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Alarie, Littlefield lead Princeton to victory over Penn State

By Matt Ward

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 10: Carlie Littlefield #2 of the Princeton Tigers dribbles up court during a women's basketball game against the George Washington Colonials at the Smith Center on November 102019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 10: Carlie Littlefield #2 of the Princeton Tigers dribbles up court during a women's basketball game against the George Washington Colonials at the Smith Center on November 102019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Princeton moves to 9-1 with easy win over Penn State

Princeton senior Bella Alarie made her return from a recent injury and made an immediate impact for the Ivy League favorites.  Alarie finished with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including four 3-pointers, to go along with five rebounds, as the Tigers beat Penn State, 72-55 in Princeton.

While Alarie’s return was a major story of the day, she had plenty of help, mostly coming from junior point guard Carlie Littlefield. Littlefield has been terrific thus far this season, and that continued today, as she finished with a game-high 25 points, to go along with three steals and three assists. Littlefield made some big plays early, including a huge four-point play with just over a minute remaining in the first half, that stalled a mini run from the Nittany Lions and put the Tigers up 35-21.

Even though both the halftime and final scores would make it seem as if the Tigers dominated the game, it was Penn State who got off to the fast start. First-year head coach Carolyn Kieger’s team jumped out to a 11-7 lead in the first quarter. It was not the offense of Alarie and Littlefield that spearheaded the Tigers at the end of the first, it was the defense.

Princeton proceeded to go on a 22-2 run following Penn State’s 11-7 run to start the game. That run by the Tigers helped them to a 40-28 halftime lead. A half which saw the Tigers assist on 12 of 16 made field goals, while getting 19 points from Alarie.

Princeton forced 27 Penn State turnovers in the game, while committing just 12 of their own. Defense was the story for the home team and has been all season. Head coach Carla Berube consistently fielded some of the best defensive teams in the country during her time at division three Tufts University. That mindset has carried over to Princeton, where the Tigers rank in the top-20 nationally in scoring defense.

The Nittany Lions were led by Siyeh Frazier’s 12 points. The loss pushes Penn State to 5-5 on the season.  They will host Sacred Heart on December 22, before getting into Big Ten play.

Princeton travels to Missouri, where they will take on the University of Missouri on Wednesday and St. Louis on Friday.

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