‘This One Definitely Stings’: Women’s Basketball Loses in First Four of March Madness

SOUTH BEND, Indiana — In a heartbreaking loss, Princeton women’s basketball fell to a tough Iowa State team 68–63 in the first game of NCAA March Madness. The Cyclones erased a 15-point Princeton lead in the third quarter and never trailed after that, ending the Tigers’ season. 

“This one definitely stings,” Princeton head coach Carla Berube said at the postgame press conference.

The first quarter tipped off positively for the Tigers, and Ashley Chea ’27 made a jumper on the first Princeton possession. 

“[Chea] was much better live than I thought on video,” said Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly. “Very talented kid … she makes the game look easy.”

Chea would score seven points in the first two minutes of play, but just eight the rest of the game.

The Cyclones went on a 9–0 run to close the first quarter, but in the second quarter, the Tigers came roaring back. A steal followed and a score by Fadima Tall ’27 had the band energized, and Princeton went into the locker room at halftime up 13, 38–25. They went on a 14–0 scoring run in the last three minutes of the half. 

“Second quarter, we had a little out-of-body experience,” Fennelly said. 

Iowa State outscored Princeton 27–9 in the third quarter, and the Tigers weren’t able to close their lead. An uncontested layup by Iowa State’s Addy Brown put a damper on the Tigers that they couldn’t shake.

“They came out at halftime, and really took it to us … and then they kind of sustained that through the rest of the game,” Berube said.

“I think this game was winnable for us, which stings a little bit more,” center Parker Hill ’25 said after the game.

Hill earned a double double (10 points, 12 rebounds) while defending Iowa State’s post player Audi Crooks, who scored 27 points.

“I mean, this program means a lot to me,” said Hill, who made four trips to the NCAA Tournament. “I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up. … I look forward to seeing what the rest of them do next year and the year after that,” she said, patting Fadima Tall on the back.

Tall led Princeton in scoring with 19 points and assists with four. She also notched two steals. “Doing that was second-nature and we wanted to do that the entire game,” she said.

The season was full of ups and downs for the Tigers. When their leading scorer Madison St. Rose ’26 tore her ACL in the fourth game of the season, they had to rethink their entire strategy. St. Rose led the team in scoring with 17 points per game prior to her injury.

With St. Rose on the bench, sophomore Chea stepped into the starting point guard role alongside three other sophomores (and Hill) for most of the season. 

In the last few weeks, Princeton fell to Columbia at home Feb. 22 (a win that put the Lions in the driver’s seat for the Ivy League regular season title); rebounded to finish the regular season with double-digit wins over Harvard, Dartmouth, and Penn; lost a three-point game to Harvard in the Ivy Tournament semifinals; and earned the final NCAA Tournament at-large bid on the strength of its 21-7 overall record. 

Berube emphasized how much growth she’s seen in the sophomores, noting Chea and Olivia Hutcherson ’27. Hutcherson had three blocks and a steal in the loss to Iowa State.

Four of Princeton’s five starters will return next year — Chea, Tall, Hutcherson, and Skye Belker ’27, the Tigers’ top scorer with 13 points per game. St. Rose is also expected to be back. 

“I think [Tall]’s going to be a tremendous player for us and leader, and I’ll be looking forward to her future,” Berube said.

Tall is confident that they’ll be back. 

“I think losing is never something that I want to do ever again,” she said. “So, that’s always a good motive to help with next year.”