MOMENT OF MADNESS: Players on the Princeton University women’s basketball team celebrate last Saturday after the 11th-seeded Tigers stunned sixth-seeded Kentucky 69-62 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Bloomington, Ind. It marked the second-ever win in March Madness for the program. Two days later, the Princeton nearly reached the Sweet 16 for the first time, battling valiantly before getting edged 56-55 by third-seeded and host Indiana in a second round contest. The defeat left the Tigers with a final record of 25-5. (Photo by Bill Alden)

By Bill Alden

When Kaitlyn Chen hit a shot in the waning seconds of the first quarter to give the Princeton University women’s basketball team a 12-11 lead over Kentucky last Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament, she was mobbed by her teammates as she ran back to the bench.

With its swarming defense forcing sixth-seeded Kentucky into 31.2 percent shooting (5-16) in the first quarter and sophomore guard Chen and senior Abby Meyers triggering the offense, the 11th-seeded Tigers sensed an upset was brewing before a crowd of 6,389 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

Princeton built its lead to 32-25 at halftime and then utilized its tough defense to hold off a late charge by the Wildcats to win 69-62, setting off a wild celebration with the players screaming, hugging each other, and waving to their supporters in the stands.

Meyers, who ended up with a career-high 29 points in the win, cited the defensive effort in reflecting on the program’s second-ever win in the NCAA tournament (the first since the Tigers topped Green Bay 80-70 in the first round of the 2015 tourney).

“Yeah, I mean, it really just gets down to like it’s Ivy League defense, it’s Ivy League play,” said Meyers.

“I don’t think a lot of people — they just underestimate how good the Ivy League is at both ends. So we wanted to come in and just shock them, and I think we did that. Yeah, I think just making them uncomfortable, too, down low. We doubled up on [Dre’Una] Edwards. She’s a great player, very strong and just trusting in each other one through five and knowing we have help.”

Princeton head coach Carla Berube created her squad showing great composure down the stretch against the Wildcats.

“We stayed the course and made the plays we needed to, yeah, throughout, down the stretch and made some big free throws to seal it,” said Berube, assessing the victory which extended Princeton’s winning streak to 18.

“We finally came up with some big rebounds, too. That is such a great offensive rebounding team and it took all five of us to get in there and rebound the basketball. I am just thrilled to get this victory for us, for Princeton, for the Ivy League.”

Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy acknowledged that the Tigers earned the win with their grit.

“Give credit to Princeton,” said Elzy, whose squad came into the day riding a 10-game winning streak, having won the SEC tournament by edging No. 1 South Carolina 64-62 in the final. “I thought they were the tougher team today; they made some big plays when they had to have them.”

Meyers, who scored 12 of Princeton’s final 13 points in the contest, created teamwork with sparking her outburst.

“Our principle is let’s work together as five, and down the stretch and like Kaitlyn, Grace Stone had some big, clutch, one-on-one moves and plays near the end,” said Meyers. “It’s just like Coach trusts me, I trust her and I’m happy to have somewhat of a green light to be able to do what I want.”

Elzy praised Meyers for her offensive versatility. “I thought Abby had a great game; she’s a phenomenal guard,” said Elzy. “I thought she made some big plays. Her ability to score on all three levels, and if you give her any space, it’s going up, and she’s very efficient offensively.”

Chen, with her ever-present smile, had a great time in the win, scoring 17 points and navigating through a stifling Wildcat press.

“It’s honestly just been so much fun playing with this team and that’s what we talk about,” said Chen. “We always play to like, have fun because we enjoy playing with each other and we are proud of each other’s success and that’s what makes it seem so special and that’s the best part of it.”

In the view of Meyers, the success against Kentucky wasn’t unexpected by the Tigers.

“We’d like to say this wasn’t an upset in our minds,” said Meyers. “We were ready and knew we were going to be underestimated, just being a mid-major, Ivy League team and it just feels great to break the curse of getting knocked out in the first round.”

Berube believed it could be the biggest win ever for the program.

“I’ve only been here a couple years, so I don’t have a lot of my own history with this group,” said Berube. “I think on this stage, with the seed we had, and beating a Kentucky team, the SEC champion, and yeah, I think it’s definitely up there as one of the best wins and yeah, just really, really like I said, thrilled for the squad.”

Making history didn’t come easy for the squad. “They work really, really hard,” said Berube.

“They play for each other. They play together. It’s such a joy to come to practice every day. You know, they are really resilient. I think we were really tested in the schedule, in a non-conference schedule playing Delaware and Villanova. They were battle tested so I think they were ready for this, this moment and for this game, and yeah, just they were locked in. We talk about just defensively being locked in, and they certainly — they certainly were.”

There was plenty of joy in the locker room in the wake of the triumph.

“The vibe after the game was awesome,” said Berube. “I had to change my shirt because I am soaking wet. Really, really excited. Now we have to turn the page to Indiana and just looking forward to this.”

Two days later, the vibe was different as Princeton got edged 56-55 by the third-seeded Hoosiers after a dramatic late rally by the Tigers fell just short.

With a crowd of 9,627 roaring its support for host Indiana, Princeton trailed 39-29 at halftime and 43-29 early in the third quarter. But utilizing its swarming defense, the Tigers reeled off a 13-2 run to draw within 45-42 heading into the fourth quarter.

In reflecting on the comeback, Princeton junior star Julia Cunningham said it came down to basics.

“We knew we were down 10 at half, and I think we kind of went back to our principles defensively,” said Cunningham. “We got a lot of stops, got a lot of hands on the ball there, and we were able to push, and that always leads us to our best offense. That was definitely the plan, and I think in the third quarter we held them to six points in the third quarter, and that’s like a big-time number.”

Sticking to its principles, Princeton took a 52-51 lead with 1:12 left in regulation as Meyers hit a pair of free throws. The Hoosiers tied the game at 52-52 on a Grace Berger free throw and then went ahead 54-52 with 29 seconds left on a twisting runner by Berger.

The Tigers had the ball with the chance to tie or win the game but the Hoosiers got a steal with four seconds left and then added two free throws to go up 56-52. Meyers hit a three at the buzzer to make it a 56-55 final.

Afterward, a somber but upbeat Berube was proud off how her team battled to the final second.

“We just came up a little short against a really strong team, a great Indiana team,” said Berube, whose team ended the winter with a 25-5 record. “But we fought until the end, and I can’t ask for anything more from my players. Yeah, it was a great battle.”

Having had their 2020-21 season canceled by the Ivy League due to COVID-19 concerns, Meyers and her teammates were motivated to fight to the bitter end this winter.

“I think we have to be proud of what we’ve done; we worked so hard, and obviously not having a season last year, we’ve just been working since day one,” said a teary-eyed Meyers, managing a smile.

“Every practice — obviously we pride ourselves in being student-athletes. We take our academics very seriously, and for us to just do that with excellence and then come into practice and be focused, never complain and just be our best and embrace greatness, I think it’s just something to be proud about. So yeah, we’re going to just hold our heads high and be proud of what we’ve done. But we’re going to let it sting a little bit because we all value winning as competitors, and yeah, we’re going to be happy with what we’ve done.”

In Meyers’ view, the future is bright for the Tigers. “I hope that we left our mark and our legacy, and obviously it’s unfinished business, and I know that the team next year and the coaching staff, they’re super excited,” said Meyers.

“I feel like we’ve kind of lit the fire on to next year’s goals. I hope that we left our mark and really opened people’s eyes to the Ivy League because it’s a growing league. It’s really competitive, and there’s a lot of ballers that are coming out of that league.”

Berube, for her part, is excited about how her squad took care of its business in Bloomington.

“We showed on the national stage that we can compete with anyone,” said Berube. “We have very talented players that work really hard and play together and play for each other and have a lot of fun. I think it’s a great recipe to show everyone out there that Princeton basketball and the Ivy League is really great. I am just proud of us, and hopefully we just keep taking off.”