Coming off a milestone weekend that saw head coach Carla Berube secure her 500th career coaching win and star sophomore guard Ashley Chea score a career-high 25 points, the Princeton women’s basketball team (17–5 overall, 8–1 Ivy League) kept it going at home with wins against the Brown Bears (10–13, 4–6) and Yale Bulldogs (2–20, 1–8).
The Brown game, played on Valentine’s Day, featured another solid performance from Chea, who scored 19 points on 7–13 shooting. The Tigers then celebrated Senior Night on Saturday, honoring their five seniors before laying a beatdown on the Bulldogs.
Over the weekend, the Tigers also clinched a spot in the Ivy League Tournament with the win over Brown. The next day, their win over Yale brought their home winning streak to 30, the longest in the nation.
Besting the Bears
“I think we just played super hard today,” Chea told The Daily Princetonian in an interview after the Brown game. “My teammates just pass me the ball all the time and it’s just super easy to score for me. Also I think it’s easy to see my teammates more open as well.”
Princeton came out of the gates hot. In the first quarter, the Tigers just couldn’t seem to miss. Throughout the quarter, Chea and sophomore guard Skye Belker seemingly scored at will, and their efforts culminated in the team shooting an outstanding 7–8 from three-point range after the first 10 minutes of play.
“We came out on fire,” Berube told the ‘Prince’ after the win. “That doesn’t always happen, but it was nice to see to start the game. And Ashley was key to that run.”
Princeton managed to score 33 points in the first quarter, an offensive outburst matched by their stifling defense, which only allowed 10 points on the other end of the court. The effort was highlighted by a variety of forced turnovers by Brown, from shot clock violations to illegal screens to traveling violations.
The Tigers continued their domination in the second quarter. Brown didn’t manage to score until there were a little under seven minutes to play in the second. During that time, Princeton went on a 20–0 scoring run that stretched from the end of the first quarter until almost midway through the second, putting them up 39–13. The sizable lead allowed Berube to give the rest of the roster valuable playing time and in-game experience.
“That’s my goal,” Berube explained. “To be able to get up on a team and be able to go to your bench and get them experience, whether it’s for down the road or this season. Getting young players that game experience is really key.”
Belker hit a three with a minute left in the half, helping the Tigers head into the break up 49–26.
With about four minutes left in the third quarter, Tall drilled an impressive step-back three despite a foul from Brown, giving her the chance to convert the rare four-point play. After knocking down the free throw, Tall put her team up 57–38.
Similar to the first half, the large lead led to subs coming in for Princeton. First-year guard Cristina Parrella took advantage of the opportunity, knocking down a step-back three and later a midrange jumper as time expired in the third, putting Princeton ahead 66–48.
In the fourth, despite a couple of impressive makes from Brown, Princeton remained firmly in control until the final buzzer. With the 78–67 win, the Tigers moved to 8–1 in Ivy League play, while Brown fell to 4–5.
Battering the Bulldogs
On Saturday night, the Tigers offered home fans at Jadwin a welcome contrast to the men’s team’s difficult loss in New Haven. Facing off against the struggling Bulldogs, the Tigers dominated in a memorable Senior Night performance.
During the ceremony before the game, seniors Adaora Nwokeji, Paige Morton, Parker Hill, Katie Thiers, and Amelia Osgood were joined by their families and friends in a recognition of a fruitful four years of success.
Thiers is a contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
With a starting five made entirely of the Class of 2025, the Tigers began the game with a 12–0 run. Throughout the first quarter, Princeton maintained a three-point shooting percentage and field goal percentage above 60 percent, while holding Yale to 28 percent and 0 percent, respectively.
After taking the seniors out for a significant portion in the second quarter, the Tigers cooled off, scoring only four more points than the Bulldogs with a field goal success rate split in half from the previous quarter.
“I thought the ball was getting sticky in the second quarter,” Berube said. “We weren’t getting good opportunities. I thought we threw up some bad shots.”
With extreme height dominance, the Tigers remained in control, driving to the basket again and again. The strategy for the rest of the game became twofold: Trust the seniors and keep driving.
Senior guard and three-year captain Amelia Osgood shined under the spotlight, scoring a career-high and team-high 13 points.
“It was so special to go out there and play with my fellow seniors and have our entire families here,” Osgood told the ‘Prince.’ “I know we were all playing so hard for each other, and the outcome was wonderful.”
All of the seniors contributed in their own ways. Senior guard Adaora Nwokeji scored a career-high 10 points, getting back on the court after struggling with a knee injury.
“It was great to see Adaora back out there,” said Berube. “She’s battled injuries her whole career and for her to be able to shine like that was awesome.”
Morton, Thiers, and Hill were towers in the paint, hauling in 17 combined rebounds. The game was an emphatic exclamation point on successful defensive careers for all three players.
Ultimately, the Tigers won 72–41 for their sixth straight win, giving all five of their seniors a day to remember forever.
Perhaps most remarkably of all, the Tigers are on a whopping 30-game win streak at home, the longest in NCAA women’s basketball today. After the University of Connecticut Huskies (24–3, 14–0 Big East) defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks (23–3, 11–1 SEC) in South Carolina, Jadwin is now home to the longest home game winning streak in the nation.
This weekend, Princeton will look to avenge their only Ivy League loss in a matchup against Columbia (18–5, 9–1) in a game with March Madness implications.
“To win, we need to focus on taking care of the basketball, getting good looks offensively, and playing the Princeton defense that we know we can,” Berube told the ‘Prince.’
Doug Schwartz is an associate Sports editor and staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Annapolis, Md., and typically covers town and gown, facilities and housing, and health for News.
Naomi Segel is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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