Photo by Mark Carosiello

Princeton defeats undefeated Ivy League rival Penn

Madison St. Rose led Princeton with 15 points and five rebounds as the Tigers defeated the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, 55-40, on Monday at Jadwin Gym. Penn came into this matchup undefeated, but the Tigers were able to put aside their rough Ivy League start to grab the win. Princeton improves to 12-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

Julia Cunningham ended with 11 points and four assists, and Grace Stone followed closely with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Ellie Mitchell finished with eight rebounds and four points, keeping her defensive playing style strong. The Tigers forced 20 turnovers allowing the team to be so successful in this tough matchup.

Highlights

The first quarter started with a 4-0 run by Penn, who was looking to capitalize early. The Tigers did not allow that to last long as Cunningham made a fast-break jumper to put Princeton on the board. Kayla Padilla and Jordan Obi combined for four for Penn, but the Tigers found their groove and went on an 8-0 scoring drive featuring buckets from Stone, St. Rose and Kaitlyn Chen. Padilla then tied it up at 10 before Cunningham hit a jumper and a three-pointer to finish off the quarter with the Tigers leading 15-10.

The second quarter saw Princeton maintain their offense as they jumped out to a big lead going into the second half of the game. Paige Morton started the quarter with a layup before Penn grabbed five points from Padilla. The Tigers then went on an 8-0 run with Cunningham getting four points and Chen grabbing the other four to keep Princeton in the lead. With a little over a minute left, Padilla made two free throws which was followed by Stone making a three-pointer. Parker Hill stopped Padilla from adding more points as she blocked the shot to allow St. Rose to have the final say in the quarter with a three-pointer. The Tigers outscored the Quakers 16-7 in the quarter. Princeton led 31-17 going into halftime.

St. Rose started the third quarter with a jumper to give the Tigers a 16-point lead over the Quakers. Obi followed up with a layup before St. Rose hit a three-pointer. Ellie Mitchell got her first points of the game with a layup with the assist going to Stone. The game was back and forth for a little over two minutes as neither team could sink their shot. Hill broke that streak as she made a layup with the assist going to Cunningham. After an Obi jumper, Hill followed up with one of her own to increase the lead to 20 points. Obi finished out the quarter with a three-pointer, but the Tigers still led 46-29.

St. Rose once again started the scoring in the final quarter with a made three-pointer with Mitchell getting credited with the assist. Chen scored a jumper and Stone scored a free throw and a three-pointer to finish out the scoring for the Tigers. Obi had two made free throws in the final two minutes, and teammate Michaela Stanfield had the final say with a layup. Despite the last minute efforts from the Quakers, the Tigers came out victorious with a dominant 55-40 win.

Princeton finished shooting 41 percent from the paint and 44 percent from beyond the arc. Princeton scored 18 points off of the Quakers' turnovers which helped them succeed.

What's Up Next for the Tigers?

The Tigers return to the court to face Ivy League opponent Dartmouth College on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. in Hanover, New Hampshire. You can watch your Tigers on ESPN.