Princeton remains perfect in Ivies, Harvard sweeps weekend matchups

Another weekend, another sweep. Such was the case for the Princeton women’s basketball team (19-2, 7-0 Ivy), which beat Columbia (14-8, 5-3 Ivy) and Cornell (6-15, 1-7 Ivy) on the road to remain undefeated in Ivy League play.

Against Columbia on Feb. 12, Princeton led by 18 points at halftime and by 28 points in the second half, en route to a 77-55 victory. The following night, Princeton held a 35-22 halftime advantage over Cornell before achieving a 72-49 win against the Big Red.

Freshman forward Niveen Rasheed continued to shine for the Tigers. At Columbia, she recorded a game high of 27 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. Against Cornell, she reached a game high of 18 points, 15 rebounds, and four steals. A seven-time Ivy Rookie of the Week, Rasheed earned Player of the Week honors for the first time on Feb. 15.

Harvard (14-7, 5-2 Ivy) also achieved a sweep over the weekend, beating Yale (10-12, 5-3 Ivy) on Feb. 12 and Brown (6-16, 3-5 Ivy) on Feb. 13. Against the Bulldogs, the Crimson turned a seven-point halftime lead into an 88-65 win. The next night, Harvard scored 66 points while holding Brown at 51.

Freshman guard Victoria Lippert played a major role in Harvard’s victories, leading all scorers in both of the Crimson’s matchups. She scored 21 points against Yale and 27 against Brown. As a result of her performances, Lippert was named the Ivy Rookie of the Week on Feb. 15.

Dartmouth (9-12, 4-3 Ivy) found itself embroiled in two close games when it hosted Brown on Feb. 12 and Yale on Feb. 13. Against the Bears, Dartmouth escaped with a 67-63 win.

The Big Green was not as fortunate the next evening against the Bulldogs. While Dartmouth rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to force the game into overtime, Yale regained its stride when the matchup went into a second overtime period. The Bulldogs achieved a 70-66 victory after 50 minutes of action.

Junior forward Brittney Smith—the reigning Ivy Player of the Year—scored 19 points for Dartmouth, including her 1,000th career point. Ultimately, though, her offense was not enough to carry the Big Green.

After falling to Princeton, Columbia salvaged the weekend with a 71-58 win over Penn (1-20, 0-7 Ivy). The Lions led by 11 points at the intermission and by 19 points after play resumed. While the Quakers made a spirited comeback late in the second half, Columbia closed the game with a 10-2 run to seal the victory.

Four players scored in double figures for the Lions, led by junior forward Judie Lomax, with 21 points. Lomax also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. She currently leads the league, with an average of 18.8 points per game, and the nation, with an average of 13.9 boards per game.

The night before Columbia and Penn faced off, it was Cornell who battled the Quakers. While both Cornell and Penn were victory-less in Ivy play entering the game, only the Quakers remained so after the matchup.

Penn held a 21-20 lead at halftime, but Cornell out-scored the Quakers by eight points in the second half. When the final buzzer sounded, the Big Red had achieved a 59-52 win.