PHILADELPHIA, PA – Harvard women's basketball (14-2, 3-1 Ivy) collected its second victory in the last three days, dropping Penn (10-7, 1-3 Ivy), 73-44, inside the Palestra this afternoon.
The Crimson were led by 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting from
Elena Rodriguez. The senior also added four rebounds and a pair of assists. Additionally, Harvard received double digit scoring efforts from
Harmoni Turner and
Saniyah Glenn-Bello with 19 and 14, respectively. Turner nearly recorded a double-double as she also collected a team-high eight rebounds.
How it Happened
The Crimson came out on fire from distance as Glenn-Bello drained two straight triples before Turner added another to put Harvard in front, 9-2. Penn followed by finding their footing with an 8-0 run to overtake the lead. The frame sat at 11-all as either team's offense halted. Neither team saw the ball go through the net for the next three and half minutes and the first quarter drew to a close with the contest even at 13-13.
Harvard maintained its smothering defensive efforts into the second, again not allowing the Quakers to connect on a field goal through the first three minutes of the frame. After breaking the tie at the 8:29 mark, the Crimson never relinquished its lead for the remainder of the contest and grew its lead to 31-23 heading into the locker room.
The Crimson continued this season's trend of strong third quarters, outscoring the Quakers 23-9. Through the opening six minutes of the frame Harvard went on a 17-3 run to break away. Harvard proceeded to continue its dominance through the stanza, extending its lead to 22 heading into the final ten minutes.
Harvard never took its foot off the break, growing its lead to as many as 31 and ultimately closing the game at 73-44 to record its second consecutive victory.
Harvard Highlights
- With the win, the Crimson improve to 14-2 overall and 3-1 in conference. It marks just the third time in program history that a Harvard team has won 14 games through the first 16 contest. Additionally, Harvard has started 3-1 in league play for the second straight season.
- Elena Rodriguez tied her season-high by scoring a team-best 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The senior also grabbed four rebounds and dished out a pair of assists in the contest.
- Harmoni Turner reached double figures for the seventh straight game as she added 19 points on 46.2% shooting from the field. Turner also tallied a team-high eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
- With her 19 points, Turner passed Christine Clark '14 on the Harvard's all-time points list. The senior now ranks fourth in program history with 1,715 points trailing only Reka Cserny '05 (1,863), Hana Peljto '04 (2,109) and Allison Feaster '98 (2,312).
- Saniyah Glenn-Bello provided a spark for the Crimson as she contributed a season-best 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting including a perfect 3-for-3 from distance. The junior also created for others, adding a team-high four assists.
- The Crimson, who ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense heading into the contest, kept up its defensive identity, holding the Quakers to a season-low 44 points.
- Harvard forced Penn into 16 turnovers and capitalized for 17 points off of the Quakers miscues.
- The Crimson won the rebounding battle for the 10th time this season, grabbing 41 boards to Penn's 30. Harvard is a perfect 10-0 when outrebounding its opponent.
- The Crimson improves to 56-38 all-time against the Quakers and collects its first win inside the Palestra since the 2021-22 season.
Next Up
The Crimson will kick off a four-game home stand next weekend as it welcomes the Yale Bulldogs to Cambridge. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. ET inside Lavietes Pavilion and on ESPN+.
