Princeton Upsets Kentucky, Advances to Round of 32 in NCAA Women’s Tournament

Abby Meyers and No. 11 Princeton were locked in the moment they took the court against No. 6 Kentucky—the defending Southeastern Conference champion—in first round action of the NCAA women’s tournament in the Bridgeport region.

Meyers, the Ivy League Player of the Year, finished with a career-high 29 points that included going 9-of-11 from the free throw line as the Tigers upset the Wildcats, 69-64, behind a dominant performance to earn their 18th consecutive win of the season.

While many considered Saturday’s matchup one that could lead to a possible upset, the Wildcats entered the game with one of the nation’s most explosive scorers: Rhyne Howard. However, in the opening period, Howard left the game and was evaluated for an injury.

Kentucky never led in the final three quarters of the game. Howard, who returned later in the game, led the Wildcats with 17 points and eight rebounds in Kentucky’s loss and her final collegiate basketball game.

In a matter of two days, both Kentucky’s men and women’s teams have lost in the opening rounds. The men’s team lost to No. 15 Saint Peter’s on Thursday. Come Saturday, the Wildcats became the first program to see both their men’s and women’s program lose their opening round NCAA tournament game vs a double-digit seed in the same year since Florida in 2002.

Princeton will now face No. 3 Indiana in the round of 32 action.