BOSTON – Senior Lola Mullaney scored a team-high 21 points to lead four Crimson in double figures, but a second-half rally from the visitors came up just short as Harvard University women's basketball fell at Boston University, 80-77, on Saturday night at Case Gym.
 
Facing a 63-45 deficit with under a minute left in the third quarter, the Crimson (5-5) used a 26-5 run to take a 71-68 lead with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter before the host Terriers (6-3) held on for the win as Harvard played in the second game of a five-game road swing to close non-conference play.
 
Mullaney added eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals to her 21-point effort, while moving into ninth place on Harvard's all-time scoring list with 1,324 points. Junior Elena Rodriguez (16 points, eight rebounds, four assists), sophomore Katie Krupa (11 points, three assists), and first-year Karlee White (11 points, three assists) joined her in double figures.

How It Happened

Harvard opened the game with a 9-4 lead as Saniyah Glenn-Bello and White each hit 3-pointers, and the Crimson remained ahead at 13-12 at the 1:49 mark of the first quarter. Mullaney made a pair of shots inside the final 1:38 of the quarter as Harvard trailed BU, 18-17, at the end of one.
 
After BU moved ahead 32-22 in the second quarter, four points from junior Mona Zaric and a 3-pointer from Glenn-Bello made the score 34-29 with 2:33 to go until halftime. A 3-pointer from Rodriguez just before the intermission kept the Crimson within 42-34 at the break.
 
Field goals from Krupa, Mullaney, and Abigail Wright helped keep the score at 49-41 with 7:18 left in the third quarter before the Terriers used a 14-4 stretch to move ahead 63-45 with 58 seconds to play in the stanza. Harvard then began its second-half run, scoring the last seven points of the frame with a 3-pointer from Rodriguez and buckets from White and Mullaney, trimming the margin to 63-52 heading to the fourth quarter.
 
Harvard's full-court pressure defense helped it continue the run in the fourth quarter as the Crimson outscored the Terriers, 21-3, to tie the score at 66-66 with 6:28 remaining. Rodriguez (nine points) and Mullaney (seven points) catalyzed the streak. A 3-pointer from Mullaney gave the Crimson a 71-68 edge with 5:04 left, capping a 26-5 run.
 
A 3-pointer from Krupa gave the Crimson a 74-73 lead with 3:15 on the clock, and a triple from Mullaney staked Harvard to a 77-75 edge with 1:36 left before the Terriers made three free throws and a jump short to close the game's scoring.

Harvard Highlights

• Senior Lola Mullaney totaled a team-high 21 points, a team-best eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. She scored in double figures for the eighth time this season and netted over 20 points for the third time.
• With 21 points in the game, Mullaney now has 1,324 career points, moving into ninth place all-time at Harvard and passing Deb Flandermeyer '92 (1,316 points).
• Junior Elena Rodriguez tallied 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while connecting on 5-of-9 field goals, 2-of-2 3-pointers, and 4-of-4 free throws. She finished in double figures for the seventh time this year.
• Sophomore Katie Krupa contributed 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws with three assists and two blocks. She notched her third game in double figures this year.
• First-year Karlee White posted 11 points, three assists, and two steals, tying her career high in points for the second straight game. She has now scored in double-figures in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
• Sophomore Saniyah Glenn-Bello added eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and first-year Abigail Wright tacked on six points on 3-of-6 shooting.
• As a team, Harvard made 10-of-24 3-pointers (41.7 percent), connecting on 10 or more treys in a game for the fourth time in 2023-24. The Crimson also converted 9-of-10 free throws (90.0 percent). 

Next Up

Harvard plays at UMass Lowell on Friday, Dec. 22 at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+) following its break for final exams.