Harvard Begins 36th Season at Home Against Boston College
Photo of Emma Markley courtesy of DSPICS.com.
Particulars
Harvard opens the 2009-10 season at home against Boston College.
It’s the first time Harvard will play its first contest of
the season at home since the 2002-03 season when the Crimson opened
up against Syracuse.
Keep Track at Home
Harvard will once again provide a live broadcast and live
statistics for all home games. A season pass is available for an
audio and video broadcast of the game through stretch network.
Click on the link above for more details. Live stats are available
free of charge at GoCrimson.com.
Harvard and Season Openers
The Crimson looks to snap a four-game streak of falling in the
first contest of the season. Harvard is 1-4 in season openers over
the last five years. Head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith is 14-13 in the
first game of the season, while the Crimson is 17-18. The
Crimson’s last win on opening day came in 2004 against
Fairfield, 71-68.
Young Guns
Harvard has a young squad this season with no seniors on the
roster. The Crimson boasts four juniors, three sophomores and five
freshmen this year.
Meet the Rookies
Harvard’s five freshmen hail from four different states.
Jasmine Evans (Menlo Park, Calif.), Emma Golen (Novi, Mich.), Elle
Hagedorn (Ambler, Pa.), Victoria Lippert (Del Mar, Calif.) and
Miriam Rutzen (Blandinsville, Ill.).
The Starters
Sophomore Brogan Berry is the only returning player to start in
all 29 games last season. Junior Emma Markley came close, making 28
starts, after missing the nod on senior day last March. Juniors
Jackie Alemany and Claire Wheeler appeared in the starting lineup
nine and seven times, respectively.
The Scorers
Two of Harvard’s top three scorers return for the Crimson
this season. Emma Markley led the Crimson with 14.0 points per game
in 2008-09, while Brogan Berry was third in scoring with 11.7 ppg.
The twosome accounted for 37 percent of the scoring, while
Harvard’s six returning players from last season scored 54.4
percent of the points.
Preseason Ivy League Picks
Harvard was picked to finish second in the Ivy League Preseason
Media and Sports Information Poll. The media chose Dartmouth to
repeat as Ivy League champions, with 123 votes followed by the
Crimson with 115 votes. The Big Green garnered 11 first-place
votes, while the Crimson had five.
2009-10 Ivy League Media/SID Preseason Poll
1. Dartmouth (11) 123
2. Harvard (5) 115
3. Princeton 86
4. Columbia 83
5. Cornell 57
Yale 57
7. Penn 36
8. Brown 19
A History of Winning
Harvard has won 60 percent of its games in the last three years
and 83 percent of its Ancient Eight contests.
Title Town
Harvard has 11 Ivy League trophies. The Crimson has won two of the
last three conference crowns and five of the last eight.
On the Bench
Kathy Delaney-Smith, the winningest coach in program history, is
in her 28th season on the bench for the Crimson. Delaney-Smith, who
has led the Crimson to 11 Ivy League titles, recorded her 400th
career victory with a 68-47 win over Brown on March 7, 2008. She
sports a 419-299 record heading into the 2009-10 season.
Assistant Coach Bri Fecteau is back for her seventh season, while
Kelly Finley returns for her second. She served as a volunteer
assistant in 2008-09. Todd Earl, another Colorado State graduate,
joins the staff as a volunteer coach this season.
Leading the Way
Juniors Christine Matera and Claire Wheeler will serve as captains
for the Crimson. They are the first junior captains since Dina
Hadrick ’91 served as captain in 1990.
Bring ’Em On
Four of Harvard’s 2009-10 opponents reached the postseason
last winter. Dartmouth went to the NCAA Tournament as the
representative of the Ivy League, while Boston College, Boston
University and Marist played in the Women’s National
Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
Bay State Ballers
Five teams from Massachusetts await the Crimson this season.
Harvard will play Boston College, Boston University, Holy Cross,
Massachusetts and Northeastern this season.
First Time for Everything
When Harvard travels to Colorado later this month it will be the
first trip to the Centennial State for the Crimson.
If Harvard plays Georgia Southern in the Omni Hotels Classic in
Boulder, it will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Other first time opponents this season include, Navy, New Jersey
Institute of Technology (NJIT) and New Orleans.
A Quick Look at the Eagles
Boston College finished the 2008-09 season with a 23-12 overall
record. The Eagles, who return all five starters, advanced to the
WNIT Final Four last April.
BC was picked to finish sixth out of 12 in the Atlantic Coast
Conference and Carolyn Swords was picked for the Preseason All-ACC
Team.
History of the Series
Boston College leads the all-time series that dates back to 1977,
8-7. Harvard has won four of the last five meetings, including the
last meeting in 2006. The Crimson defeated the Eagles, 68-58 at
Conte Forum.
Last Meeting
Christiana Lackner ’07 recorded a double-double and Lindsay
Hallion ’08 scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Crimson
to a 68-58 win Dec. 28, 2006.
The Harvard defense held the Eagles to 35.4 percent shooting.
Boston College held a slim 43-42 advantage in rebounds, while the
Crimson had a season low 14 turnovers.
Newbies
Despite only playing Boston College, three years ago, no one on
the Harvard roster was a member of the team in 2006-07.
The Crimson and the ACC
Harvard is 8-19 against schools currently in the Atlantic Coast
Conference.
Entering the Hall of Fame
Four women’s basketball players or coaches associated with
Harvard were inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame
in October. Jessica Gelman ’97 was inducted for her play at
Harvard. She was a two-time All-Ivy League recipient, earning
second-team honors in 1996 and first team in 1997. Gelman broke the
all-time assists record at Harvard in her final season and
currently stands third on the list with 485 hand outs.
Current assistant coach Bri Fecteau was inducted for her high
school career in Maine, while former assistants Ann McInerny and
Stephanie Pemper were invited for their high school career and
coaching careers, respectively.
