GOING OUT WITH A BANG: Princeton University women’s basketball head coach Courtney Banghart makes a point during a timeout as players, from left, Michelle Miller, Vanessa Smith, and Amanda Berntsen listen intently. Last Friday, 11th-seeded Princeton lost 74-65 to sixth-seeded West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Columbus. Ohio. The Tigers, who were the first Ivy league team, men’s or women’s, to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA basketball tournament, finished the season with a 23-6 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

With the Princeton University women’s basketball team trailing West Virginia by 11 points in the waning seconds of their NCAA tournament opening round contest last Friday, Courtney Banghart gave her five seniors a curtain call, removing them from the game as a group.

Point guard Amanda Berntsen started to tear up as she headed to the bench, stopping for a heartfelt embrace with Banghart before taking a seat and ending her college career as the Tigers fell 74-65.

While Bernsten’s sadness was understandable, it brought to mind the admonition of Dr. Seuss, “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

The team’s Class of 2016, which includes Michelle Miller, Alex Wheatley, Annie Tarakchian, and Taylor Williams in addition to Berntsen, made a lot of good things happen over the last four years.

They helped Princeton post a 97-23 record in their tenure, including 50-6 in the Ivy League. Along the way, they won two Ivy titles, made three NCAA tournaments, one WNIT, had two postseason wins, including the first NCAA triumph in program history, and produced a 30-0 regular season last winter and a final overall mark of 31-1.

In reflecting on the program’s Class of 2016, head coach Banghart lauded the group for its accomplishments on and off the court.

“In this life you hope to make an impact and you hope to leave a legacy and that is what this class has done,” said Banghart.

“They have made an indelible impact on the program, the university, and on me. They left a legacy. They trusted me upon the very first day and they allowed me to push them and love them hard. That is what I told them, thanks for trusting me and I love you always.”

Banghart loved the way her team battled as 11th-seeded Princeton gave sixth-seeded West Virginia all it could handle in the clash at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Tigers jumped out to an 8-3 lead and led 18-16 going into the second quarter. Princeton trailed 30-29 at half and 49-46 after three quarters. The Mountaineers started the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run and Princeton fought an uphill battle after that. The Tigers made it 68-63 with 59 seconds left in regulation but never got closer than that as they ended the season with a 23-6 record.

“I thought the kids executed the game plan perfectly; we gave ourselves a chance to win and they just went on one more run than we did,” said Banghart, who got 20 points and 10 rebounds from Tarakchian in the defeat with Wheatley chipping in 18 points.

“They are a top 25 team for a reason, they are really athletic. You have a kid who was the player of the year in the conference (Bria Holmes) and averaged 20 points a game. Their athleticism gives us a smaller margin for error. They utilized their athleticism in a really solid way that last quarter. I walked out of that gym with my head really high.”

Princeton had been on a high since it received an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney after finishing one game behind Penn in the Ivy League standings.

“Most people won’t remember who the Ivy champion was but they will remember that Princeton got that first at-large bid,” said Banghart, whose team posted a 12-2 Ivy mark this season.

“I am so grateful that we came in second, to be honest, because it gave us an opportunity to be the first ever Ivy at-large NCAA tournament team, men or women. With a program of this much history and with these universities that are so old, to think of the history we have made that never happened on the men’s or women’s side is really special. I will remember this year as the at-large team, that is the thing that will stick with me forever. I am really proud.”

While Banghart will always remember her seniors from this year, she realizes change is a constant in college sports.

“You regroup, people thought when Lauren Edwards and Devona Allgood left, what would happen or when Niveen Rasheed, LP (Lauren Polansky) and Kate Miller left, what would happen,” said Banghart,

“That is the sign of a really great program, not just an elite class. It is who is next. There are many kids that have waited for their turn. It is a program, not a team so next man up.”

In Banghart’s view, the program is in good shape going forward. “There is a lot of youth, just like when these guys, the seniors, were freshmen; they became sophomores and we started them right away,” said Banghart, who returns junior starter Vanessa Smith along with junior reserve Taylor Brown, sophomores Kenya Holland, Tia Weledji, and Leslie Robinson, and a group of six freshmen.

“They came in second in the league, there is a growing curve that has to happen. What I know I will get is that these kids will trust me to push them. These are kids that I just love, these are really talented kids. We are going to have to learn quickly, we are going to have to gain experience the hard way. There is no substitute for experience, you just have to get it. I think there is a lot of talent, just like there was three years ago and three years before that.”

Banghart, for her part, is fired up to get started working on next season.

“This is a growth opportunity with this young team and building this group to wherever they are going to go, therein lies the inspiration of coaching,” said Banghart.

“What’s ahead for me is to take a really detailed individual look at where each kid needs to be better and more skilled and then collectively how to play to their strengths. We are going to Australia this summer in August. I pushed the trip back from last year to this year because I knew this year’s group would need it a little more. We are going to start a little early. We will be back on the court next week with the kids. That is what it is about.”