Playing against two in-state rivals within 72 hours, Princeton women’s basketball (3–2 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) took home two big wins.
In their first game without injured junior captain guard Madison St. Rose, the Tigers narrowly escaped in-state rival Seton Hall (4–1, 0–0 Big East) in an offensive duel by a score of 78–75.
On Sunday, Princeton continued this momentum, outplaying the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4–2, 0–0 Big Ten) 66–49.
St. Rose, Princeton’s leading scorer on the year thus far, tore her ACL last week against Quinnipiac (5–0, 0–0 Metro Atlantic). Without St. Rose in the lineup, three underclassmen started — her absence left senior Parker Hill as the sole upperclassman of that starting five.
“We just needed players to step up in her absence and not necessarily do what Maddie does, but do what they do really well,” head coach Carla Berube told The Daily Princetonian after the game.
Opening their weekend Thursday night in Walsh Gymnasium, the Tigers were hungry after their loss to the Bobcats. With a youthfully composed team, Princeton played fearlessly, opening a lead in the second quarter and not looking back. The Tigers led by as much as 16 in the third quarter, but turnovers gave the Pirates a window back.
Sophomore guard Skye Belker led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on 8–12 shooting, 4–5 from long range.
“With Maddie’s absence, we all came into the game knowing that we had to step up,” Belker wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “I think that played a huge part in mine and the team's aggressive mentality. My teammates also found me a lot and I’m confident when shooting the ball which allows me to knock down the shots I get.”
“I thought she played with a lot of poise and with great leadership,” Berube said of Belker’s performance.
With sophomore guard Olivia Hutcherson replacing St. Rose in the starting lineup, Princeton eased into the first quarter, going back-and-forth with Seton Hall. The first quarter set the tone for the game, a high-scoring affair with the Pirates heading into the second quarter up 20–19. Belker and fellow standout sophomore guard Ashley Chea combined for 11 of Princeton’s 19 points.
With Princeton’s defense being notoriously complicated, it is no surprise that for the young team, offense comes first. However, the Tigers found a bit of their classic defensive selves in the second, forcing missed shot after missed shot. Notably, Seton Hall still collected four offensive rebounds, a sign that Princeton is still developing at the guard position after losing Ellie Mitchell ’24.
Belker had another sharp-shooting quarter, bringing her total to 13 at the half. With another strong offensive frame, Princeton led 39–31 at the half with momentum the young team sorely needed to maintain.
For a team that lived and died in the midrange last year, Princeton’s emphasis on three-point shooting Thursday looked new. Yet, a more traditional offense focused on threes and points in the paint seems to fit this Tiger team, with athletic guards Belker and Chea eager to shoot from long range and tall forwards Hill and junior Tabitha Amanze making their presences known in the paint.
“I thought our team passed the ball well, especially against their zone in the second half, and found open players,” Berube explained. “And the players were ready to shoot it.”
“It’s just them getting in the gym and getting shots up to feel really confident in their shooting,” she added.
Stretching their lead to 16 at one point, Belker and Chea connected on three-pointers early in the third, with Chea demonstrating the confidence of her new season by sticking out her tongue á la Steph Curry. With help from Amanze, Hill, and sophomore Fadima Tall, Princeton held a 56–40 advantage with just over 14 minutes to go in the game.
In the ensuing four minutes, Princeton committed five turnovers. Not shockingly, with Yaya Lops and Faith Masonius finding their offensive stride for Seton Hall, the Pirates clawed their way back, going on a 14–2 run to end the quarter.
“We need to do a better job of breaking the press and finding open players and doing pass fakes,” Berube told the ‘Prince.’ “Hopefully that will be better moving forward.”
Thursday’s Princeton team lived by the three-pointer and died by the turnover, and the fourth quarter would determine which force came out on top. In Princeton’s first three possessions, Belker and first-year Toby Nweke both connected from deep, giving the Tigers a comfortable eight point lead once again.
Then, three straight Tiger possessions ended in turnovers, and in the blink of an eye, it was a one-possession game with Princeton up 64–61. However, threes would reign supreme, as first-year Cristina Parrella picked the most opportune time to score her six points in the game, connecting on threes on two-straight possessions, after which Princeton held an 11-point lead with just over three minutes to go.
Once the game was all but said and done, Seton Hall clawed back to within three. With a sharpshooting performance, shooting 61.7 percent from the field and 63.2 percent from three, the Tigers ran past Seton Hall 78–75, overcoming turnover issues in the process.
“Both Parrella and Nweke were big,” Berube stated. “They stepped up into bigger roles and played really well on both ends of the floor. Those are two that are going to have to step up in Maddie’s absence.”
“They both were just poised and ready to make a positive impact on the game,” Berube added. “I’m really proud of them.”
Following the close victory, Princeton took a trip to rival Rutgers Sunday afternoon.
“They’ve got two really strong inside players that really bang a board, so we have to do an outstanding job on the glass,” Berube noted. And that's exactly what the Tigers did, as they locked in a sweeping 66–49 win, out-rebounding Rutgers, 46–33.
This game, similar to Thursday’s performance, was led by sophomores Chea and Tall as they found their footing in the Princeton lineup.
Both guards had career days, with Chea putting up a career-best 20 points and nine rebounds while Tall had her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
Playing both sides of the court, the Black and Orange continued to knock down triples while holding one of the country’s leading shooters — Rutgers’ Destiny Adams, who was averaging 25.2 points per game — to just four points.
This two-sided performance maintained a distance between the Tigers and the Scarlet Knights the whole night. Five consecutive points by Belker in the first gave Princeton a comfortable lead, and their six consecutive Princeton field goals to begin the fourth quarter ensured Rutgers’ defeat.
With momentum on their side, Princeton will now face Temple away on Tuesday night.
Max Hines is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Doug Schwartz is a Sports contributor and a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Ava Seigel is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
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