Report: Obama niece target of threat before game

Mar 24, 2015 - 1:09 AM College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - A niece of President Barack Obama who plays basketball for Princeton was reportedly the target of a threat before Monday's NCAA Tournament game against Maryland.

USA Today, citing an unnamed person with knowledge of the threat, reported that an eight-minute voice message received at the University of Maryland athletic department offices Monday afternoon indicated that a man was driving on campus with a handgun in his possession.

The female caller linked the man's appearance on campus with Leslie Robinson, a Princeton freshman forward, according to the report. Robinson is the daughter of Craig Robinson, who is First Lady Michelle Obama's brother and the former Oregon State men's basketball coach.

According to the report, Leslie Robinson was not told of the threat but her coach, Courtney Banghart, was.

Undercover security officers were placed near the Princeton bench and there were Secret Service officers in the arena due to the presence of Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, USA Today reported.

Maryland won Monday's game 85-70, handing Princeton (31-1) its only loss of the season.

President Obama was on the College Park campus Saturday to watch Princeton's game against Green Bay in the first round.