Princeton women’s basketball lost more than a game today against at the M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.
The 74-66 loss to Quinnipiac might be an afterthought to Carla Berube, as star junior guard Madison St. Rose went down with 6:31 remaining with what appeared to be a painful left knee injury. She was taken off the court by Berube and a trainer and came back on the floor about 10 minutes later on crutches with an ice pack on her knee. Berube was uncertain as to the actual extent of the injury postgame.
Quinnipiac, coming off of a decisive win (76-53) over Harvard last Saturday, took control early and led 11-4.
A trey by sophomore guard Ashley Chea cut the deficit to 11-7.
Quinnipiac led by 22-14 at the end of the quarter.
Princeton (2-2) cut the lead to 28-27 on a Chea long ranger and took a 29-28 lead on a jumper by the Los Angeles native.
Quinnipiac (3-0) led 30-29 at the half.
Freshman guard Gal Raviv, a native of Israel, put the Bobcats up 42-36.
Raviv then completed an old fashioned three-point play to stretch the lead to 50-41.
A nifty inside move by junior forward Tabitha Amanze brought the Tigers to within five at 54-49.
A triple by sophomore guard Karson Martin put Quinnipiac up 64-54. St. Rose went down on the ensuing Princeton possession.
The coaching staff implored the Tigers to “play for her,” but the Tigers would get no closer than six points away (72-66).
Sophomore guard Skye Belker led Princeton with 15 points. Raviv notched 21 for Quinnipiac on 6-for-7 shooting.
Quinnipiac shot 51% from the field and held Princeton to 41%.
Berube called Quinnipiac “a very, very good team with some great wins early in the season.” She called her team “young with a lot of season left.”
The Tigers play at Seton Hall on Thursday. Quinnipiac hosts another Ivy on Thursday in Cornell.
Distressing to see any young player go down with an injury, but St. Rose would be a real loss to the whole league if she is out for long. I might never wholeheartedly root for Princeton, but its success raises the stature—and the play, and the recruiting power—of women’s basketball throughout the Ivies.