Steve Silverman

Three Tiger Takeaways from No. 25 Princeton women’s basketball’s triumph at Penn

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The No. 25 Princeton women’s basketball team fended off a furious Penn rally in the second half to win its 13th straight game, 67-54, at the Palestra on Saturday afternoon.  The Tigers never trailed after taking a 4-3 lead off a layup by Madison St. Rose with just under eight minutes to play in the first quarter.

But don’t be fooled by the final score – this game was closely contested from the opening tip and the Tigers were fortunate to come out on top.  Here are three Tiger Takeaways from Princeton’s 13th straight win:

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Princeton women’s basketball holds off Brown for 12th straight win

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For the second time in 24 hours, the No. 25 Princeton Tigers fought off a fierce challenge from an Ivy foe, defeating the Brown Bears, 76-63, on Saturday night at Jadwin Gymnasium.

Although the Tigers (17-3, 7-0 Ivy) never trailed in this game, they struggled to pull away from a resilient Brown squad that has been one of the surprise teams in the Ivy League so far this season.

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No. 25 Princeton women’s basketball collars Yale, 79-59, for 11th straight win

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The Princeton women’s basketball team held off a determined Yale squad on Friday night at Jadwin Gymnasium, 79-59, to stay undefeated in Ivy League play.

Princeton (16-3, 6-0 Ivy) entered the first back-to-back weekend of the Ivy League campaign sporting a shiny, new No. 25 ranking in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches polls, but that honor appeared to hang like a lead weight around the Tigers’ neck early in this contest.  

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Yes, Virginia, there is a two-bid Ivy – but only for Princeton women’s basketball

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Two weeks ago, Joe Lunardi of ESPN wrote that the Princeton men’s basketball team was on track to become the first team in history to earn a second Ivy League bid to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.  

“Conceivably, the Tigers could be 27-1 or thereabouts heading into the Ivy League championship game on Selection Sunday,” Lunardi wrote. “What would the committee do if Princeton drops that last game? Could the Ivy League really be a two-bid league? The answer from this seat is clearly ‘yes.’ And the uniqueness of it all is worth watching and even rooting for.”

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Princeton women’s basketball cruises past Cornell, 85-47

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It was déjà vu all over again for Princeton women’s basketball. 

Three weeks ago, the Tigers opened their Ivy campaign with a resounding road win over the Cornell Big Red, 79-38, at Newman Arena in Ithaca. On Saturday afternoon at Jadwin Gym, Princeton delivered a carbon-copy performance, dominating the Big Red in every facet of the game en route to a 85-47 win.  

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How Princeton women’s basketball won a chess match against Columbia

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Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube led the Tigers to another big win in a big game versus Columbia Saturday.

The contrast in demeanor could not have been starker.

Trailing 3-2 at the 8:23 mark of the first quarter, Columbia coach Megan Griffith gathered her team while officials reviewed a play to check for possible head contact.  Griffith smiled broadly, exuding confidence as she leaned into her team’s huddle. Her players listened and nodded while she spoke, their arms wrapped around each other in a tight circle.  

On the other sideline, a grim-looking Carla Berube paced while her Princeton players stood apart from each other, hands of their hips.  

Was there meaning in this moment?  Did Griffith’s sureness foretell an upset or was she simply trying to radiate belief in her team in the biggest game of the Ivy League season so far?

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Princeton women’s basketball dominates Dartmouth, 63-40, for eighth straight win

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Princeton women’s basketball stole the ball 16 times from the Dartmouth Big Green en route to winning its eighth consecutive game, 63-40, at Leede Arena. 

Once again, Princeton (13-3, 3-0 Ivy) controlled the affair from the opening tip, leading wire-to-wire for the third straight outing. Princeton has not yet trailed in an Ivy League contest.

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Princeton women’s basketball rolls past Harvard for seventh straight win

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“We communicated well, got our hands up and worked really hard,” Princeton coach Carla Berube said to Ivy Hoops Online about her team’s defense in a 72-49 win over Harvard Saturday. (Princeton Athletics broadcast)

Princeton women’s basketball delivered one of its best defensive performances of the season to notch a wire-to-wire win over Harvard, 72-49, Saturday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion.

Although this contest was billed as a rematch of the 2023 Ivy League Tournament championship game, also won by Princeton, the Tigers might have had revenge on their minds dating back to last season’s road trip to Lavietes.  A year ago, the Tigers lost their Ivy opener at Harvard in shocking fashion, 67-59.  It was the first league loss for Carla Berube in her coaching tenure at Princeton.  

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Princeton women’s basketball shuts down Cornell, 79-38, in Ivy League opener

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The Princeton women’s basketball team opened the Ivy League season in impressive fashion on Saturday afternoon with a dominant win over the Cornell Big Red, 79-38, at Newman Arena.  The 41-point margin of victory was Princeton’s largest since the Tigers defeated Brown by 43 points last February. 

With the win, the Tigers moved to 11-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Ivy League.

In an Ivy Hoops Online interview published Thursday, Princeton coach Carla Berube expressed little concern that her players would look past this contest to the Tigers’ marquee matchup against Harvard next weekend.

“I think they understand how important every one of these Ivy League matchups are,” Berube said. “You take nobody lightly, you take nobody for granted.  You respect them and play your very best in each of these contests.”  

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WATCH: In-depth Q&A with Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube

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In an in-depth interview with Ivy Hoops Online contributor Steve Silverman conducted Thursday morning, Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube reflects on her team’s travel-heavy nonconference schedule, explains why her team’s defense is keeping her up at night, analyzes her dynamic freshman class, looks ahead to the Tigers’ tilt at Cornell Saturday, and much more: