Princeton still tops league, Yale and Harvard not far behind

In the first full Ivy League weekend for women’s basketball, Yale went 2-0, proving itself a strong contender for the Ivy title. Harvard, Brown, and Penn each had mixed results, but all seem to be in the hunt as well. Dartmouth suffered from second-half meltdowns and ended the weekend still winless in the league.

Princeton
Princeton (13-4, 3-0 Ivy) remained off for the school’s finals period, and will play its first game in more than two weeks this Friday against Brown. The Tigers have won six games straight and have a comfortable lead in the Ivy League standings.

Yale
The Bulldogs (11-7, 3-1 Ivy) went undefeated this weekend, winning back-to-back games against Harvard and Dartmouth. Yale came back from deficits as large as 10 points to defeat Harvard, 68-63. The win marked Yale’s third straight over the Crimson and its second straight against Harvard on the road, the latter an astonishing feat considering the Crimson’s 33-8 record at home since the 2008-09 season. Yale continued its road route in Hanover, where it dominated Dartmouth in the second half and seized a 89-65 win over the Big Green. The Bulldogs went on a 26-1 run after halftime, which proved to be insurmountable for Dartmouth. Yale will play its third consecutive road game Friday against Penn.

Harvard
After losing a close game against the Bulldogs, Harvard (9-8, 2-1 Ivy) was able to salvage a win this weekend against Brown. The Crimson saw an 18-point lead diminish rapidly after halftime as the Bears mounted a comeback attack. With 4:31 left to play, the score was tied at 54. Harvard ended the game on an 11-3 run to pull off a 65-57 victory. Four Crimson starters scored in double digits, two of whom accounted for 20 of Harvard’s 31 points in the second half—senior guard Brogan Berry and junior forward Victoria Lippert had 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Crimson will face Cornell on Friday.

Brown
The Bears (11-7, 2-2 Ivy) went 1-1 this weekend, thrashing Dartmouth 74-50 before losing to Harvard. The win against the Big Green was especially meaningful for Brown’s women’s basketball coach Jean Marie Burr as it marked her 300th career win. The Bears handled themselves well in every aspect of play. They shot 40 percent from the floor, had 46 rebounds to Dartmouth’s 35, and forced 15 turnovers. It was an overall positive weekend for Brown, which had strong play in each game, even with its loss against Harvard. The Bears will face first-place Princeton on the road.

Penn
Penn (8-9, 1-2 Ivy) defeated Columbia 75-50 this weekend before losing 67-53 in its next game to Cornell. Five players posted double figures in the victory against the Lions, their first of the Ivy season. The Quakers dominated throughout, quickly gaining and holding a double-digit lead. They had season-best percentages both from the field and beyond the arc, at 46.6 percent 47.6 percent, respectively. Two days later, the Quakers lost to the Big Red, but will look to come back strong in their match against Yale on Friday.

Cornell
The Big Red (8-9, 2-1 Ivy) stormed to a 67-53 victory over Penn this weekend, shooting a brilliant 57 percent as a team, with four players scoring in double figures. Not only did Cornell play a tremendous game offensively, but it also used zone defense to force the Quakers to make long-range shots, where they shot a lowly 22 percent. Cornell will return home to face Harvard this Friday.

Dartmouth
Dartmouth (2-15, 0-3 Ivy) was trounced at home by both Brown and Yale this weekend. The Big Green’s main failure was in second-half defense, as it allowed both Bears and the Bulldogs to pull away after halftime. Dartmouth looks to bounce back against Columbia this Friday.