PRINCETON, N.J. – Senior guard
McKenzie Forbes scored a game-high 27 points, sophomore guard
Harmoni Turner posted a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Harvard University women's basketball outlasted No. 2 seed Columbia University in overtime, 72-65, in the semifinals of the 2023 Ivy League Tournament on Friday night at Jadwin Gymnasium.
The Crimson (17-10) held a 28-23 lead at halftime and gained an advantage as large as nine points at 55-46 with 6:30 left in the fourth quarter before heading to overtime with the Lions (23-5) tied at 58-58. Harvard then outscored Columbia 14-7 in overtime for the victory.
Harvard will meet No. 1 seed Princeton in the championship game of the tournament tomorrow – Saturday, Mar. 11 – at 5:00 p.m. (ESPNNews/ESPN+) at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium. The Crimson will compete in the championship game for the first time since the tournament began in 2017.
Harvard Highlights
- Senior guard McKenzie Forbes scored a game-high 27 points, while hitting 10-of-21 field goals and 5-of-12 3-pointers. Forbes added six rebounds, a game-high three steals and two blocks. She scored in double figures for the 16th time this season and netted over 20 points for the seventh time. She connected on three or more 3-pointers for the ninth time this season and for the fourth straight game.
- Sophomore guard Harmoni Turner tallied a double-double on 18 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, and a game-high four assists. She finished in double figures for the 20th time on the year and notched her third double-double of the season.
- First-year guard Saniyah Glenn-Bello totaled 10 points, a career-best nine rebounds, and three assists. She scored in double figures for the second time on the year and for the first time since Nov. 10.
- Sophomore forward Elena Rodriguez contributed eight points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
- Harvard held a 48-39 rebounding advantage.
- The Crimson avenged its two regular season setbacks to the Lions.
- In the first half, Harvard led in rebounds (25-15) and second-chance points (14-5), while holding Columbia to 31.0 percent (9-of-29) shooting. For the game, the Crimson limited the Lions to 33.8 percent shooting (24-of-71).
Gallery: (3-10-2023) Ivy Madness: Semifinals vs. Columbia
How It Happened
- After Columbia opened the game with a 12-4 lead at the 3:27 mark of the first quarter, the Crimson closed the opening frame on a 7-3 spurt to pull within 14-11 at the end of one. A 3-pointer from Forbes sparked the run before Turner and first-year forward Katie Krupa each made layups for the final two field goals of the stanza.
- In the second quarter, the Crimson used a 10-0 run to turn a 20-15 deficit into a 25-20 advantage with 4:09 to go until halftime. Glenn-Bello started the run with a jumper before Forbes closed the stretch with back-to-back treys.
- A 3-pointer from Turner stood as the final points of the first half as Harvard brought a 28-23 lead into halftime.
- In the first half, Harvard led in rebounds (25-15) and second-chance points (14-5), while holding Columbia to 31.0 percent (9-of-29) shooting.
- Forbes opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give Harvard its largest lead of the game to that point at 31-23. The Crimson maintained a 39-34 with 4:14 left in the third quarter before the Lions tied it at 39-39 with 2:58 left in the period.
- Harvard responded with six straight points to re-gain a 45-39 advantage with 1:39 remaining in the quarter. Forbes, Glenn-Bello, and Turner all connected on field goals in a span of 59 seconds to give Harvard back the lead. The Crimson remained up 45-42 heading to the fourth quarter.
- After Columbia knotted the score again at 45-45, Harvard countered with another 6-0 run, moving ahead 51-45 with 8:14 left as Forbes, Rodriguez, and Turner all scored buckets.
- Following the 45-45 tie, Harvard used a 10-1 run to pull ahead 55-46 – its largest lead of the game – with 6:30 to play. A layup through contact from senior guard Maggie McCarthy and a bucket from Rodriguez capped the burst.
- A 9-0 run from Columbia tied the game at 55-55 with 2:43 left before Forbes scored following an offensive rebound to put Harvard back up 57-55 with 2:14 to go. Columbia moved ahead 58-57 on a 3-pointer with 1:43 to play. A free throw from Rodriguez then tied it at 58-58 with 49 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
- In overtime, McCarthy knocked down a 3-pointer to put Harvard up 61-60 at the 2:47 mark. Forbes followed with a step-back jumper to turn at 61-61 tie into a 63-61 Harvard lead with 1:56 on the clock and connected on a trey to push the margin to 66-61 with 39.1 seconds.
- Inside of the bonus session's final 22 seconds, Rodriguez made a free throw, Forbes sank a pair, and Turner hit another prior to Forbes scoring the game's final field goal to seal the win.
Quotes and Notes
- "I think that was just a gritty win. We always talk about one through 14. I feel like everyone stepped up in huge ways. That is what March is about. Coach Moore always says that March is about people making plays. I think we made a lot of plays tonight, and we came out with the win." – Senior guard McKenzie Forbes in ESPN postgame interview
- "That's the game right there. Defense wins championships. Harmoni locked in all week. Since Monday in practice I knew that she was locked in on her [Abbey Hsu]. I was so happy that was her matchup because I knew that she would take it personally. She did, and she played great." – Forbes in ESPN postgame interview
- "What a game. You saw tonight just how good this league really is. Two really good teams battling and fighting back and forth – solid on both ends, going into OT. Credit to Columbia. I have a ton of respect for what they do. They obviously had a great season and deserve to be in the NCAA tournament. Really proud of our group." – Carrie Moore, The Kathy Delaney-Smith Head Coach For Harvard Women's Basketball
- "As the buzzer sounded, we were just extremely proud of ourselves – extremely proud of our preparation. We trusted it the whole time – all the way through overtime until the last second. I think that's why we got so excited. We were just proud of how far we've come. We finally showed it on a big stage like the Ivy Tournament." – Senior guard Maggie McCarthy
- Harvard held Abbey Hsu – who entered the game as the Ivy League's leading scorer at 17.9 points per game – to four points on 2-of-14 shooting.
- Harvard played in overtime for the second time on the season, improving to 1-1 in overtime contests on the year. The Lions fell in OT for the first time on the year, moving to 2-1.
- Harvard limited Columbia to 21-of-62 shooting (33.9 percent) in regulation while maintaining a 44-33 rebounding edge.
- Harvard shot 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from the field in the third quarter. Through three quarters, the Crimson held the Lions to 32.6 percent shooting (15-of-46).
- The Crimson held Columbia to 31.0 percent (9-of-29) shooting in the first half, while claiming a 25-15 rebounding advantage. Harvard led 14-5 in second-chance points in the first half.
- Harvard limited Columbia to 33.3 percent (6-of-18) shooting from the field in the first quarter. The Crimson held a 12-9 rebounding edge in the opening frame.
Next Up
Harvard will meet No. 1 seed Princeton in the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament tomorrow – Saturday, Mar. 11 – at 5:00 p.m. (ESPNNews/ESPN+) at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium.
