Cambridge, Mass. - The Harvard women's basketball team (20-11, 9-5 Ivy) will advance to the WNIT Great 8 after beating URI (26-7, 14-2 A10) 74-63 in the third round of the tournament.
The Rams claimed the tip-off and the first basket of the game but
Elena Rodriguez and
Harmoni Turner were quick to bring Harvard their first lead of the night as both Rodriguez and Turner shot 100% for the first five minutes. The Rams made a comeback in the second five minutes to lead 24-19 at the end of the frame.
Maggie McCarthy began the second quarter knocking down a corner three, but the Rams continued to increase their lead, opening the game up to 11 points at one point. A three from Rodriguez, layups from
Lola Mullaney and
McKenzie Forbes and
Katie Krupa's first points of the night contributed to a 9-0 Harvard run to end the half. The Crimson went into the locker room down only two, 39-37.
The third frame was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams registering 15 points through ten minutes. The Rams maintained their slight two point lead over the Crimson as play headed into the final quarter.
Both teams went without a point for the first three minutes of quarter four. With just under five to go, Forbes hit from three and Rodriguez added a bucket to bring Harvard up 60-56. The Crimson then expanded on their lead as a three from Krupa brought down the house and Harvard moved up by seven with under a minute and a half to go. Harvard added a string of free throws in the final seconds to seal the win, 74-63.
Harvard Highlights
• Mullaney led the Crimson in scoring with 19 points, followed by Rodriguez with 16. Turner and Forbes scored 11 each making this the third game in a row with at least four players scoring in double digits.
• Rodriguez recorded a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds in addition to her 16 points.
• Following Rodriguez's 10 rebounds, Turner pulled down nine and Forbes grabbed seven.
• Rodriguez and McCarthy were strong on the defensive end, both with three steals on the night. McCarthy picked up the intensity as the game winded down, recording all of her steals in the second half, including two on back-to-back possessions.
• Seven Crimson players hit the floor tonight and each scored at least five points.
• With today's win, the Crimson have their first 20-win season since the 2016-17 season and 13
th 20-win season ever.
• Head Coach
Carrie Moore is the winningest first-year head coach for the Crimson with her 20 Crimson victories.
• Harvard now leads the Rams 12-9 in the all-time series. Through the 2022-23 season, the series ends 2-0 with the Crimson winning both matchups in November and March.
• The Crimson will move on to the fourth round of the WNIT for the first time in tournament history with this being the first time in Harvard history that the Crimson have moved to the round of eight in any postseason tournament.
Up Next
The Crimson will play the winner of tomorrow night's Columbia-Syracuse matchup. Keep up with the team and stay tuned for details on game date, time and location on social media (@HarvardWBB) and GoCrimson.com.
