DANCE PARTY: Members of the Princeton University women’s basketball team celebrate at Triumph Brewing Company last Monday after learning their assignment for the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Tigers, now 24-5, are seeded 12th and will face fifth-seeded Maryland, 25-7, in Raleigh, N.C. on March 16 in the Kansas City bracket. It is the seventh trip to the Big Dance in the last nine years for the Tigers, who beat Penn 63-34 in the Ivy League tournament championship game last Sunday to earn the league’s automatic bid to the tourney. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even though the Princeton University women’s basketball team rolled to the Ivy League regular season title, that didn’t guarantee the Tigers a spot in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Instead, the Tigers had to go to Philadelphia and survive a two-game gauntlet at the Ivy League postseason tourney to earn the league’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.

“Knowing that we had to go into the weekend, earning this bid, we were totally locked in,” said Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart.

“Before each game, I left the locker room and I said, ‘Who are the champs?’ and they said, ‘We are.’ and I said, ‘Go play like it.’”

The Tigers did just that, topping fourth-seeded Yale 78-57 in the semis on Saturday and then routing second-seeded and host Penn 63-34 a day later in the Ivy championship game.

“We really tried to pressure their guards because their posts are so good, we wanted to stagnate the ball and make sure that it didn’t move and they bought into that,” said Banghart.

“Offensively, we wanted to share it; we wanted to move it. I thought both ends they were solid.”

Last Monday, the Tigers, now 24-5, got their NCAA assignment as they were seeded 12th and will face fifth-seeded Maryland, 25-7, in Raleigh, N.C. on March 16 in the Kansas City bracket.

“We have been to the tournament seven of the last nine years and I look at it and say, gosh, every year is different and it is so hard to get there,” said Banghart.

“To know that these guys have earned a very coveted spot in the biggest athletic event for women that exists, it means a lot.”

Princeton senior guard Kenya Holland is thrilled to be going to the NCAAs in her final college campaign.

“It meant everything to us,” said Holland, a 5’8 native of Stafford, Va. who is averaging 3.5 points in 18 minutes a game off the bench this year with 29 3-pointers.

 “It is everything coming full circle from our freshman year and what we learned from the seniors that came before us and making sure that in our senior year we got the job done.”

The Tigers got the job done with aplomb against Penn in the Ivy title game, jumping out to a 19-3 first quarter lead and never looking back in dismantling the Quakers.

“Everyone, from player one to 14 was dialed in from the beginning,” said Holland, who scored six points off the bench against the Quakers after tallying nine in the win over Yale in the semis.

“We heard a lot of people say it is hard to beat somebody three times in one season. We wanted to come out and cut down the nets on their court.”

Making it back to the NCAA tournament after not going last season is something the Tigers desperately wanted to accomplish.

“As seniors, we have the experience but we know other people on our team haven’t,” said Holland.

“We wanted to give other people the chance to have that experience and have the excitement and thrill we had freshman year.”

Holland and her teammates are excited to get a rematch against Maryland, who defeated Princeton 85-70 in the second round of the 2015 NCAA tourney, giving the Tigers their only blemish in a 31-1 campaign.

“Getting the chance to play them again we just want to come out as hard as we can,” said Holland.

“I know our coaches are going to do a great job with our scout; they are going to have us as prepared as possible. We have just got to come out and play hard like we have done all year.”

In Holland’s view, the Tigers are going to be hard to beat, having gone 11-1 in their last 12 games.

“We have a lot of weapons and we have a lot of people stepping up at the end of the season at different parts of the floor,” said Holland.

“We want make sure that everyone is at their most confident and that Abby [Meyers] is stepping into her role, Bella [Alarie] still playing hard, Leslie [Robinson] doing her thing, Carlie [Littlefield] is facilitating at the point guard role.”

Holland relished stepping up in her role off the bench last weekend at the Ivy tourney.

“I was just trying to be there when my team needs me and do whatever they need me to do on the court, whether that is defending or hitting shots,” said Holland. “It is just being ready when my number is called.”

Coming into hear senior season, Holland was primed to assume a leadership role.

“I have learned so much from the upperclassmen and the seniors that have come before me,” said Holland.

“It is really learning to step into a leadership role when it came my way and using my voice and embracing my role to help my team no matter what.”

Banghart, for her part, credits Holland and fellow seniors Robinson and Tia Weledji with setting the tone for the Tigers this winter.

“This is a league for seniors, and our seniors have earned it,” said Banghart.

“This is Leslie Robinson’s team, she is the heart and soul of everything we do. She is our barometer.”

Princeton will need to play with heart if it is to overcome powerhouse Maryland.

“I knew we would get a good team, there are all good teams right now, there is no bad team in there,” said Banghart.

“Maryland is not quite as big as they were when we played them before which will help us but they are second in the Big Ten so they are a good team.”

Banghart believes her team that can upset the Terps if it is clicking.

“It less about the opponent and if Bella plays like the star that she is, if our bench continues to outperform the other team’s bench, and if Leslie continues to lead this team with all of her heart,” said Banghart.

“I think we are a tough out. It was Niveen Rasheed’s show, and then it was Blake Dietrick’s and now it is Bella’s show, but it is not just Bella. We have a lot of different guys with a lot of different experience.”

With Banghart having guided the Tigers to a first round win over Wisconsin-Green Bay in the 2015 NCAA tournament, she is primed to see Princeton experience another tourney victory.

“I am going to make sure they understand that this program has won a tournament game,” said Banghart. “What this program hasn’t done yet is win two and that is what we are trying to do, win two.”