FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Harvard women's basketball (4-5) made history this afternoon as it defeated Arkansas (7-2), 69-51, in Fayetteville. With the win, the Crimson recorded its first victory over an SEC opponent in program history.
In the victory, four Harvard players reached double figures led by
Alayna Rocco and
Katie Krupa with 15 each and followed by
Aubrey Shaw with 11 and
Saniyah Glenn-Bello with 10.
How it Happened
The teams traded buckets back and forth in the opening minutes to knot the score at seven-all at the 7:22 mark. Scoring then halted for the following three minutes before
Alayna Rocco rattled off back-to-back buckets. A 10-0 quarter-closing run, including three straight scores from
Katie Krupa, put Harvard up 11 after 10 minutes.
Aside from a three from Arkansas to open the quarter, the Crimson kept its lead in the double-digits for the entirety of the second quarter. Four different Harvard players connected for five triples in the second quarter alone to lead by as many as 20. Ultimately, the Crimson headed into the break with a firm 44-26 advantage.
In the first minute and a half, Harvard extended its lead to 24 but then a shooting lull allowed the Razorbacks to chip into the lead out of the break. Arkansas outscored the Crimson 17-10 in the third frame to cut the deficit to 11 ahead of the final quarter.
Harvard dialed back in the defense to close out the contest, holding the Razorbacks to its lowest scoring output in the last 10 minutes. The Crimson held Arkansas scoreless for the final five minutes of the game, sealing its historic win at 69-51.
Harvard Highlights
- Katie Krupa and Alayna Rocco paced the Crimson's offense each notching 15 points.
- Krupa was involved in more than half of Harvard's made field goals as she also tallied a team-best six assists.
- Along with her career high in points Rocco also recorded four rebounds, a block, and a steal against the Razorbacks.
- Aubrey Shaw also recorded a career-best scoring effort with 11 points including a 3-of-5 effort from distance. The first-year was a rebound shy of a double-double with her team-high nine boards.
- Saniyah Glenn-Bello rounded out the Harvard players in double figures with her ten points. The senior also tallied three rebounds, three assists, a block, and three steals. Glenn-Bello has now surpassed double figures in each of the last five games after having not done so in the first four.
- As a team, Harvard made its second-most total threes in a single game with 12. The Crimson has now made 10 or more threes four times this season, matching its total from last season.
- Harvard dominated the boards, 42-27 including grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.
- The Crimson's defense forced 21 turnovers and tallied 11 steals against the Razorbacks. It is the third time this year that Harvard has accumulated double-digit takeaways.
- This is the first time in program history that Harvard has defeated Arkansas and an SEC opponent. The Crimson was previously 0-13 all-time against SEC foes.
Next Up
Harvard will open a four-game home stretch against Holy Cross on Wednesday, December 3 at 7:00 p.m. ET in Lavietes Pavilion.
