While politicians in Washington blame each other for the government shutdown, the Princeton women’s basketball team refused to let flight delays likely caused by the shutdown spoil their season opener against Georgia Tech on Sunday afternoon.
Despite a 12-hour flight delay that resulted in a 3 a.m. arrival at the team hotel last night, the Tigers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 67-61, at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
The game was a triumphant homecoming for junior Olivia Hutcherson, a native of Johns Creek, Ga., who told the ACC Extra announcers before the game, “I have all of Johns Creek here.” The defensive star didn’t disappoint her fan base, tallying a career-high 15 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Hutcherson also played her usual lockdown defense, helping the Tigers claw 26 turnovers from Georgia Tech, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
“Olivia was amazing,” coach Carla Berube told Ivy Hoops Online. “What she was able to do on both ends kept us in the game in the first half when our shots weren’t falling.”
In addition to Hutcherson’s outstanding effort, the Tigers got an MVP performance from junior forward Fadima Tall, who registered an impressive double-double with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
Tall took over the game for the Tigers in the fourth quarter, hitting back-to-back treys to help Princeton overcome an eight-point deficit with seven minutes to go in the contest.
But the biggest play of the game came courtesy of co-captain Madison St. Rose, who returned to the hardwood for the first time in nearly a year after suffering a season-ending injury last November in Princeton’s fourth game of the campaign.
St. Rose shook off a layer (or two) of rust in the early going, missing her first several three-balls, including an ugly airball on her first attempt of the season.
But with the game on the line and the Tigers holding a tenuous one-point lead, the superstar senior calmly swished a three at the 1:11 mark of the fourth quarter to put the Tigers up by two possessions and essentially seal the emotional come-from-behind win.
St. Rose finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two steals and a team-high four assists in the contest.
The triumph gave Princeton its first win in five tries against Georgia Tech, a power-four opponent from the ACC, and capped an outstanding opening weekend for the Ivy League overall.
On Friday, Columbia opened its season with an overtime win over Butler while on Saturday, Harvard held off St. John’s, 61-56, for the Crimson’s fifth straight win over Big East opponents. Dartmouth and Penn also registered strong season-opening wins.
Facing a Georgia Tech squad with 10 new players, the game started sluggishly for the visiting Tigers, who trailed 15-8 at the end of the first quarter after missing 11 of their first 14 shots.
In the second stanza, Ashley Chea stepped in front of a pass by Inés Noguero and waltzed down the court for an easy layup for her first points of the season. The unanimous All-Ivy First Team guard later pulled up at the free throw line for a jumper and got the roll to cut Tech’s lead to 20-17 with 5:53 to play in the first half.
Moments later, a corner three from freshman Grace O’Sullivan, her first basket made in a Princeton uniform, drew the Tigers even with Georgia Tech at 20-20. Hutcherson then stole an errant Yellow Jackets pass and cruised down court for a layup and an and-one free throw to put the Tigers in front for the first time, 23-20, with just under five minutes to play in the half.
But a series of Princeton mishaps allowed Georgia Tech to finish the second quarter on a 7-0 run. The Tigers retreated to the locker room trailing 32-28 at the intermission.
The Tigers began the second half by executing a set play to isolate St. Rose on the left block. Setting up high in the post, Hutcherson found St. Rose with a perfect lob pass, which the senior co-captain laid in off the glass to bring the Tigers to within two, 32-30.
But the Yellow Jackets would not yield. A series of tough calls against the Tigers allowed Georgia Tech to make 10 free throws in the third quarter. The Tigers trailed by seven, 50-43, as the game entered the final stanza.
In the fourth quarter, Princeton’s vaunted defense propelled the Tigers back into the game. Playing tight, man-to-man coverage, Berube’s squad got stops on four of Tech’s first five possessions of the quarter.
Meanwhile, Hutcherson converted two layups to put Princeton in front for the first time in the second half, 57-56. The Tigers never looked back from there, holding on to claim a satisfying, comeback road win, 67-61, against an NCAA Tournament team from last season.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this win was how it was achieved.
The Tigers shot the ball poorly, hitting only 25 of 68 shots (36.8%). But Berube’s veteran squad used tenacity and determination to prevail. “We were gritty and resilient,” Berube told Ivy Hoops Online. “We grinded it out, and made the plays we needed to. The team wasn’t going to stop.”
Despite going up against a taller Yellow Jackets team anchored by 6-foot-6 center Ariadna Termis, the Tigers held their own on the boards, and out-muscled the home team on the offensive glass, 15-8.
The Tigers also used ferocious defense to win the turnover battle, 26-13.
Princeton (1-0) will hit the road again on Wednesday night to play Villanova (1-1) of the Big East.
Fortunately for the Tigers, the trip across to the Delaware can be accomplished without air traffic controllers, which means Berube’s squad should be able to get a good night’s rest before taking on the Wildcats on Wednesday.