Women’s Basketball Sophomores Hit Stride Ahead of Ivy League Games

Women’s basketball’s Ivy League season begins Jan. 4 at home in Jadwin Gym against Cornell. Princeton has won six straight regular season Ivy titles and five consecutive Ivy Tournaments. To keep that run going, the Tigers will be relying on the Class of ’27, with four sophomores in the starting lineup.

The Tigers went on a four game win streak to close nonconference play, winning matchups against Rhode Island (66-54), Vermont (60-45), Middle Tennessee State (64-51), and Le Moyne (75-43).

Last season the Tigers’ toughest conference opponent was Columbia — Princeton’s only Ivy League loss was to the Lions. With the departure of standout guard Abby Hsu, the Lions have lost one of their biggest weapons but are still formidable (9-4 in nonconference games).

This year, expect the biggest challenge in the Ivy League to come from Harvard and Harmoni Turner. Turner is averaging more than 20 points and three steals per game this season, and the Crimson knocked off a ranked Indiana team in Bloomington.

The Crimson’s lone loss this season is to Quinnipiac — who the Tigers also lost to, in the game when leading scorer and co-captain Madison St. Rose ’26 tore her ACL.

Most of this season’s standouts are sophomores. Ashley Chea ’27, Princeton’s point guard, earned the Ivy League Player of the Week nod after her dominant performance against Rhode Island (18 points, three rebounds, and six assists).

Skye Belker ’27 put up 24 points in the Tigers’ loss to Utah (79–76), a career high for her. She sat out of the LeMoyne game after turning her ankle in practice, according to gametime reporting from Jon Mozes of ESPN.

Fadima Tall ’27 has recorded two double-doubles this season, against Rutgers and Middle Tennessee. The 6-foot sophomore from Silver Spring, Maryland, has been the team’s leading rebounder since St. Rose’s injury.

“I think now that I’ve gotten a chance to find that groove with the people on the team, especially, I can find my shot easier, and I know that they’ll have my back,” Tall told reporters after the Middle Tennessee game. 

“She talks a lot. She has so many of the important intangibles. Defensively, she gets her hands on a lot of balls. And of course, she’s making plays,” said head coach Carla Berube. 

Princeton is favored to beat the Big Red Saturday. Cornell is 4-9 coming into the matchup, and the Tigers rarely lose when they play in Jadwin Gymnasium (their last home loss was in January 2023).

The Harvard matchup on Jan. 11 is likely to showcase the best of Ivy League women’s basketball — and some of the best college players in the game right now. Expect a competitive, physical game in which the Tigers will have to work hard on both ends of the court to pick up a win.

Watch the Tigers take on the Big Red at Jadwin on Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m. or on ESPN+. The Tigers play the Crimson Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. in Jadwin and on ESPN+.