CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's basketball (14-8, 7-2 Ivy) started its weekend on a high by dropping Cornell (7-14, 1-8 Ivy) in their return to Lavietes Pavilion.
As each active Harvard player contributed across the stat sheet and the team shot 53.3% from the field, the Crimson came out on top, 74-51.
How it Happened
The Crimson started quickly by going 3-for-3 to open the game including a jumper from
Harmoni Turner and a triple from
Lola Mullaney within the first minute.
As Harvard pulled out to a 13-6 lead midway through the frame scoring stalled for the squad. Holding Cornell to just two points as well and a Mona Zaric triple with the clock running down the Crimson was still able to double up the Big Red to end the first quarter, 16-8.
Harvard once again got started quickly in the second quarter as
Katie Krupa knocked down a triple five seconds in to put the Crimson up by double digits. The remainder of the second frame went back-and-forth to hold the Crimson lead at 31-24 headed into the locker room.
The squad used the third quarter to pull away from the Big Red, nearly putting up 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Crimson scoring began with a Turner jumper that gave the junior her 15th double figure game of the year. While Cornell pulled within three with 6:47 remaining in the frame, the Crimson outscored them 24-6 to end the third. The run was led by first-year
Abigail Wright who matched her career-high of 13 points in the third frame alone on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field.
Wright scored nine straight points, capped off by an and one finish, to grow the Crimson lead back out to double digits. Harvard led 59-38 at the end of the 10 minutes after shooting 80% from the field.
The final frame remained relatively even between the two squads but another strong shooting performance of 46.7% allowed the Crimson to hold on for the victory. Outscoring the Big Red 15-13 to close out the match up, Harvard grabbed the win, 74-51.
Harvard Highlights
- All eight players to touch the floor for the Crimson scored three or more points to contribute to the team's 23-point victory over the Big Red.
- Leading the way by all reaching double figures was Harmoni Turner (19), Katie Krupa (16), and Abigail Wright (13).
- Turner registered her third double-double of the season by adding a tied for career-best 12 rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
- Krupa, who ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage, collected her 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The sophomore added two rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals to complete an all-around performance.
- Wright caught fire in the third quarter by collecting all her 13 points on perfect 6-of-6 shooting. The mark tied the first-year's career-high in points previously reached against Quinnipiac.
- Saniyah Glenn-Bello produced a solid 30 minutes for the Crimson by adding seven points on 3-of-3 shooting, nine rebounds, two assists, a block, and a pair of steals.
- Harvard ended with a 53.3 shooting percentage while posting its second highest field goal output of the season with 32 made buckets. On the other end of the ball, the Crimson put up its third best shooting percentage defense of the year holding the Big Red to 29.0%.
- The Crimson dominated the paint, by dropping 40 of their points close to the rim while only giving up eight to Cornell.
- By going 12-of-15 from the field in the third quarter, Harvard posted its best shooting frame of the season by shooting 80.0% to Cornell's 20.0%.
- The Crimson outrebounded the Big Red, 45-30 as each player grabbed at least two boards on the night.
- By winning its fifth straight over the Big Red, Harvard improves their advantage in the all-time series to 74-13.
Next Up
Harvard will stay home and close out its weekend with a nationally televised contest against Columbia. Tip-off against the Lions is set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 18 at Lavietes Pavilion and on ESPNU.
