The Tiger women opened the lone doubleheader on the schedule Sunday with a mashing of the Maine Black Bears, 82-43.
Princeton games usually feature a fast start defensively. Today’s effort fits nicely into that pattern, as the Tigers once again held an opponent to single digits over the span of an entire quarter of play.
At the end of the first quarter, the Tigers had sprinted to a 17-4 lead. For all intents, this one was over. For the season, the Tigers have outscored the opposition by 42 points in the opening period.
Senior guard Abby Meyers once again sparked the offense with a career-high 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the floor, 2-for-4 from deep, while adding five rebounds in 27 minutes. She appears to have suffered no lingering problems from the leg injury that sidelined her for the final quarter against Rhode Island, a game in which the Tigers suffered their lone loss. Julia Cunningham continued her consistent play, scoring 14 points along with five caroms. Junior guard Grace Stone was consistent as well. Her 11 points pushed her season average to double digits,
Berube is happy with her team’s defensive intensity in the young season. Going into today’s contest, the Tigers ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense at 48 points per game. Her standards are high indeed. She stated after the game that the goal each night is to hold the opponents to 40 and expressed some displeasure that Maine came away with 43. When an observer suggested that it was acceptable to give up 43 when your team scores 81, she replied tartly, “No, it’s not.” Berube’s teams have not lost at Jadwin in her tenure and, overall, have won 21 straight at home.
Berube has set up a daunting December schedule for her club, starting with a quick trip to Fort Myers, Fla., for a Wednesday contest against Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles, no strangers to the NCAA Tournament, are currently 7-0. The Tigers and Eagles have one common opponent, the Temple Owls. Both enjoyed double-digit wins.
During December, the Tigers will entertain Seton Hall, Buffalo, nationally ranked Texas, and another tough Florida opponent, UCF, to close out the year on December 29. The Tigers will travel to the Bronx to meet Fordham on December 5.