Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 25 Princeton, 85-48

Saturday, February 15

Providence, R.I.

5:00 PM

Brown University

7-14, 1-7Ivy

Princeton

19-1, 7-0Ivy

Princeton

Brown

Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 25 Princeton, 85-48

2/15/2020 7:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Senior guard Justine Gaziano scored a team-high 16 points, and junior guard McKenna Dale netted 15 points, but Brown University women's basketball fell to No. 25 Princeton University, 85-48, on Saturday evening at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

The Bears (7-14, 1-7 Ivy) outscored the nationally ranked Tigers (19-1, 7-0 Ivy), 23-15, in the third quarter but could not overcome a 33-point halftime deficit as the visitors – winners of back-to-back and seven of the last 10 Ivy titles – remained undefeated in conference play.

"Princeton is a top 25 team for a reason," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We played better in the second half, but they are a very good team on both ends of the floor and have the ability to make a run in the NCAA tournament."

Playing in her 100^th career game, Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) increased her career point total to 1,716 points with her 16-point effort. She moved into 14^th place in Ivy League history in career scoring with her 16^th double-figure game of the year and 84^th such game of her career. Gaziano now has 612 career field goals, 191 career 3-pointers, and 301 career free throws.

Dale (Storrs, Conn.) totaled seven rebounds, three 3-pointers, two assists, and two blocks alongside her 15 points. She scored in double figures for the 11^th time in her last 12 games and for the 13^th time overall this season.

Freshman guard Lexi Love (Oakland, Calif.) posted a game-high five assists with five points, sophomore forward Ashley Ducharme (Milton, Mass.) chipped in three points, four rebounds, and two blocks, and sophomore guard Maddie Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) tacked on three points, three boards, and two assists.

For Princeton, Bella Alarie – a projected top-10 draft pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft – compiled 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and five blocks. Carlie Littlefield tallied 19 points, nine boards, and five assists, and Ellie Mitchell contributed 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Tigers – ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll – held a 50-24 rebounding advantage and shot 54.0 percent from the field.

After a pair of layups from Gaziano kept Brown within 6-4 early in the first quarter, the Tigers scored the final 18 points of the stanza, taking a 24-4 lead at the end of one.

Princeton scored the first nine points of the second quarter, capping a 27-0 run and taking a 33-4 lead with 7:08 to go in the frame. A 3-pointer from Dale stopped the run before the visitors moved ahead 44-7 with 3:29 left in the period.

The Bears hit a trio of 3-pointers inside of the final 1:51 of the half with Love, Ducharme, and Mullin providing the offense as Princeton led 49-16 at the break.

In the first half, Princeton shot 58.8 percent (20-of-34) from the field, while limiting the Bears to 21.4-percent shooting (6-of-28). The Tigers held a 27-9 rebounding edge.

The Bears cut into the Tigers' lead in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 23-15 in the frame. Dale netted Brown's first 12 points of the quarter with two 3-pointers, two layups, and a jumper, making the score 58-28. Two layups from Gaziano capped an 11-3 run as Brown moved within 58-32. Five points from Gaziano – including a 3-point play – and a jumper from Love brought Brown within 64-39 at the end of three stanzas.

Dale and Gaziano combined to score 21 of the Bears' 23 points in the third quarter, making 9-of-14 field goals (64.3 percent).

In the fourth quarter, freshman guards Sydney Rosant (Foster City, Ga.) and Myla Cox (Petal, Miss.) and junior guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) each scored baskets while Gaziano hit a 3-pointer.

Next, Brown hosts Columbia University on Friday, Feb. 21 at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and Cornell University on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

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.