Coming off of a win against Cornell (5–15 overall, 1–6 Ivy League) last Saturday, the Tigers traveled North once again to take on Yale (2–18, 1–6) and Brown (10–10, 4–3).
The Tigers used explosive second halves to get past both teams, dominating the Bulldogs 74–38 and taking care of business against the Bears with a 60–47 win. With the weekend sweep, Princeton remains in second place in the Ivy standings, behind league-leading and undefeated Columbia (16–4, 7–0).
An explosive fourth quarter pushes the Tigers past Yale
Sophomore guard Ashley Chea scored nine points in the first quarter, steamrolling the Bulldogs to take the Tigers to a 15–7 lead by the end of the first quarter. Throughout the second quarter, Princeton dominated in rebounds, but struggled to add points on the board. Soon, sophomore forward Olivia Hutcherson got the put-back off of a missed layup and refueled the Tiger’s spark. Going into halftime, Princeton was still in control, leading 27–18.
Sophomore guard Skye Belker opened the third quarter with a layup less than two minutes into the second half. Over the next couple of possessions, the Tigers took over with scores coming from senior forward Parker Hill, Hutcherson, and Belker, culminating in a 7–2 run.
After a couple of answers from Yale, Belker hit her stride to end the quarter. With 4:02 to go in the third, the star sophomore guard drilled a three-pointer to put Princeton ahead 39–27.
Belker closed out the quarter with a pair of free throws, giving Princeton a decisive 14-point lead heading into the last 10 minutes of the game.
Princeton did not slow down entering the fourth quarter. An explosive three-pointer from Chea, followed by an and-one from sophomore guard/forward Fadima Tall propelled the Tigers even further ahead. The Bulldogs went on to score only six points in the fourth quarter, resulting in a resounding Tiger win of 74–38.
Capping off the weekend against Brown
On Saturday night, Princeton women’s basketball powered past Brown 60–47 to complete a successful weekend road sweep.
Tall led all scorers with 18 points on the day, and she was followed closely behind by Belker and Chea with 15 and 14, respectively.
“She’s got a great all-around game,” Head Coach Carla Berube told The Daily Princetonian postgame. “I think she’s just more confident.”
Tall concurred, reflecting confidence in her magnified role this season.
“I definitely think getting comfortable was the main thing I needed,” Tall wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “I took on a bigger role from last year, so I had to find the ways I would be able to provide for my team and over time those shots got more visible.”
Belker opened the scoring for the Tigers, with a quick three on Princeton’s first possession. Brown connected early on their first long-range shots, as they have in games prior.
Princeton held a 20–15 lead to end the first quarter, helped by Belker’s hot hand, but their fortune quickly turned in the second quarter. After Belker connected on a midrange jumper, Princeton went over three minutes without a basket, allowing Brown to tie the game at 22 apiece.
Brown continued this momentum, heading into halftime with a 28–26 lead.
Princeton came out firing to start the third, immediately going on a 9–0 run before allowing Brown to claw their way back yet again. Scoring her first points in the game off the bench during this stretch was senior forward Katie Thiers, who played critical minutes after Hill fell into foul trouble.
“Katie Thiers was really important,” Berube said. “[I] thought she defended well, made a couple big shots, and did a great job on both ends of the floor.”
Katie Thiers is a staff Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
Despite the momentum swinging back in Princeton’s favor, the two sides were tied at 43 apiece heading into the fourth. Just as in the third, the Tigers got off to a hot start, scoring the first 13 points of the quarter and holding Brown scoreless for over seven minutes as Princeton’s second-half rebounding advantage translated into a scoring advantage.
“Rebounding is a lot about willpower,” Tall wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “We came in knowing Brown was going to be extremely scrappy, so we had to find it in us to work a bit harder and get those wins on loose balls.”
Tall, who had found success driving to the hoop in most of the game, especially dropped the dagger on the Bears, draining two consecutive threes late in the shot clock to make the score 56–43 with a little more than three minutes to go.
From there, it was smooth sailing for Princeton, who rode a 17–4 fourth quarter margin to a 60–47 victory.
“Down the stretch, when we were hitting threes, it was because we were patient within our offense, getting some paint touches and kicking out,” Berube told the ‘Prince.’
The Tigers will look to continue their momentum with a Saturday home matinée against Penn (11–9, 2–5) next week in Jadwin at 2 p.m.
Max Hines is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Emilia Reay is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
Faculty amend academic regulations, introduce new Ph.D. program
Cynthia Torres and Jake MillerFaculty finalized amendments to the “Conduct of Undergraduate Courses of Study” on Feb. 4. Discussions included changes to language on examinations as well as the introduction of a new Ph.D. program.
Faculty finalized amendments to the “Conduct of Undergraduate Courses of Study” on Feb. 4. Discussions included changes to language on examinations as well as the introduction of a new Ph.D. program.
Months after initial arrest, David Piegaro ’25 goes to trial
Christopher Bao and Luke GrippoDavid Piegaro ’25 appeared in court on Monday, Feb. 3, months after he was arrested last April. The case centered on an altercation with Assistant Vice President for Public Safety Kenneth Strother in the aftermath of the occupation of Clio Hall.
David Piegaro ’25 appeared in court on Monday, Feb. 3, months after he was arrested last April. The case centered on an altercation with Assistant Vice President for Public Safety Kenneth Strother in the aftermath of the occupation of Clio Hall.
Tracking Trump’s executive orders on higher education
Daily Princetonian StaffIn the first weeks of his presidency, President Donald Trump and his administration have issued a slew of executive actions. The ‘Prince’ has compiled a list of such actions, which range from chaotic guidance on federal funding to new directives on Title IX.
In the first weeks of his presidency, President Donald Trump and his administration have issued a slew of executive actions. The ‘Prince’ has compiled a list of such actions, which range from chaotic guidance on federal funding to new directives on Title IX.
