Emma Markley led the Crimson with 19 points (photo courtesy of Gil Talbot).

Head Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith's post game reaction

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard women's basketball team defeated Ivy League leader Columbia, 73-55, Friday night in its home Ivy League opener at Lavietes Pavilion.

Junior Emma Markley led the Crimson (10-6, 1-1 Ivy) with 19 points, eight rebounds and a season-high seven blocks. Junior Christina Matera added 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting, performance including 4-for-4 effort from beyond the arc. Judie Lomax had 20 points for the Lions (11-6, 2-1 Ivy).

The Crimson started off the game with a 5-0 run before Columbia's Kathleen Barry got the Lions on the board. After scoring five quick points, Columbia went scoreless from the field for more than five minutes as Harvard jumped out to a 15-5 lead.

After Columbia worked their way back into the game, Harvard went on a 12-2 run to bring the lead to 27-15 with just over four minutes remaining in the first. The Crimson held a 34-20 lead going into halftime after shooting 60 percent from the field in the opening stanza.

The Crimson defense held Columbia to just 24.1 percent shooting in the first half, its lowest of the season.

In the second half, Harvard led by as many as many as 20 as Columbia's shooting struggles continued. The Crimson connected on a season-high 70.8 percent of its shots in the final 20 minutes of play. Harvard outrebounded Columbia, 35-26.

Harvard returns to Lavietes Pavilion Saturday evening to take on Cornell, who fell to Dartmouth, 55-53, Friday night. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.