CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In its final game ahead of a two-week hiatus, Harvard women's basketball cruised past Stony Brook, 67-33. The Crimson recorded its largest win of the season on Education Day and in front of a packed Lavietes Pavilion.
Mary Hollensteiner had a career day with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting including three triples.
Abigail Wright led all scorers against the Seawolves with 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting. The junior captain also tallied eight boards, a block, and a steal.
How it Happened
Feeding off the energy of a packed gym, the Crimson exploded out of the gates, rattling off the first 19 points through six minutes. The Seawolves did not get on the board until the 2:26 mark and Harvard firmly placed itself ahead, 25-6, after the opening quarter. Five different Harvard players scored in the frame as the Crimson shot 57.9% from the field, 60.0% from three, and tallied just one turnover.
Despite scoring not being as prevalent in the second quarter, the Crimson's defense never faltered, once again holding Stony Brook to single digit scoring and forcing eight turnovers. Heading into the locker room, Harvard was up 32-11.
The Seawolves had their best offensive quarter out of halftime, but Harvard still held its dominant lead, outscoring Stony Brook, 17-13 in the third. Following a last-second lay-in from
Olivia Jones the Crimson entered the fourth quarter with a 49-24 advantage.
The Crimson again held the Seawolves to single digit scoring and Wright tallied 10 points as Harvard outscored Stony Brook 18-9 to close out the contest.
Harvard Highlights
- Abigail Wright scored over 20 points for the third time this season as she recorded 22 points on 50% shooting. The junior flirted with a double-double with eight rebounds.
- Mary Hollensteiner notched a career-best 17 points against the Seawolves by shooting 62.5% from the field.
- Saniyah Glenn-Bello had a dominant day across the stat sheet recording 14 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, five blocks, and a steal. The senior was involved in more than half of Harvard's scoring possessions by either assisting or scoring on 15 of the team's 27 made field goals. In the last seven games, Glenn-Bello is averaging 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game.
- As a team, the Crimson assisted on 18 of its 27 made field goals.
- Harvard's defense forced 25 Stony Brook turnovers. Off the Seawolves' miscues, the Crimson capitalized for 27 points.
- Harvard held Stony Brook to its second lowest shooting percentage of the season at 28.9%. Conversely, Harvard shot 40.9% from the field and 38.9% from distance.
- The Crimson outrebounded the Seawolves, 41-29. First-year Olivia Jones led the way on the glass with a career-high 11 boards.
- With the win, the Crimson expanded its lead to 5-1 in the all-time series versus Stony Brook, including having won three straight matchups.
Next Up
Harvard will return to action in just over two weeks as it welcomes Maine to Cambridge on Sunday, December 21. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. ET in Lavietes Pavilion and on ESPN+.
