CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Dominating on its own hardwood, the Harvard women's basketball team (9-9, 3-3 Ivy League) took down Cornell (6-10, 1-4 Ivy League), 89-47, today at Lavietes Pavilion. With the win, the Crimson moved to 5-1 on home court.
 
Five Crimson players registered double-digit points against the Big Red, led by junior Maggie McCarthy with a career-high 18 points. Junior McKenzie Forbes (16), first-year Harmoni Turner (14), junior Annie Stritzel (12) and senior Tess Sussman (10) all recorded double figures as well. McCarthy and Turner each dished out a team-best five assists on the night. Stritzel guided the Crimson defense with seven rebounds, while Turner grabbed six boards and posted a team-high six steals along with Sussman.
 
After two minutes of a scoreless start to the game, Stritzel laid in a free throw and layup to get the Crimson on the board. McCarthy added back-to-back triples from the wing to make it a 9-0 Harvard lead, before Forbes put up seven-straight points as the Crimson held Cornell scoreless through six minutes of play. Stritzel gave the Crimson a 22-0 advantage with three consecutive buckets, while Park dropped in five points to end a dominant opening frame with a 31-4 lead.
 
Baskets from Maddie Stuhlreyer, Elle Stauffer and McCarthy extended Harvard's lead to 40-9 at the midway point of the second quarter. McCarthy and Forbes knocked down two more triples as the pair each reached double-digit points, while the Crimson's defense continued to hold the Big Red at bay to take a 50-21 lead into halftime.
 
McCarthy and Turner sank three triples to open the third quarter, with two from the first-year. Harvard sported a 16-4 run through five minutes of play, including six points from Forbes. Tess Sussman dropped in four points, while Turner hit from behind the arc again to make it a 77-28 game. Sussman added another pair of baskets in the final two minutes of the frame to push the Crimson ahead 81-30.
 
Cornell picked up seven points at the start of quarter four to cut its deficit to 83-37, while using an 11-4 run to make it 85-41. Despite a late push from the Big Red, the Crimson's offensive surge through the first half of the game proved too much to overcome as Harvard sealed a 89-47 victory.
 
Harvard Highlights
- Harvard held Cornell scoreless until nearly the eight-minute mark of the first quarter and only let up one field goal in the opening frame.
- The Crimson knocked down 14 total triples, with four apiece from Forbes, McCarthy and Turner.
- Harvard dished out 21 assists and grabbed 40 rebounds.
- The Crimson recorded 19 steals, led by Harmoni Turner and Tess Sussman each posting a career-high six steals. 

Up Next
Harvard will hit the road to visit Penn next Saturday, Jan. 29 at The Palestra. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.