Women's Basketball Weekly Release - Week 17

Complete Women's Basketball Weekly Release in pdf format

Photos courtesy of Princeton Athletic Communications and Yale Sports Publicity

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Princeton clinched its third-straight Ivy League title with a sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth and a loss by Yale to Columbia, which knocked the Bulldogs out of contention. The Tigers clinched the title on Feb. 25, marking the earliest date for a League champion to be crowned since Penn won the 2000-01 title on Feb. 24.

Princeton senior guard Lauren Edwards (Los Angeles) averaged 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in two games and was named Player of the Week. Yale freshman Sarah Halejian (Wyckoff, N.J.) posted 9.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals en route to being named the Rookie of the Week.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Edwards’ weekend helped Princeton clinch the Ivy League title for the third-straight year, as the Tigers became the first team in the country to punch a ticket to the Big Dance. Edwards tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists in her team’s 74-44 win over Harvard on Friday. Thanks to Yale’s loss at Columbia that same night, Princeton clinched at least a share of the title and was in a position to win the League championship with a victory over Dartmouth on Saturday.

Edwards made sure that Princeton’s opportunity did not go by the wayside, pouring in a career-best 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 7-of-10 from behind the arc, setting career-highs in both field goals and three-pointers. The senior also contributed three assists, two rebounds and one steal. Edwards’ award is the third such of her career and her first of the season. She is the second Tiger to earn Player of the Week honors in 2011-12, joining junior Niveen Rasheed (Nov. 21, Dec. 19, Jan. 2, Jan. 16).

Edward's Statistics for the Week

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Halejian was a bright spot in the Bulldogs’ loss at Columbia. She led the team with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while recording a career-best six rebounds along with three assists and three steals. The freshman filled the stat line in Yale’s win at Cornell, as she finished with seven points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The award for Halejian marks the sixth time she has been named Rookie of the Week in 2011-12. She joins Princeton’s Rasheed (nine), Penn’s Alyssa Baron (seven) and Harvard’s Brogan Berry (six) as current players who earned at least six Rookie of the Week awards. Halejian is the third Bulldog to accomplish the feat, joining Katy Grubbs (1996) and Melissa Colborne (2007).

Halejian's Statistics for the Week

Now that Princeton has clinched first-place, the race for second truly heats up. Yale (8-4) holds a half-game lead over Harvard (7-4) and a full game edge on Brown (7-5). The Bulldogs and the Bears will each face Princeton and Penn to close out their seasons, while Harvard still has games left against Columbia, Cornell and Dartmouth.

“Inside Ivy League Basketball” returns for its 11th episode on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. featuring interviews with Penn men's basketball head coach Jerome Allen, Yale senior guard Reggie Willhite and Princeton senior center Devona Allgood.

“Inside Ivy League Basketball” is hosted by Dan Loney and Brian Seltzer and takes an in-depth look at all the news and notes surrounding Ivy men’s and women’s basketball on and off the courts during the 2011-12 season. The 12-episode show debuted Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. on BlogTalkRadio.com (blogtalkradio.com/insideivyleaguebasketball) and is available on-demand via BlogTalkRadio and IvyLeagueSports.com.     

Each episode is packed with highlights, statistics and expert analysis in its 'Around the League' segment. With its interview segments 'Program Profile,' 'Student-Athlete Spotlight' and 'Alumni Focus,' the show will visit with past and present players, coaches and administrators who impact Ivy League basketball.

Fans and alumni can interact with the show via its social media platforms -- Facebook (Inside Ivy League Basketball) and Twitter (@insideivyhoops) -- as well as provide ideas and content for the show’s 'Twitter Talk/Facebook Fodder' segment.

HONOR ROLL
Maka Anyanwu, Cornell, Senior, Forward (Oakland, Calif.)
8 points, 1 rebound, 3 steals vs. Brown
17 points, 6 rebounds vs. Yale

Sasha Dosenko, Dartmouth, Senior, Forward (Kiev, Ukraine)
11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block at Penn
21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks at Princeton

Janna Graf, Yale, Sophomore, Forward (Mission Woods, Kan.)
7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals at Columbia
13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals at Cornell

Jess Knapp, Penn, Senior, Forward (Carlstadt, N.J.)
11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block vs. Dartmouth
10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals vs. Harvard

Victoria Lippert, Harvard, Junior, Guard (San Diego)
4 points, 2 steals at Princeton
17 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block at Penn

Lindsay Nickel, Brown, Junior, Guard (Los Altos, Calif.)
16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals at Cornell
16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals at Columbia

Tyler Simpson, Columbia, Junior, Forward (Lawrenceville, N.J.)
20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal vs. Yale
23 points, 6 rebounds vs. Brown

Milica Toskovic, Dartmouth, Freshman, Guard (Santa Monica, Calif.)
17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals at Penn
5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block at Princeton

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, March 2
*Columbia at Harvard, 7 pm
*Princeton at Yale, 7 pm
*Penn at Brown, 7 pm
*Cornell at Dartmouth, 7 pm

Saturday, March 3
*Cornell at Harvard, 6 pm
*Penn at Yale, 7 pm
*Princeton at Brown, 7 pm
*Columbia at Dartmouth, 7 pm

Tuesday, March 6
*Penn at Princeton, 5 pm
*Dartmouth at Harvard, 7 pm
*Columbia at Cornell, 7 pm

Monday, March 12
NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Selection Show, 7 pm [ESPN]

Saturday-Tuesday, March 17-20
NCAA First/Second Rounds

Saturday-Tuesday, March 24-27
NCAA Regionals

Sunday, April 1
NCAA National Semifinals (Pepsi Center, Denver)

Monday, April 3
NCAA National Championship (Pepsi Center, Denver)

KEY:
* Ivy League Contest