CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior guard
McKenzie Forbes scored a team and season-high 24 points, but Harvard University women's basketball fell to the University of Massachusetts, 77-67, on Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion.
The Crimson (2-1) led for over 28 minutes in the contest and grabbed a 67-66 lead with 3:09 remaining on a 3-pointer from Forbes before the Minutewomen (3-1) – a team receiving votes in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll – scored the game's final 11 points.
Harvard Highlights
- Senior guard McKenzie Forbes scored a team-high 24 points on 8-of-18 field goals, 4-of-12 3-pointers, and 4-of-5 free throws, while adding four rebounds and four assists. She has netted 20 or more points in two of three games this season.
- Junior guard Lola Mullaney netted 15 points, connecting on five 3-pointers. She has made four or more 3-pointers in two of three games to start the year. Mullaney has scored in double figures for the second time in three games.
- Sophomore guard Harmoni Turner totaled seven points, a season-high seven rebounds, and four assists.
- First-year guard Saniyah Glenn-Bello tallied seven points and five rebounds while sophomore guard Elena Rodriguez posed six points on 3-of-4 field goals and six boards.
- Harvard connected on 11 shots from 3-point distance in the contest, making double-figure 3-pointers for the third time in three games this year.
How It Happened
- The two teams played within two possessions of one another throughout the first quarter with a 3-pointer from Mullaney giving Harvard a 22-17 edge late in the frame. Forbes connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the opening stanza as Harvard led 22-19 after one.
- After UMass pulled ahead 29-28 with 3:38 to go until halftime, the Crimson used an 8-0 run to take a 36-29 advantage with 55 seconds left until the break. A 3-point play from Forbes and 3-pointer from Mullaney highlighted the run. The Crimson took a 37-31 edge into the locker room.
- Turner connected on a 3-pointer to open the second half before the Minutewomen pulled within 44-42 with 4:28 left in the third. Harvard increased its lead to 50-42 with 2:14 to go in the quarter prior to UMass closing the frame on a 9-0 run to bring a 51-50 edge into the fourth.
- Harvard pulled ahead 59-58 with 7:43 remaining behind a pair of 3-pointers from Mullaney and a triple from Forbes. UMass then used a 6-0 run to re-gain a 64-59 edge with 6:15 to play.
- The Crimson captured a 67-66 advantage with 3:09 to go following a 3-pointer from Forbes, but the Minutewomen closed the game with 11 points over the final 2:12.
Next Up
Harvard plays at Merrimack on Monday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. (NEC Front Row) before competing at the Cancun Challenge for three games against Purdue (Nov. 24), Oklahoma State (Nov. 25), and Florida State (Nov. 26).
