Gaziano Nets 23, Women’s Basketball Drops 93-74 Decision at Princeton

Saturday, February 9

Princeton, N.J.

5:00 PM

Brown University

9-13 (1-5Ivy)

Princeton

11-9 (3-2Ivy)

Brown

Princeton

Gaziano Nets 23, Women’s Basketball Drops 93-74 Decision at Princeton

2/9/2019 7:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PRINCETON, N.J. – Junior guard Justine Gaziano scored a game-high 23 points, but Brown University women's basketball dropped a 93-74 decision at Princeton University on Saturday evening at Jadwin Gymnasium.

The Bears (9-13, 1-5 Ivy) pulled within 61-54 late in the third quarter and remained within 70-60 with 7:04 to play before the Tigers (11-9, 3-2 Ivy) – the defending Ivy League champions and winners of six of the last nine Ivy titles – used a 21-6 run to gain separation.

"Today there were some plusses with our offense and at times with our press and physicality," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "It was a tough weekend for everybody after a disappointing game on Friday. Penn and Princeton are both very talented teams. Most teams in the league have their hands full with those two. Hopefully, we can work on the things that hurt us this weekend and try to put it together at home next weekend."

Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) scored over 20 points for the 10^th time this season and the 29^th time in her career on 8-of-19 field goals and 3-of-7 3-pointers, adding five rebounds. She now has 1,269 career points, moving into 10^th place in Brown history and passing Nyema Mitchell '04 (1,248 points).

Senior guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) totaled 19 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers. She now has 1,674 career points, moving into 17^th place in Ivy League history, and has 245 career 3-pointers, taking sole possession of sixth place in Ivy history. Mehta also now has 281 career assists, moving into seventh place at Brown and passing Vita Redding '99 (281 assists).

Senior forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) scored 10 points, hit 2-of-3 treys, and grabbed four boards. Senior guard Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) notched nine points and three assists, and junior center Haley Green (Salem, Va.) corralled a team-high seven rebounds with six points.

Brown committed just eight turnovers in the contest and hit 13-of-23 3-pointers (56.5 percent), including 9-of-13 treys (69.2 percent) in the second half. Princeton held advantages in rebounds (53-33) and points in the paint (44-22).

For Princeton, Bella Alarie posted a double-double on 20 points and 16 rebounds alongside five assists. Gabrielle Rush netted a team-high 22 points and connected on 6-of-13 3-pointers, and Sydney Jordan added 12 points.

Gaziano and Mehta both hit 3-pointers just over three minutes into the contest to knot the score at 8-8. A corner trey from Gaziano brought Brown within 14-11 of the Tigers before Princeton gained a 22-13 edge at the end of the first quarter.

A layup Green, jumpers from Mehta and Steeves, and a free throw from sophomore forward Morgan Clausen (Algonquin, Ill.) kept Brown within 32-22 with 5:08 to go in the second stanza. After Princeton extended its lead to 38-22, an elbow jumper from Will and a wing 3-pointer from freshman forward Alana Kelley (Phoenix, Ariz.) helped Brown trim its deficit to 40-29 at the break.

In the first half, the Bears committed just three turnovers and hit 4-of-10 3-pointers. Princeton countered with advantages in rebounds (31-15), points in the paint (24-4), and fast break points (10-0).

Mehta and Steeves both connected on 3-pointers early in the second half to cut the margin to 42-35. A pair of buckets from Green and a layup from Gaziano capped a 17-7 Brown run that brought the score to 47-41 with 7:24 to go in the third.

Sophomore guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) hit a trey before Mehta knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to keep Brown within 61-54 late in the third before the Tigers took a 65-54 edge into the final frame. In the third, Brown scored 25 points on 10-of-21 field goals and 5-of-7 3-pointers with Mehta netting 11 points and hitting 3-of-3 treys.

Triples from Will and Steeves allowed Brown to remain within 70-60 with 7:04 remaining before the Tigers used a 21-6 run to pull ahead 91-66 with 1:24 to go. Gaziano and Mehta both hit 3-pointers inside of the final 1:06.

Next, Brown hosts Cornell on Friday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN3) and Columbia on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+/NESN).

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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.