Rasheed '13 shines but Princeton falls, 67-64 to K-State

Despite 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists by star forward Niveen Rasheed ’13, Princeton women’s basketball fell just short of its first NCAA Tournament victory, losing 67-64 to Kansas State in Bridgeport, Conn., Saturday afternoon.

Senior Devona Allgood scored 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds, while classmate Lauren Edwards also contributed 15 points in her final collegiate game.

“This was definitely the best we’ve played out here in the tournament, and we put everything out on the floor today,” Allgood said. “We don’t have anything to hang our heads about. We did what we wanted, except for win.”

Kansas State led by four at halftime and started to pull away in the latter part of the second half. But Princeton answered the Wildcats and trailed by four points with the ball at one point in the final minute. When that possession ended with a turnover, the Tigers were forced to foul, and Princeton’s comeback bid ran out of time.

Head coach Courtney Banghart praised her team’s resilience. “As I told them, you know you’re going to get a hard fighting Princeton Tigers team,” she said. “They play hard, and they play together. That’s who we are.”

Read more about the Tigers in Kevin Whitaker ’13’s Monday column on The Weekly Blog and in the April 4 print edition of PAW.

The Tigers (24-5) have dominated the Ivy League in the last three seasons, winning 41 of 42 league games, including a perfect 14-0 mark in 2012. Allgood, Edwards, and reserve guard Laura Johnson ’12 closed their careers with a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament – and as Allgood noted, the program’s best postseason showing. Princeton had lost by double-digits in its two previous appearances.

Kevin Whitaker ’13 contributed to this report.