Women's Basketball Hosts Yale and Brown This Weekend
Jackie Alemaney leads the Crimson with 31
steals on the season (Photo courtesy of Gil Talbot).
Game
Notes
Saturday
is Harvard's Pink Zone Event
The Particulars
Harvard returns to Lavietes Pavilion for a pair of home games
against Brown and Yale. The Crimson welcomes back its alumni this
weekend and will host its WBCA Pink Zone event Saturday
evening.
Supporting the Cause
Join Harvard and the Department of Athletics in raising awareness
and funds for breast cancer. The Crimson with the help of the
Harvard College Women’s Center will host its annual Pink Zone
event Saturday. All donations will go to the Kay Yow/WNCA Cancer
Fund. Over 1,350 women’s basketball teams and supporting
organizations will participate in the event from Feb. 12-21.
Scouting the Crimson
Harvard picked up its first Ivy road win against Penn Saturday to
improve to 12-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play. Harvard has won
three of its last four games. Emma Markley leads the Crimson in
scoring with 14.5 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Three other Crimson players average double figures: Brogan Berry
(12.8 ppg.), Christine Matera (11.3 ppg) and Victoria Lippert (10.8
ppg).
The Crimson averages 68.9 points per game which is good enough
for second in the Ivy League. The Crimson leads the Ivy League in
free throw shooting with 74.6 percent and is making 38.2 percent of
its shots from downtown, which stands second in the Ancient
Eight.
Last Time Out
Junior co-captain Christine Matera equaled a career-high 19 points
on a 7-for-13 shooting performance against Penn. Brogan Berry
scored 12 points and handed out seven assists, while Victoria
Lippert added 10 points. The Crimson won its 12th straight over the
Quakers with a 66-40 victory. Harvard ran out to a 21-2 lead midway
through the first half and never looked back. The Quakers closed
the gap to nine late in the first half, but Harvard came out strong
in the second half to go ahead by 27 with 12:45 left to play.
I Don’t Think So
Harvard held Penn scoreless from beyond the three-point line (Feb.
6). The Quakers were 0-15 from downtown. It’s the first time
this season a team has not scored a three against the Crimson.
Harvard held Maine and Massachusetts to just two threes earlier in
the season.
Defense! Defense!
The Crimson held Penn (Feb. 6) to just 40 points. It’s the
least number of points scored against the Crimson this season.
It’s the lowest point total by a Harvard opponent since Yale
scored just 30 points in a loss to Harvard on Feb. 25, 2005.
The Matera Touch
In her last four games, Christine Matera is shooting 60.0 percent
from the field, 62.5 percent from three-point land, 1.000 percent
from the charity stripe and averaging 17.0 points, 2.0 assists and
1.25 rebounds per game.
Home Sweet Home
Harvard is 8-0 at Lavietes Pavilion this season. The Crimson has
not gone unbeaten at home since 1997-98 season when Harvard won all
13 games.
February Factoid
Harvard is 163-67 in the month of February under head coach Kathy
Delaney-Smith. The Crimson has gone undefeated in the second month
of the year six times, with the most recent coming in 2007
(8-0).
Caught Stealing
Elle Hagedorn had 11 steals in Harvard’s last three games,
which is fourth on the team. Five players have 15 or more steals
this season. Junior Jackie Alemany leads the team with 31.
Creeping Up on the Top 10
Brogan Berry has 114 assists entering the weekend and is just 14
hand outs away from Harvard’s single season top 10 list.
Jennifer Monti ’02 holds the single season record with
178.
Scouting the Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have won four of its last five games including two
straight, after sweeping Cornell and Columbia this past weekend.
Yale sports a 9-11 overall record and a 4-2 conference mark which
is tied for second in the Ivy League standings.
Freshman Meghan Vasquez paces the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game. Yoyo Greenfield is the only other Bulldog in double figures with 10.5 points ppg. Michelle Cashen leads the team in rebounds with 7.4 per game.
The Bulldogs average 52.3 ppg. and allow 54.5 ppg. Yale is
outrebounding its opponents 39.3 to 35.8 rpg. The team is shooting
37.3 percent from the field, 27.5 percent from downtown and 59.3
percent from the charity stripe.
The Yale Series
Harvard leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs, 39-27, and
has won two straight. The Crimson has won nine of the last 11 and
is 22-12 at home against Yale. The last time Yale won at Lavietes
Pavilion was on Feb. 17, 2001.
Scouting the Bears
Brown enters the weekend with a 6-14 overall mark, a 3-3
conference record and has won two of the last three games. The
Bears have conference wins over Cornell, Penn and Yale. Hannah
Passafuime leads all players with 10.1 points per game. Natalie
Bonds dominates the boards with 6.5 rebounds per game.
The Bears average 54.5 ppg. and allow 66.7. The team is shooting
32.7 percent from the field, 25.7 percent from three-point land and
69.6 percent from the free throw line.
The Brown Series
Harvard has faced Brown more than any other team in the league.
The Crimson and Bears will be playing for the 69th time Saturday
night. Harvard leads the series 37-31 and has won six straight
against the Bears. The Crimson is 22-12 at home against the Bears.
Brown’s last win at Lavietes Pavilion was Feb. 17,
2006.
On the Road Again
Harvard plays four of its next six contests on the road. Harvard
is on the road for the next two weekends, equaling its longest
string of games away from home this season.
Nationally Speaking
Emma Markley ranks 21st in the nation in blocks per game (2.4).
Brogan Berry ranks 11th in the nation in assists per game (6.0) and
fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.65). Berry is 35th in free throw
percentage (.851) and Christine Matera is 28th in three-point field
goals per game (2.7) and 32nd in three-point field goal percentage
(42.3).
Harvard is 27th in free throw shooting percentage (.746) and
12th in three-point field goal percentage (.382) and 22nd in
three-point field goals made (7.5).
League Leaders (as of Feb. 9)
Brogan Berry leads the league in free throw shooting (.851),
assist/turnover ratio (2.7) and assists (6.0). Emma Markley paces
the conference in blocks per game (2.4).
The Offense
Harvard ranks second in the Ivy League in scoring offense with
68.9 points per game. The Crimson leads the Ancient Eight in free
throw percentage (.746), blocked shots (4.9 per game) and
three-point field goals (7.5 per game).
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 431-306 record 19 games into her 28th 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.
