The much anticipated collision between the last Ivy unbeatens, Princeton and Columbia, was far from the expected titanic struggle.
The Tigers jumped out of the starting gate and never looked back at Jadwin Gym en route to a commanding 57-39 victory over Columbia Saturday, moving to 8-0 in Ivy play and proving that they are still the class of the Ivy League until further notice.
to take command in the first quarter before a stunned Lion quintet could get its bearings. After 10 minutes Princeton held a 14-4 lead, easily the worst scoring quarter of the season for Columbia. Carla Berube’s charges did what they do best: defend, notching another single-digit yield over an entire quarter of play.
Several Lions got into early foul trouble, including All-Ivy probable Kaitlyn Davis, who spent much of the first half on the bench. Davis was never a factor in the game, scoring only four points in 20 minutes. Abbey Hsu, second in the League at 16.9 points per game, was held to 1-for-8 shooting from the field and just three points.
At halftime, the Tigers were up 35-14 as they continued their defensive wizardry.
In the third period, Columbia crept within 12 at 41-29, but the Tigers closed on an 8-0 run to put the game out of reach.
Julia Cunningham turned in another stellar outing for Princeton, leading the scoring with 19 points. Ivy scoring leader Abby Meyers added 16. These two were joined in double figures by last night’s player of the game, Grace Stone, with 10. Ellie Mitchell was once again a huge factor on the glass with a game-high 14 rebounds and five assists.
All in all, this was a very satisfying win for Carla Berube and the Tigers.