Umeda sparks Tiger women’s hoops
By: Justin Feil
The Princeton University women’s basketball team brought out a secret weapon against Army on Wednesday.
The sight of Elyse Umeda wouldn’t exactly strike fear in a team from a service academy. But the 5-foot-3 sophomore should have.
Army, which led by two points at halftime at Jadwin Gym, saw the Tigers respond to Umeda’s first minutes in the game with an 11-1 run to open the second half to push them to a 64-53 win, their fifth straight.
"We were trying not to play her," said PU head coach Richard Barron, whose team improved to 7-5 overall. "Her shoulder has been dislocated. We were trying to hold out on using her. But being down two, we needed to get a spark. She made a couple nice plays. She had a nice drive down the lane. She helped us."
Umeda was scheduled for an MRI on Thursday, but doesn’t have to be in any hurry to return since the Tigers won’t play again until Jan. 25 against Lafayette due to the exam break.
"We want to make sure my shoulder stays in socket," said Umeda, who was the only Tiger player with more than 10 minutes of action who didn’t turn the ball over Wednesday. "In the past week, it’s happened two or three times. The last time it happened was in the Fairleigh Dickinson game."
Princeton is hoping for good results. Umeda showed exactly how valuable she can be in her 16 second-half minutes Wednesday.
"I knew my job was to get in there and play with intensity," said the Hawaii native. "We sort of fell into a lull at the end of the first half. They went into a zone and instead of driving and getting layups, we were settling for outside shots and we weren’t hitting them."
Behind Becky Brown’s 23 points and 19 points and 12 rebounds from Meagan Cowher, the Tigers forged ahead another win. The inside play had to be there because the Tigers were an uncharacteristic 1-for-12 from the three-point line. Umeda helped pick up Princeton on the defensive end as it held Army to just 24 second-half points and 0-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc.
During its five-game winning streak, Princeton has held opponents to less than 50 points a game. It’s been the Tigers’ patient offense as well as their defense that has limited opponents. The defensive numbers reflect as well a knowledge of the Princeton offense and how to make it work for them.
"I think now we understand how to use this offense and where our shots need to come from," Umeda said. "We’re taking better shots. We know our outside shots will come once we get it inside.
"I knew from preseason training that this team had it," she added of the improvement. "It is a different team. It’s so rejuvenating from last year. Last year, we didn’t really enjoy it. This year, everyone is coaches, players, managers."
This year has been more enjoyable for Umeda as well. The point guard has seen an increase in playing time and found she’s been able to contribute at both ends of the court.
"It’s a lot more enjoyable being out there and helping the team out," she said. "I’ve been making sure everyone is staying positive and staying focused."
Both have been made a little easier by the recent winning. The good times on top of a five-game unbeaten streak are why the break couldn’t come at a worse time for a red-hot Tigers squad. With their fifth straight win, Princeton has already matched last year’s season total of seven wins.
"It comes this time no matter what," Barron said of the break. "It’s better going in winning five games in a row than losing five games in a row. We lost a bunch in a row before the break last year. Now we have five in a row. If we can come back and beat Lafayette, we’ll be tied for the best record in the league. I’m pretty excited about that. Then we come back and have four games in seven days. It’s nice to be hot now, but we have to be sure we’re ready when we come back. Those teams will be playing while we’re on break.
"If you’ve won five games in a row, it’s easier to come get some shots in during a study break. It’s easier to come in and work hard when you’re winning. In the past, the break has been welcomed. We’ve needed it, and you come out of it refreshed."
Winning has kept things fresh with the Tigers. Just like Elyse Umeda’s appearance in Wednesday’s game gave Princeton a fresh start against Army for a fifth straight win to ride into the exam break.