CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's basketball (10-7, 3-1 Ivy) surpassed double digit wins this afternoon by downing Penn (10-7, 2-2 Ivy), 69-56.  The Crimson were led by a pair of career nights from Harmoni Turner and Katie Krupa as the duo combined for 56 points. 
 
Turner led all scorers by tying her career-high of 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field.  The junior also collected her second double-double of the season by notching 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.  Krupa followed closely behind with a career-best 25 points on 66.7% (8-of-12) shooting from the field.  The sophomore surpassed her previous career-high of 23 points that she hit just 10 games ago against SMU. 

How it Happened

Play opened slowly as the Crimson did not hit a field goal until the 6:39 mark when Turner began her scoring efforts.  Harvard was able to pull ahead 14-8 off a Gabby Anderson bucket with two minutes remaining but a small Quakers run to end the frame left the game notched at 14.  Krupa got started early, leading with eight points after the first 10 minutes fueled by triples on consecutive possessions.
 
Turner drained a three right out of the break, but scoring would stall for the Crimson through the next four minutes.  The Quakers and the Crimson traded buckets throughout the rest of the frame, but a Turner buzzer beater capped off the half and pulled Harvard out to a 28-24 lead.
 
Play picked up in the second half as the Crimson were able to extend its lead out to nine early off a trio of buckets from Turner and Krupa.  The quarter proved to be nearly even as either team recorded over 20 points and shot over 50% from the field. 
 
The Quakers brought the Crimson lead back down to four with the first bucket of the final quarter but were unable to pull any closer.  Prior to committing her fifth foul, Elena Rodriguez began to find her stride in the fourth.  Notching her first points in the frame, Rodriguez went 3-for-3 for six points through a three-minute stretch, knocking down clutch buckets for the Crimson.  With a pull up jumper in transition from Turner, Krupa drilled the basket setting her new career-best.  Turner followed with the final bucket of the game to match her best of 31 points.   

Carrie Moore, the Kathy Delaney-Smith Head Coach for Harvard Women's Basketball commented on the Crimson cutting its turnovers in half and doubling its assists in the final 20 minutes as compared to the first, saying, "That's not us the way we started that game.  I felt like they responded really well to start the third, to start the fourth. A little bit more connected, sharing the ball, high assists and low turnovers."

Harvard Highlights

• Matching a career-high previously hit against URI last season, Harmoni Turner led all scorers with 31 points while shooting 12-of-22 from the field.  The junior added 10 rebounds, to post her second double-double of the season, along with six assists and two steals. 
• Katie Krupa joined in career bests by breaking her previous high of 23 points against SMU by posting 25 points on 66.7% (8-of-12 FG) shooting from the field.  Krupa currently ranks third in the Ivy League in field goal percentage by shooting 51.3% so far this season. 
• As a team the Crimson were 26-of-62 from the field, shooting 41.9%.  In the second half Harvard shot over 52% in either frame to close out the contest strong. 
• Harvard won the rebounding battle for the ninth time this season, improving to 8-1 when outrebounding their opponents.  The Crimson grabbed 42 boards to the Quakers 32.  Usually averaging 37.8 rebounds per game, Penn currently ranks second in the league in rebounding. 
• As the current leader in the league in three-point percentage defense, the Crimson continued their defensive success against Penn.  The Quakers made just three triples on the day and shot 18.8% from beyond the arc.  Overall, Harvard held the Quakers under 38% shooting in the game. 

Next Up

Harvard will open a four-game road stretch next weekend as they head to New Haven, CT to face the Yale Bulldogs for the second time this year.  Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at the John J. Lee Amphitheater and on ESPN+