Princeton falls to Indiana in Round of 32

Princeton University, Basketball, College

March 21, 2022

No. 11 Princeton faced off against No. 6 Indiana on Monday in the round of 32, losing 56-55. The Tigers fought hard against a team that could have easily run away with the win. Princeton’s Julia Cunningham and Grace Stone led the Tigers with 13 points each.

Both teams started the game strong, finishing 17-17 in the first quarter. The second quarter saw a dominant performance by Indiana, outscoring Princeton by ten points. Guard Kaitlyn Chen had ten points in the first half, leading the Tiger’s scorers. Indiana’s Nicole Cardano-Hillary led the first half in scoring for the Hoosiers.

The teams went into halftime with the Hoosiers leading 39-29. This was the biggest deficit going into halftime Princeton has faced this season. Dominant defense by Indiana gave the Tigers a hard time offensively.

Coming back from halftime, Princeton dominated offensively, but Indiana still kept their lead. Stone and Cunningham contributed points during the third quarter to help the Tigers close the gap. The Tigers ended the quarter trailing 45-42.

The fourth quarter saw an eight-point scoring drive by the Tigers to catch up to the Hoosiers. A final buzzer-beater by Abby Meyers put three points on the board but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. A slow offensive performance by the Tiger’s top scorers negatively impacted their chance at a win.

Princeton ended the game losing 56-55, to end their season in the Round of 32. The Tigers finished their season with an overall record of 25-5 and are unbeaten in conference play.