The Princeton women made history Wednesday evening at Alico Arena, home of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. The Tigers shot down the high-flying No. 22 Eagles, 58-55. It was the first win for a Tiger team against a ranked opponent since 1978.
The Eagles entered the game with a record of 63-6 since the start of the 2019-20 season, coming in at 7-0 on the year:
If you follow Ivy Hoops Online’s coverage of the Tigers, you know that we concentrate on coach Carla Berube’s commitment to defense, particularly the single-digit quarters the defense yields.
In tonight’s game, each team scored a total of 46 points in the first (12), third (15) and fourth (19 quarters. In the second period, Princeton notched 12 points while holding FGCU to nine, the three-point difference accounting for the margin of victory.
The Eagles averaged 84 points in their first seven games and had never scored less than 70.
Abby Meyers continued to excel in her leadership role as team captain, scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Strangely, the Potomac, Md. native did not have a three-point basket tonight and only attempted one. Princeton scored but two threes for the entire game, both of those coming from Grace Stone, whose 17 points marked a career high. Julia Cunningham once again reached double figures with 10 points.
Ellie Mitchell drew the defensive assignment to cover Kierstan Bell, the Eagles’ all-conference post player. She did an outstanding job, holding the talented Bell to 19 points on 8-fof-21 from the field. Mitchell often forced Bell to shoot from deep, but she missed all nine of her attempts. Mitchell’s team-high nine rebounds were crucial in helping the Tigers to the win. Maggie Connolly played a very solid game at point guard. Rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen got a lot of playing time tonight as Berube used a six-player rotation for more than 35 minutes.
The fourth quarter featured six lead changes. After the Tigers went out in front, 50-44, the Eagles mounted a charge, going on a 7-0 run to recapture the lead. At the 1:03 mark, Meyers drove to the hoop from the right elbow. She dashed under the basket to hit a stunning reverse layup, drawing a foul in the process. The three-point play gave the Tigers a 55-53 lead. Two Eagle free throws tied the game again.
Meyers went back to work, hitting a contested baseline jumper with 17 seconds to go, giving the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish. After Meyers’ go-ahead hoop, the Tiger defense rose to the occasion, holding the Eagles scoreless to the end. Mitchell forced a turnover, resulting in Maggie Connolly going to the line with about one second to go. She made one, her only score of the game, resulting in the 58-55 final score.
This team will go as far as its defense will take it, and that could be extremely far indeed. On offense, the Tigers have usually been very productive from beyond the arc. Tonight, they proved they can beat an exceptionally good team on the road even when they were outscored from deep by 18 points. Under the most pressure they have faced so far, this team made 16 free throws in 18 shots.
Two years ago, it was a loss on the road at Iowa that showed that team that it could play with anyone. This year, the same lesson was learned in this historic win.
Fordham is next up for the Tigers Sunday at 1 p.m. at Jadwin. The Rams are 4-3 with wins over Seton Hall, Michigan State and Houston. Seton Hall and Buffalo are also ahead for Princeton.
Berube never looks beyond the next game, but she and her team understand that the preseason game of the year is looming on the afternoon of December 22. The No. 14 Texas Longhorns will visit Jadwin for what should be a cataclysmic clash.