CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's basketball (15-10, 8-4 Ivy) dropped the first match up of the back-to-back weekend, falling to Princeton (21-4, 11-1 Ivy), 49-60.
Harmoni Turner nearly posted another double-double by registering a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds while also adding three assists and two steals.
Lola Mullaney joined Turner in double figures with 12 points along with three assists.
How it Happened
The Crimson opened up scoring action as
Harmoni Turner knocked down a step-back triple with the shot clock running down in the first possession.
Strong Crimson defense and rebounding throughout the frame allowed the Crimson to hold a slight, 12-9, advantage down the stretch. A last second Tiger three however, evened the score at the conclusion of 10 minutes.
While Princeton collected the first three points of the quarter,
Lola Mullaney stalled any Tiger momentum by draining a triple.
The Crimson hustle was on display early as a pair of offensive boards from Turner eventually resulted in and an one bucket to give the Crimson the lead back. Once the Crimson gained possession of the lead at the 7:28 mark, it never faltered throughout the remainder of the half, growing its lead to as many as nine. Going into the locker room Turner already surpassed double digits with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting while grabbing five boards. The Crimson held a 33-28 advantage at the conclusion of 20 minutes.
Harvard's strong defensive effort was on full display early as the Crimson nearly forced the Tigers to their turnover game average in the first half alone. With Princeton's 11 turnovers, the Crimson capitalized for 14 points while only giving up four points from takeaways to the Tigers.
Despite
Abigail Wright notching the Crimson first bucket of the second less than a minute in, the Tigers used the third frame to regain the lead. More defensive stands allowed the Crimson to never fall behind by more than four in the quarter.
The opening minutes of the final 10 minutes provided the Tigers with more room over the Crimson. Although falling behind by double digits midway through the frame, Harvard never stopped battling, continuing to pressure Princeton until the final whistle. Ultimately, the Tigers were able to outlast the Crimson and come away with the 60-49 victory.
Harvard Highlights
- Harmoni Turner led all scorers on the night with 20 points while also adding eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The 20+ point performance for the junior is her second in as many games and her ninth of 2023-24.
- Lola Mullaney joined Turner in double figures by adding 12 points while shooting 40% from the field with a pair of triples. The senior also co-led the team in assists with Turner by adding three of her own.
- Abigail Wright contributed solid minutes against the Tigers while making her first career start.
- Princeton who ranks second in the league in turnovers, averaging 12.7 coming into the contest, nearly reached their average in the first half alone. Throughout the entire game, Harvard forced 20 Tiger turnovers, their highest total since non-conference action.
- Off of Princeton's 20 turnovers, Harvard created 18 of its points.
- The Crimson continue to hold its opponents to low percentages behind the three-point arc. By holding the Tigers to 25.0% from distance, the Crimson only let up a trio of triples through the 40 minutes of action.
Next Up
Harvard will close out its weekend against the Penn Quakers tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. ET in the Palestra and on ESPN+.
