DRIVING FORCE: Princeton University women’s basketball player Vanessa Smith drives to the basket in a game during the 2015-16 season. Last Wednesday, senior co-captain Smith scored 12 points to help Princeton rout Wagner 107-44 as the Tigers set a program record for most points in a game, breaking the mark set against Portland State (104) on December 19, 2014. Princeton, now 5-6, plays at Georgia Tech on December 29 and at Lipscomb on December 31. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Vanessa Smith got off to a slow start this season for the Princeton University women’s basketball team, getting up to speed after dealing with a foot injury over the offseason.

The 6’1 senior co-captain and star forward totaled just nine points in Princeton’s first three games this winter after having averaged 8.2 points a game last season.

“I had surgery this summer but I rehabbed it and I am back,” said Smith, a native of Twinsburg, Ohio. “I am trying to contribute as best as I can every game.”

Last Wednesday against visiting Wagner, Smith made a valuable contribution, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting as the Tigers routed the Seahawks 107-44, setting a program record for most points in a game, breaking the mark set against Portland State (104) on December 19, 2014.

With Princeton having lost two tough road games (57-55 at Fordham on December 10 and 60-42 at Kansas State on December 18) coming into the contest with Wagner, Smith and her teammates enjoyed the lopsided victory as they improved to 5-6.

“We have turned the corner in our season and this is a good momentum shift,” said Smith.

“We grow every game regardless of the school we are playing so it was good to stretch our legs a little bit. We were excited for this game; it is the last home game before we go home for the holidays. We are feeling good as a team.”

In reflecting on the record-breaking offensive performance, which also saw the Tigers establish new program highs for points in a quarter (34 in the first) and in a half with 60 during the first 20 minutes of the contest, Smith attributed the outburst to unselfish play.

“We have been playing really well against zone this year,” noted Smith.

“We were able to execute really well, move the ball and get the shots that we wanted, which will help us later on. I think we were all just playing together and had some confidence out there.”

Smith and fellow co-captain senior point guard Taylor Brown, along with senior forward Jackie Reyneke have held things together as the Tigers have rebounded from a 0-4 start this season.

“We all have our roles to play,” said Smith. “I think we are contributing what we need to in terms of making sure that we have composure as a team through our leadership and our voices off the court.”

Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart lauded Smith for making her voice heard in the win over Wagner.

“Vanessa was really verbal, I think she was helping everybody else,” said Banghart.

“She was taking care of the overall so everyone could take care of their piece and that is what we need from our experienced players. The Ivy League is won by seniors. Vanessa knows what is going on around her and understands the ebbs and flows of what we are trying to do. The more vocal she is, the more people can just do what they are supposed to do and that was hugely helpful.”

Banghart liked the way the rest of the Tigers took care of business, citing the play of sophomore Jordan Muhammad (a career-high 13 points) in the back court and the efforts of Reyneke (8 points, 7 rebounds) and freshman Jordan Stallworth (9 points, 2 rebounds) in the paint.

“Muhammad hit a little bit of a rough patch where she was trying to do so much for other people,” said Banghart.

“She doesn’t see herself as a scorer but we all do. Hopefully this turns the corner for her because we want her to be a scoring guard for us. It was good to have Jackie and Stallworth, two of our post players, give us eight or nine points, respectively, and nine rebounds amongst them. We need those two moving forward to give us depth in the post game.”

In Banghart’s view, setting the scoring records reflects her players’ growing self assurance.

“We have just taken steps as a group and I think now people are individually more confident about what they can give to the offense and it is giving us much more balance,” said Banghart.

Princeton will be looking to take more steps forward as it plays at Georgia Tech on December 29 and at Lipscomb on December 31.

“We have two tough teams; Georgia Tech is really fast, athletic, an ACC team; they have a lot of transfers that are now eligible and starting this year so it will be a really tough challenge at their place right after the break but I like that environment for this young team,” said Banghart, noting that the Tigers currently have the highest RPI (Rating Percentage Index) of any team in the Ivy League.

“Lipscomb is a little more like the league teams we will be playing so hopefully we will throw the first punch on the road; that makes it a challenge for a young team.”

With the Ivy opener against defending champion Penn looming on January 7 at Jadwin Gym, Banghart believes her squad will be prepared for the challenges of league play.

“You can’t put a 5-6 team on me and make me happy but I just love this team,” said Banghart.

“They have gotten so much better. I have a lot of respect for how Vanessa and Taylor Brown have led this group with Jackie’s help. We are not just focused on the win-loss record, we are focused on being 11 games better than when we started because we want to be good enough when we need to be. Offensively and defensively, it is a work in progress. I like where we are at mostly because their heads are in the right place.”

Smith, for her part, is confident that Princeton will keep getting better and better.

“I think execution offensively and accountability defensively are two areas of progress,” said Smith.

“We are growing as a team and I think those are two really important things that will help us on the road and in the Ivy League. We just continue to work on execution, playing well offensively, and pushing the ball in transition.”