated after a 12–11 victory against Penn State (5–3, 0–0 Big Ten). About four minutes into the game, sophomore attack Grace Tauckus scored the first goal for Princeton. While the Nittany Lions responded with one of their own, goals from sophomore attack Ellie Mueller and first-year midfielder McKenzie Blake gave the Tigers a two-goal lead going into the second quarter. A 6–0 run by Penn State in the second and third quarter pulled them ahead by one point. The Tigers quickly answered with a 3–0 run to pull ahead by two, but the Lions would tie the game 11–11 with less than two minutes left in the game. First-year midfielder Sophie Whiteway brought it home for Princeton, netting an unassisted goal with 32 seconds left.
Next, the Tigers will take on No. 7 Loyola Maryland on Wednesday, March 23.
Men’s Lacrosse vs. Penn
No. 3 Princeton men’s lacrosse (5–1 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) did not disappoint in their home Ivy League opener against No. 6 Penn (3–2, 0–1). Despite a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, Princeton claimed a 21–20 victory in overtime. The Tigers held the lead for most of the game until a 5–0 Penn run in the third pulled the Quakers ahead by one point. The two teams continued to trade points for the remainder of regulation. Despite a goal from senior attack Chris Brown with 2:06 left to go to give the Tigers a one-goal lead, Penn responded with one of their own to bring the game to 20–. In overtime, Brown secured the victory for the Tigers, netting a goal off a pass from first-year attack Coulter Mackesy.
The Tigers will be on the road against No. 14 Yale for another League game on Saturday, March 26.
Check out this article by Associate Sports Editor Ben Burns for a full recap of the win against Penn.
Track and field at Penn Challenge
The track and field team opened the outdoor season with a meet at the Penn Challenge in Philadelphia, Pa.
The women’s team set three new top-10 marks for Princeton. A team composed of sophomore India Ingemi, junior Arianna Smith, senior Samantha Anderson, and sophomore Nia Mosby for the 4x100m clocked in at 46.56, claiming third in program history. Sophomore Brianna Mponzi ran 12.04 for the 100 meters, the seventh-best time at Princeton. Senior Emily Wilson threw the javelin a distance of 40.61 meters to take eight all-time.
The men’s team saw much success this past weekend as well. Senior Robbie Otal set a new school record in the discus throw with a distance of 61.24 meters. For the 4x100m relay team of senior Simang’aliso Ndhlovu, junior Ibrahim Ayorinde, sophomore Daniel Duncan and senior Greg Sholars clocked in at 39.82, surpassing the previous program record of 39.90. Ayorinde didn’t stop there — he ran 10.36 in the 100 meters to tie the top record set by Steve Morgan ‘87. Senior C.J. Licata claimed fifth all-time in the discus, Sholars fifth all-time in the 100 meters, and first-year Kaden Reynolds tied for sixth in the 100 meters all-time in school history.
Both teams will be traveling to Raleigh, N.C. to compete in the Raleigh Relays this coming weekend from March 24–26. Some Tigers will also be competing in the Texas Relays.
Julia Nguyen is a co-head editor of the Sports section of the ‘Prince’ who usually covers the weekly recaps. She can be reached at trucn@princeton.edu or on Instagram @jt.nguyen.
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