Brown University
10-4 (1-0Ivy)
Princeton
6-9 (0-2Ivy)
Gaziano's 33 Points Lead Women's Hoops to First Win at Princeton Since 2003, 98-88
1/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PRINCETON, N.J. – Freshman guard Justine Gaziano scored a career-high 33 points to lead Brown University women's basketball to a 98-88 win over Princeton University, at Jadwin Gymnasium on Friday evening in its first road win against the Tigers since March 1, 2003.
In their Ivy League opener, the Bears (10-4, 1-0 Ivy) scored their most points ever against an Ancient Eight opponent in defeating the host Tigers (6-9, 0-2 Ivy) – the conference's leader in field goal percentage defense and winners of five of the last seven Ivy League titles.
"I just knew that we had to give it our all," Gaziano said. "I didn't know what to expect, but I knew that it would be a hard game. Princeton is a great team. We knew that we couldn't let down at all. We knew that they would come right back every minute of that game, and we knew that every minute we needed to work as hard as we could."
Brown led for close to 38 minutes in the game, using a 17-3 run in the third quarter to turn a 56-54 deficit into a 71-59 lead with 1:36 to play in the period. The Bears held a six-point lead the rest of the way and gained an edge as large as 14 points with 49 seconds to go
Making her Ivy League debut, Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) scored over 30 points for the second straight game, connecting on 13-of-22 field goals. She has scored in double figures in all seven games in which she has played more than one minute this year and netted 20 or more points for the third time. She scored Brown's first 11 points of the fourth quarter.
Sophomore guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) paced four other Bears in double figures with 17 points – her 13th time in double figures in 14 games this season and her 30th career double-figure scoring effort.
Sophomore guard Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) scored 11 points, dished out a career-high seven assists for the second straight game, and added four rebounds and three steals.
Freshman guard Abby O'Keefe (St. Louis, Mo.) tied her career high with 12 points, netting nine points in the final 4:42 of the third quarter, and handed out four assists.
Sophomore forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) posted 11 points and five rebounds, junior guard Megan Reilly (Norwood, N.J.) totaled a career-high eight assists and five boards, and sophomore forward Mary Butler (Bangor, Maine) tacked on seven boards and six points.
The Bears won for the eighth time in the last nine games and scored over 80 points in a game for the sixth time this year. Brown committed a season-low seven turnovers in the game, including just two giveaways in the second half.
Brown jumped out to a 13-2 lead inside of the first five minutes behind seven points from Gaziano, including a conventional 3-point play. After the Tigers pulled within 16-11, a 3-pointer from Mehta – who scored 10 points in the quarter – helped put the visitors ahead at 24-16 before taking a 24-19 lead into the second stanza.
An old-fashioned 3-point play from Steeves and a 3-pointer from Gaziano gave Brown a 30-21 edge at the 9:06 mark of the second quarter. Princeton responded with a 10-1 run to tie the game at 31-31 before a corner trey from Will. A fast break layup from Mehta and another 3-point play from Steeves inside of the half's final 1:08 helped the Bears take a 48-43 lead at halftime.
After Princeton scored the first seven points of the third quarter, a free throw from Will and five points from Gaziano stemmed the run. Trailing 56-54 with six minutes to go in the third, freshman Kathleen Ryan (Clarence Center, N.Y.) hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to ignite a 17-3 run.
O'Keefe scored seven points during the streak before Ryan capped the burst with another triple to give Brown a 71-59 lead with 1:36 to go in the third. A layup from O'Keefe kept the Bears ahead 75-66 going to the fourth quarter.
Gaziano scored the Bears' first 11 points of the fourth quarter as Brown maintained an 86-78 advantage with 3:40 remaining. A 3-pointer from O'Keefe, free throws from Gaziano, and a layup from Will helped Brown seal the win.
For Princeton, Leslie Robinson posted a double-double on 21 points and 11 rebounds. Gabrielle Rush (16 points), Tia Weledji (16 points), and Bella Alarie (14 points, seven blocks) all scored in double figures for the Tigers.
Next, Brown plays at Penn tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 14, at 5:30 p.m. at The Palestra.
Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ILDN.TV/BROWN.
Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
