When you’ve won 21 games in a row, any loss is bound to be a disappointment. For last year’s women’s basketball team, that loss happened to come in the biggest game of the season, a first-round NCAA tournament matchup with St. John’s.
The Tigers finished with a 26–3 record, the best in program history, but left the court wanting to do more. According to head coach Courtney Banghart, the players channeled that experience into “passion and hunger” for this season.
All five starters return for Princeton, including first-team All-Ivy players Lauren Edwards ’12 and Niveen Rasheed ’13. The Tigers also have added three freshmen, two of whom (guards Nicole Hung and Alex Rodgers) were ranked among the country’s top 110 recruits by ESPN HoopGurlz.
With such a talented roster, Banghart said, “watching a five-on-five scrimmage is about as good as watching a game.” Princeton plays with a physically demanding style, constantly moving on offense and working to disrupt opponents on defense. The team’s depth should pay dividends, particularly during the Ivy League schedule of back-to-back Friday and Saturday games. The Tigers won the Ivy title last year with a perfect 14–0 league record.