NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Harvard women's basketball (12-1, 1-0 Ivy) opened Ivy League play this afternoon by dropping Yale (1-13, 0-1 Ivy), 61-43, for its tenth straight victory.
The Crimson were led with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals from its captain,
Katie Krupa.
Harmoni Turner had an all-around game, adding 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a team high five steals.
How it Happened
In the Crimson first contest in two weeks, it started slow, not knocking down a field goal through the first four minutes. The cold streak was broken with a layup from Krupa and the captain followed with five more points through the next few minutes. Despite its shooting struggles to open the contest, Harvard's defense held Yale to just nine points. A Turner buzzer beater grew the Crimson lead to 13-9 at the conclusion of the final frame.
The defensive battle between the two squads continued into the second frame but the Crimson continued to be able to edge the foe, leading 24-18 heading into the locker room. Krupa remained as the offensive spark for Harvard totaling 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting through the first half.
The Crimson brought the energy immediately out of the break, notched a pair of early buckets courtesy of Turner and
Saniyah Glenn-Bello.
Harvard continued to smother Yale, coming to life on the offensive end and pressuring throughout the 94 feet to go on a 20-0 run in the first six minutes. The Crimson gave up just five points in the third frame to run away from the foe and lead 49-23 through 30 minutes.
Despite the Bulldogs putting up their largest scoring output in the final frame, the Crimson closed out the contest to record its first Ivy win of the season with a 61-43 victory.
Harvard Highlights
- Katie Krupa and Harmoni Turner led all Crimson scoring with 16 and 14 points respectively. Krupa shot 63.6% from the field while also adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Turner contributed all around the court as well, grabbing eight boards, dishing out a pair of assists and collecting five steals.
- Karlee White contributed strong minutes for the Crimson, adding four bounds, a team-high nine rebounds, and four steals.
- Alayna Rocco was the third highest scorer against the Bulldogs, adding eight points.
- The Crimson won the rebounding battle, grabbing 46 boards to the Bulldogs 38. White and Turner led the way on the glass, collecting nine and eight, respectively.
- The Crimson continue to be led by its defense, forcing the Bulldogs into 23 turnovers and notching 13 steals. Today marks the third straight game with double digit steals for Harvard and the ninth total time this season.
- Harvard received strong contributions from its bench this afternoon as they registered 32 of the team's points. In total, nine different Crimson players scored against the Bulldogs.
- The Crimson improves to 59-37 all time against Yale as it registers its fourth straight victory over the rival.
Next Up
The Crimson will return to action next weekend against the Princeton Tigers. Harvard will remain on the road as tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. inside Jadwin Gymnasium and on ESPN+.
