Princeton, college basketball
(Photo by Christopher Shannon - JSN)

Princeton beats Harvard to advance to the Ivy League final

On Friday, Princeton faced off against Harvard for the semifinal matchup in the Ivy League Tournament, winning 72-67. The Tigers came into the matchup ranked number one, hoping to advance to their fourth Ivy League Championship. Guard Ellie Mitchell led the Tigers to victory with her sixth double-double of the year, tallying 11 points and 16 rebounds. 

Both teams started the game strong, ending with a first quarter score of 19-13 in favor of the Tigers. The second quarter saw a dominant performance by both teams as well. Guard Abby Meyers had five points in the quarter to add to the Tigers' slim lead. 

The Tigers went into halftime with a 35-32 lead. In a dominant first half, Harvard's McKenzie Forbes led the Crimson with 13 points. Princeton had 20 rebounds and shot 46 percent from the field in the half.

After halftime, the Tigers had a solid start to the second half. Princeton started with five points from Mitchell and then scored six unanswered points. Guard Julia Cunningham scored four points in the run, while guard Kaitlyn Chen scored two points. The Tigers ended the quarter leading 52-44. 

The fourth quarter saw a hungry Harvard offense looking for the win. Harvard scored 23 points in the quarter, leaving Princeton's defense to struggle. Chen and Meyers performed well on the offensive front to help secure the teams' place in the final.

The Tigers held on to move on to the final of the Ivy League Tournament.

Up Next For Princeton

Princeton faces Columbia in the Ivy League Tournament final at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. You can watch the Tigers on ESPNews.