On Dec. 11, fans came to Jadwin Gym to watch as Princeton women’s basketball (6–4 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) overcame the Rhode Island Rams (4–8, 0–0 Atlantic 10) 66–54 in a game where they never lost the lead.
Sophomore guard Ashley Chea and junior forward Tabitha Amanze led the Tigers on the night with 18 and 14 points respectively. Amanze’s 14 points were a career-high as she went seven for nine from the field in just 14 minutes.
“Coming in having to red shirt that first year, there’s a lot of anticipation, a lot of trying to keep my hopes up, my spirits alive,” Amanze said of the lead up to the game.“ My teammates … they make all the difference. I come in and everyone’s in such a good mood, everyone’s so positive.”
“This is the [Amanze] we’ve known all along, and now she’s finally right, healthy, and feeling good, ready to contribute, and she did in a great way tonight. We kept feeding her and she executed really well,” coach Carla Berube said.
The Tigers started the night strong, going up 11–4 and forcing a timeout. Sophomore guard Skye Belker hit two threes in this stretch — after the game Belker moved up to 52nd in the country for three-point percentage with 43.48 percent.
Princeton came out of the timeout strong with an impressive passing sequence resulting in two more points from an Amanze jumper. Strong defense for the rest of the quarter kept Rhode Island just out of reach of any sort of lead as the period ended 19–11 Princeton. The Orange and Black shot an impressive 8–15 on field goals and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Amanze attributes her performance to improvement in finding her position in the low post, “holding it and knowing when to release, when to stay in the paint, when to move, when to blast with people.”
In the second quarter, the pace picked up, with shorter possessions and shots taken earlier in the shot clock. The Tigers entered a three-minute drought, allowing the Rams to come close to tying up the game with continuous missteps on the defense.
Rhode Island’s shots would not go down towards the end of the quarter, however, as the Tigers took a midsize lead.
Noticeably, the Tigers’ had less turnovers than in prior games where they struggled to keep the ball.
“In Utah games, some of our turnovers were actually offensive fouls, so just being a little bit more disciplined with the ball, whether we’re making passes or deliberate with your footwork. I'm proud of the way we’ve taken care of the ball in the last couple games, and hopefully that continues,” Berube said.
As the first half came to a close, the Tigers were the dominant shooting team, making 48 percent of their shots compared to the Rams’ 29 percent.
Coming into the second half with a seven point lead, the Tigers were able to maintain this for the whole third quarter. Limiting their turnovers to just nine for the game — compared to Rhode Island’s 14 — was crucial in keeping the Rams at bay.
The teams traded points but the Rams edged closer, cutting the Princeton lead to three at 39–36. Not to be outdone, however, sophomore guard Fadima Tall hit a jumper off a designed play, prompting a run for Princeton to make it 48–38. In this stretch, Amanze scored her 14th point of the night as the Tigers reclaimed a double-digit lead.
The Rams went on a 6–0 run of their own to claw back some points, but Chea and Belker combined with a triple and an assist respectively to leave Princeton up 51–44 heading into the final period.
Rhode Island upped their game coming out of the half, shooting 61.5 percent from the field, compared to 33.3 percent and 25 percent in quarters one and two. Princeton stayed steady on 50 percent shooting thus far in the night.
The final quarter opened with short possessions and three pointers back and forth at each end of the court. Sophomore Mari Bickley sparked the Tigers energy with a quick three to answer Rhode Island’s early momentum.
As the quarter progressed, the Tigers widened their lead. With just over three and a half minutes remaining, Chea powered through the defense and sank a layup under the rim, giving Princeton a 12 point lead — their largest of the night.
Defensively, the Tigers kept it tight and aggressive. Senior Parker Hill delivered a resounding block in the final minute, igniting the home crowd.
Princeton will be back at home Saturday with a game against the Vermont Catamounts (5–7 overall, 0–0 America East Conference), who are fresh off a five point loss over Quinnipiac who beat the Tigers 66–74 earlier in the season.
Bridget O’Neill is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’
Alex Beverton-Smith is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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