Princeton’s assistant rooting for Ivy victory

Associated Press

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.

Assistant coach Milena Flores is hoping Princeton can become just the second Ivy League team to win an NCAA women’s tournament game when the Tigers face Kansas State today.

She didn’t enjoy the first Ivy win, a 71-67 victory by 16th-seed Harvard over top-seed Stanford in 1998. Flores was the Cardinal’s point guard.

“I remember it quite often, whenever we play there, because there’s a big display case about that game at Lavietes Pavilion,” she said. “For us it was incredibly disappointing, but for the Ivy League it was a great win and hopefully we can add to that history.”

Princeton comes into its third consecutive NCAA tournament at 24-4, on a 17-game winning streak and as the No. 9 seed in the Kingston Regional. It’s the highest ranking ever for an Ivy League school.

Flores said the seeding shows just how much more respect the league has earned, in part because of that Harvard win.

A win she said, might also mean she won’t have to hear about the loss to Harvard quite as often.

“I don’t think it’s ever going to go away,” she said. “But that’s all right. Harvard earned that win. I just want to be part of the next team to earn a win for the league in the NCAA tournament.”

TEXAS-WEST VIRGINIA

Gail Goestenkors’ teams at Duke routinely went deep into the NCAA tournament. They played in the Elite Eight seven times, the Final Four four times, and the title game in 1999 and 2006.

Getting the program at Texas to that level hasn’t proven easy.

Since winning a first round game in her first season with the Longhorns, Texas has lost four straight games in the tournament and will play as a No. 9 seed today against West Virginia.

“We’re still in the process of building this program, and the next step for us is to go further in the tournament. I know these players are ready to do that,” she said.

Texas missed the tournament two seasons in a row before Goestenkors arrived. The Longhorns are 5-21 in games against teams in the top 10 the past five seasons, and just 18-40 against top 25 teams.

NAVY-MARYLAND

Soon after her career as a college basketball player ends, Navy senior Erin Edwards will be stepping into her dream job.

It has nothing to do with playing in the WNBA.

Edwards will being flight school in August. The 5-foot-7 guard learned of her fate in October, when she anxiously opened an envelope that detailed the next step of her military obligation.

“I wanted to be a pilot, so I was very worried that I would open my envelope and see something different,” she said Friday. “But I was very happy to see wings on the envelope.”