Mehta Scores 27, Sets Steals Record, Women’s Hoops Falls to Princeton, 88-68

Friday, March 8

Providence, R.I.

7:00 PM

Brown University

Princeton

Mehta Scores 27, Sets Steals Record, Women’s Hoops Falls to Princeton, 88-68

3/8/2019 9:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Senior guard Shayna Mehta scored a game-high 27 points and set the Bears' single-season steals record, but Brown University women's basketball fell to Princeton University, 88-68, on Friday night at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

The Bears (9-20, 1-12 Ivy) scored 32 points in the fourth quarter, including a 15-0 run, but could not overcome a 42-24 halftime deficit against the visiting Tigers (19-9, 11-2 Ivy) – the defending Ivy League champions and winners of 18 of their last 20 games.

"We did some better things in the second half, but Princeton is a very good and well-coached team," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We'll look forward to honoring our seniors tomorrow night against Penn in their final games as college players."

Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) finished with 27 points on 11-of-23 field goals and 3-of-6 3-pointers alongside five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. She now has 96 steals on the season, breaking the previous school record of Kerry Kelley '87 (95 steals) – a mark which stood since the 1984-85 season.

Playing in her 110^th career game and making her 104^th career start, Mehta increased her career point total to 1,769 career points, moving into 12^th place in Ivy League history. She has now scored in double figures 91 times in her career and netted over 20 points 29 times. Mehta has now totaled 649 career field goals, vaulting into second place all-time at Brown and passing Donna Yaffe '85 (645 field goals).

Senior forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) posted 12 points and eight rebounds, while making 2-of-3 3-pointers. Playing in her 113^th career game and making her 99^th career start, she scored in double figures for the 60^th time in her career and now has 1,192 career points.

Senior guard Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) netted 11 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. She scored in double figures for the 47^th time in her career. Junior guard Justine Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) notched five points and five rebounds and now has 1,379 career points, moving into sixth place in Brown history and passing Sarah Hayes '06 (1,377 points). Junior center Haley Green (Salem, Va.) added six rebounds and four points.

For Princeton, Carlie Littlefield scored 23 points, Bella Alarie posted a double-double on 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Taylor Baur and Sydney Jordan netted 13 and 10 points respectively. For the game, Princeton held a 58-30 edge in points in the paint.

Will scored the Bears' first basket of the game, and Mehta netted four points in the first quarter, but Brown trailed Princeton 18-6 at the end of one.

Steeves and Mehta each hit 3-pointers inside of the first five minutes of the second quarter to cut the Bears' deficit to 27-16. The Tigers then used a 9-0 run to pull ahead 36-16 with 3:16 left in the half. Baskets from Gaziano, Will, Mehta, and Green brought Brown within 42-24 at the break.

In the first half, Princeton held a 16-2 lead in points off turnovers, forcing the Bears into 10 turnovers.

In the third quarter, four points from Mehta kept Brown within 52-31, and a corner 3-pointer from freshman guard Maddie Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) allowed the hosts to stay within 55-34. Princeton closed the quarter on an 11-2 run to carry a 66-36 edge into the fourth quarter.

The Bears used a 15-0 run to whittle the margin to 68-51 with 6:45 to play. During the run, Will, Steeves, and Mehta all connected on 3-pointers. Princeton then pulled ahead 76-51 with 5:27 left. Inside of the final five minutes, Mehta scored nine points, junior guard Randi Richardson (Flint, Mich.) hit a 3-pointer, sophomore forward Morgan Clausen (Algonquin, Ill.) made a free throw, and freshman guard Traiva Breedlove (Rochester, N.Y.) scored a basket.

Next, Brown hosts Penn tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 9, at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+) in the Class of 2019's final home game at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

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.