February 25, 2015

With Dietrick Shaking Off Injury to Trigger Offense, No. 14 Princeton Women’s Hoops Improves to 25-0

STAYING PERFECT: Princeton University women’s basketball player Blake Dietrick dribbles upcourt in recent action. Last Saturday, senior guard Dietrick shook off a twisted ankle to score a game-high 23 points as Princeton defeated Harvard to improve to 25-0 overall and 9-0 Ivy League. The No. 14 Tigers host Yale on February 27 and Brown on February 28 in their final home weekend of the regular season.(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

STAYING PERFECT: Princeton University women’s basketball player Blake Dietrick dribbles upcourt in recent action. Last Saturday, senior guard Dietrick shook off a twisted ankle to score a game-high 23 points as Princeton defeated Harvard to improve to 25-0 overall and 9-0 Ivy League. The No. 14 Tigers host Yale on February 27 and Brown on February 28 in their final home weekend of the regular season. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

The seemingly inexorable march to a perfect regular season for the No. 14  Princeton University women’s basketball hit a road bump early in the first half last Saturday as the Tigers hosted Harvard.

Senior captain and leading scorer Blake Dietrick left the contest with 14:33 left in the first half and was quickly whisked behind a partition behind the bench where a trainer worked on the guard’s right foot.

With Dietrick out and the extent of her injury unknown, her teammates racheted up their intensity.

“When she went out, you saw a different edge from our players,” said Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart.

“Someone like Michelle Miller or Annie Tarakchian or Alex Wheatley, you could see a look in their eyes. Blake didn’t get to see but it was like oh no, that is our fearless leader. I think Blake would be really proud of how the team played and approached the possessions when she was out.”

Dietrick returned to the game with 9:15 remaining before halftime and displayed her competitive approach, scoring eight points, with two rebounds, two assists, and a steal to spark a 19-4 run as the Tigers built a 28-19 halftime lead and seized control of the game.

Princeton never looked back from there, rolling to a 78-57 victory, improving to 25-0 overall and 9-0 Ivy League before a Jadwin Gym crowd of 1,502.

Afterward, Dietrick said she wasn’t about to be slowed by her first half stumble.

“I just rolled my ankle, no worries,” said a smiling Dietrick. “I am good, I will be back next weekend.”

Dietrick’s shot was back as she ended up with a game-high 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting, marking her first 20-point scoring night since tallying 25 in a 83-54 win over Penn on January 10 in the Ivy opener.

“I actually just take what the defense gives me and in the games where I wasn’t scoring as much, other people stepped up and we didn’t need a big night from me,” said Dietrick, who also contributed eight assists and five rebounds in the win over Harvard.

“So it was working on my defense and getting other people the ball. Tonight I just felt like I had more opportunities to score.”

There were some special people on hand to watch the Tigers as a number of former team stars, including Niveen Rasheed ’13, Lauren Polansky ’13, Lauren Edwards ’12, and Kate Miller ’13 showed up at Jadwin on Saturday to cheer on the Tigers.

“It is awesome, they were really heckling us during warm-ups,” said Dietrick, referring to her ex-teammates.

“It really makes you focus in, we know what we are fighting for and that it is really, really important that we are focused every single game but is also fun to have them back and cheering us on.”

Banghart believes that Dietrick is on track to leave a legacy like Rasheed, Polansky, Miller, and Edwards.

“It means she is leaving something behind that will be better; any great leader wants the program to be better when they leave,” said Banghart.

“That is why all of these alums are back, they are so proud of these people because they started something.”

Junior forward Tarakchian is growing into a force for the Tigers as she produced her ninth double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds against Harvard.

“It is becoming pretty automatic for her, the double-double part of the game,” said Banghart of Tarakchian, who was later named the Ivy League Player of the Week.

“I thought early on she got hit, it wasn’t really called and she really got an edge. I don’t think that Annie yet plays 40 minutes with an edge and when she does, she is going to be unstoppable. I thought tonight there were moments of that edge. She can take control of the game in so many facets. She is key to what we are doing.”

Banghart, for her part, enjoyed a special moment on Saturday, waving to a cheering crowd after it was announced that she had tied Joan Kowalik for the most wins in program history with 163.

“We teach our kids to own accomplishments and so I have to own mine,” said Banghart.

“At the same time, in our business, your players are first line and your staff is your backbone. I am somewhere in the middle of that. I have surrounded myself with a really great staff and I have surrounded myself with really good players. I think I am a pretty good middleman.”

Princeton’s perfect start has put the program in the middle of growing hoopla as its highlights were shown on ESPN’s SportsCenter last weekend and former Princeton hoops legend Bill Bradley showed up Friday and spoke to the team after its 70-31 win over Dartmouth.

“I think when you earn the success that we have, that comes with it,” said Banghart. “It is preparing us for March, part of what we are doing its sharing it. I know how special this is and I know how hard these kids work. I know how hard they worked in the summer and in the offseason. The kids have gotten better here. The university president was here tonight, Bill Bradley was here last night. All these alums are back, 1,500 fans were here tonight. I am so happy to share with these really special people, it is an honor.”

While Dietrick and her teammates are enjoying being in the spotlight, they are not about to have their heads turned by the extra attention.

“It has been pretty intense for the majority of the Ivy league season so I don’t really feel as though it has changed that much,” said Dietrick.

“It is great, we really appreciate it but I think we are good  at compartmentalizing time with the media.”