CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's basketball (17-3, 6-2 Ivy) surpassed its win total from last season tonight as it defeated the Dartmouth Big Green (8-13, 2-6 Ivy) in convincing fashion, 66-31.
The Crimson were led by a balanced attack of eight different scorers including a trio of double figure performances from
Harmoni Turner (21),
Saniyah Glenn-Bello (11), and
Elena Rodriguez (10).
How it Happened
The Crimson had a near flawless start to the contest, rattling off the first 16 points on 60% shooting while forcing four Dartmouth turnovers in the opening six minutes. Despite Harvard only connecting for one additional field throughout the remainder of the frame, its consistent defense held the Big Green to just five points.
The second quarter was more of the same as Harvard showed no signs of slowing down, shooting 64.3% from the field to outscore Dartmouth, 21-9. A consistent scoring attack, led by seven points from Glenn-Bello allowed the Crimson to head into the locker room with a 39-14 advantage.
The Crimson continued to pull away from the Big Green out of the break, holding the foe to just six points throughout the third frame. After Dartmouth connected on a layup at the 5:25 mark, Harvard went on an 8-1 run to close the stanza and lead 55-20 with ten minutes remaining.
Harvard wasted no time continuing to grow its lead despite already being up big as
Elena Rodriguez and Turner each added buckets in the opening minute and a half of the fourth quarter. Despite the final frame was the lowest scoring output of the contest, the Crimson held its dominant advantage to solidify its 17
th win of the season with a 66-31 final decision.
Harvard Highlights
- Harmoni Turner led all scorers with 21 points on 50% (9-of-18 FG) shooting while also adding five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Turner has now surpassed 20 points in four straight contests and 12 total times this season.
- Saniyah Glenn-Bello continues to deliver a spark for the Crimson as she added 11 points on 50% (5-of-10 FG) shooting, five rebounds, a team-high five assists, two steals and a block. The junior has now surpassed double digit points four times in the last five games.
- Elena Rodriguez was the final Crimson player to amass double figures, adding 10 points on 57.1% (4-of-7 FG) shooting. The senior also grabbed five rebounds and dished out a trio of assists against the Big Green.
- Abigail Wright and Karlee White each provided crucial minutes for the Crimson while contributing eight points both on 3-of-5 shooting. Additionally, Wright tallied a team-best six boards.
- The Crimson defense held the Big Green to single digit scoring in three of four quarters while holding the foe to 20.5% (9-of-44) shooting from the field.
- Additionally, Harvard forced Dartmouth into 23 turnovers while tallying nine steals and converted for 33 points off of the Big Green's miscues.
- Despite turning the ball over 13 times in the contest, Harvard only allowed Dartmouth to capitalize for five points off of turnovers.
- Harvard won the rebounding battle in the match up (39-33) to improve to 13-1 on the year when grabbing more boards than its opponents.
- With the win, the Crimson extends its lead in the all-time series to 58-36 and adds to its win streak, making it eight straight against the Big Green.
Next Up
Harvard will hit the road for its second back-to-back with Cornell and Columbia beginning in Ithaca, N.Y. on Friday, February 14 at 6:00 p.m. against the Big Red. After a day's rest, the Crimson will take on the Lions on Sunday, February 16 at 12:00 p.m. in a nationally televised contest inside Levien Gymnasium.
