Sports shorts: Basketball teams sweep Penn

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL completed an unbeaten season in Ivy League play with a 68-51 win over Penn at Jadwin Gym March 9. The Tigers stormed to an early lead and held off a second-half charge by the Quakers, finishing the regular season with a program-best 26-2 record.

At the season's start, Princeton aimed to win the Ivy League title and earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament -- an undefeated league record was never a stated goal. But, coach Courtney Banghart said after the Penn game, "to be able to go 14-0 to get there is pretty cool."

The Tigers locked up the league title with wins at Dartmouth and Harvard March 5 and 6. They received the Ivy championship trophy after the Penn game and climbed a ladder to cut down the net in celebration.

Niveen Rasheed ’13, who scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Penn, said that she was anxious for the next big date on Princeton's calendar: March 15, when the Tigers will find out who they'll face in the NCAA Tournament's first round. "We don't want this season to end," Rasheed said. "We'll do whatever we can to keep it going."

The MEN'S BASKETBALL season finale against Penn followed a similar story line: Princeton jumped ahead early, leading 40-14 at halftime, and the Quakers closed the gap in the second half, cutting the lead to seven points in the closing minutes. The Tigers survived, winning 68-56 and sweeping their two games against Penn for the first time since 2000-01.

Douglas Davis ’12 led Princeton with 21 points, 16 of which came in the opening half.

With a 20-8 overall record, an 11-3 mark in league play, and a second-place Ivy finish, the Tigers may have positioned themselves for a postseason invitation to the NIT or one of its upstart competitors. Marcus Schroeder, one of four seniors on the team, said he's not picky about where the next game might be. "We just want to play -- we want to play more games," he said. "Wherever we [go], I know we'll compete and be ready to play."