STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Harvard women's basketball (8-1, 0-0 Ivy) didn't allow a single field goal in the final six minutes of the game to propel itself past Stony Brook, 60-51 and record its sixth straight victory this evening.
The Crimson scoring attack was led by
Elena Rodriguez and
Saniyah Glenn-Bello as both players surpassed double digits with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Katie Krupa and
Abigail Wright provided strong minutes and crucial buckets in the contest, each adding nine points.
How it Happened
The Seawolves attacked first in the contest, building an 8-2 lead through the first three minutes of play. The Crimson offense began to settle in as it outscored Stony Brook for the remainder of the frame, but the home team maintained a 16-11 advantage after 10 minutes.
Elena Rodriguez made her offensive presence felt early as she recorded a quick six points.
Stony Brook continued to push, collecting the first two buckets of the second quarter.
Saniyah Glenn-Bello then ignited Harvard, knocking down back-to-back triples. Rodriguez joined the scoring run to pull the Crimson within one and force a Seawolves timeout. Harvard continued to push ahead in the frame, ultimately outscoring Stony Brook 22-9 to hold a 33-25 lead heading into the break.
Alayna Rocco capped off the quarter with a triple as the clock ran out. The Crimson push was fueled by eight points from Glenn-Bello and six from Rodriguez. At the half, Harvard had already forced 13 Seawolves turnovers as opposed to only having two miscues of its own.
After the Seawolves brought their deficit down to four in the opening minutes of the second half, the Crimson received back-to-back triples from Rocco and
Katie Krupa to reach its first double figure lead. Despite a mid-quarter run from Stony Brook, Harvard rebuilt its advantage and sat in front by eight heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
The opening four minutes of the fourth frame was all Stony Brook as a 12-0 run cut the Harvard lead completely and put the home team up 48-44. Although the Seawolves seemed to be stealing momentum, the Harvard defense locked in during the final half of the quarter, not allowing another Stony Brook field goal in the final six minutes.
Abigail Wright entered the game with 4:51 remaining and immediately recorded two buckets to tie the contest. With a three-point lead and a minute remaining
Karlee White sank the decisive triple to put the Crimson comfortably in front by six. Late-game free throws would ultimately solidify Harvard's sixth straight win with a 60-51 final result.
Harvard Highlights
- With the victory, the Crimson improved to 8-1 on the year, joining the 2016-17 and 1997-98 teams as the only Harvard squads in program history to drop just one game through the first nine contests.
- Elena Rodriguez reached double figures for the fourth straight game and the sixth total time this season as she led the Crimson with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The senior also added four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in the contest.
- Saniyah Glenn-Bello had another strong performance this afternoon, adding 10 points while shooting 50%, grabbing five boards, dishing out a pair of assists, and collecting two steals.
- Katie Krupa and Abigail Wright provided a spark off the bench for the Crimson, each adding a crucial nine points against the Seawolves.
- Harvard recorded 13 steals this afternoon led by three from Harmoni Turner. Glenn-Bello, Gabby Anderson, and Lydia Chatira each added two as well.
- The Crimson registered its second lowest turnover total of the year with only eight miscues in the 40 minutes of action. On the other end of the court, Harvard forced 24 Stony Brook turnovers.
- Turner led the team in assists, matching her season-best with six dishes this afternoon.
- Karlee White set a personal season-high with her team-leading six rebounds.
- With the win, the Crimson improve to 4-1 all-time against the Seawolves of Stony Brook.
Next Up
The Crimson will play its final non-conference road game tomorrow when it takes on St. John's at 12:00 p.m. inside Carnesecca Arena and on FloHoops.
