Box Score Yale Defense Allows Only 42 Shots By Princeton
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In what was likely the biggest threat to No. 16 Princeton's undefeated season, the Yale women's basketball team fell just short of pulling off a stunning upset of the mighty Tigers, 56-50, in the Lee Amphitheater on Saturday night.
Princeton, currently ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, entered the game with a 22-0 (6-0 Ivy) record and a 25.8-point average margin of victory. The Tigers are coming off victories over Brown by 28 points, Cornell by 28, and Columbia by 39.
The Bulldogs did not show the least amount of intimidation, however, strongly competing with the Tigers for 40 minutes and allowing Princeton its narrowest margin of victory all season.
The Bulldogs' (11-11, 5-3 Ivy) defense was as strong as ever, holding Princeton to 56 points, which is 22 less than its season average per game. The Tigers shot 45.2-percent from the field, but were limited to only 42 shots for the game. Yale, on the other hand, took 70 shots.
"We played with a lot of poise. We didn't play great, but we played smart," said Class of 1954, Joel E. Smilow head coach Chris Gobrecht after the loss. "We've been playing good defense. Our team defense was better tonight and if we managed the boards, who knows."
Yale's intense and scrappy defense caused the Tigers to turn the ball over 16 times, with five different Bulldogs recording a steal. The Elis scored 15 points off those turnovers.
Princeton was limited from the outside, making only 1-of-8 shots from beyond the arc for the game, while the Bulldogs were 7-of-18 (38.9-percent) from long range. Freshman guard Mary Ann Santucci (Seattle, Wash.), who led the Bulldogs with 13 points, hit a career-high 3-of-5 three-point jumpers.
The Bulldogs held a 14-4 edge on the offensive glass, proving why they are the top-ranked Ivy team in that category (14.3 per game). Sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) pulled down five of those offensive boards for the Elis.
Though Princeton held a 36-22 advantage in defensive rebounds, it was because Yale took 28 more shots than the Tigers. For the second straight night, the Bulldogs shot poorly from the field, mustering only 30-percent (21-of-70) as a team.
The Bulldogs also took only two free throws the entire game, while Princeton sunk 17-of-23 from the charity stripe. Junior forward Annie Tarakchian, who recorded a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, was a perfect 5-of-5 from the line.
Several Yale players had rough shooting nights, including junior guard Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) and freshman guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.), who combined to shoot 3-of-22 from the field.
Even though the Bulldogs struggled offensively, they still had a great chance of pulling off the upset of Princeton at the end of the game and stunning all of Division I women's basketball.
"As Coach told us, we proved we belong at the top of the league," said junior guard Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) after the game. "Their win margin was nearly 30 coming into tonight and we lost by six. Our pressure defense threw them off at times, which was needed because they have a deep bench."
Facing a nine-point deficit only four minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs were close to letting Princeton start its assault. That is when the Bulldogs got back-to-back three pointers by freshman forward Jen Berkowitz (Wayland, Mass.), cutting the lead to only three.
Just as Yale closed the gap, the Tigers widened it again, going back up by eight points after a layup by senior guard Blake Dietrick and a three-pointer by Tarakchian.
Then, Yale fought back again. Three-pointers by Sarju and Santucci cut the lead to one point at the 11:40 mark. For the rest of regulation, Princeton would pull ahead, followed by Yale answering back. Even with narrowing the margin to one on three occasions, the Bulldogs never took the lead in the second half.
Up 47-46 with four minutes remaining, the Tigers would once again push their lead to five in a matter of one minute, keeping the game at a two-possession difference and giving them just enough offense for their 23rd straight win.
The Bulldogs played nearly the entire second half without Simpson, who is their active leading scorer with 8.9 points per game.
The freshman guard was subbed out at the 18:49 mark of the half due to dizziness and her absence cost the Bulldogs a valuable offensive talent and defensive guru. Simpson is fifth in the Ivy League with 1.9 steals per game.
Yale trailed by only three points at halftime, even while shooting 29.4-percent (10-of-34) from the field. Santucci led the Bulldogs with eight points at the intermission.
Wyckoff turned in another strong performance, scoring eight points and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds in the loss. Sarju and junior forward Meredith Boardman (Oak Park, Ill.) each grabbed five rebounds for Yale.
As a team, the Bulldogs turned the ball over only eight times, likely improving upon their top-ranking as the league leader in turnover margin (+4.0).
Princeton's Alex Wheatley led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting. The Bulldogs held five-time Ivy League Player of the Week Blake Dietrick to only seven points on 2-of-12 shooting.
The Bulldogs, coming off an exciting 'Pink Night and Youth Day' game against the nationally-ranked Tigers, will return to the hardwood on Friday night when they travel to play Cornell at 7 p.m.
Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity
