ITHACA, N.Y. – Abigail Wright scored a team-high 18 points, Karlee White tallied 16 points and seven steals, and No. 3 seed Harvard Women's Basketball outlasted No. 2 seed Columbia in overtime, 67-65, in the semifinals of the 2026 Ivy League Tournament on Friday night at Cornell's Newman Arena.
 
Competing at the Ivy League Tournament for the eighth time in eight editions of the event, the Crimson (18-10) countered a fourth-quarter rally from the Lions (20-8), outscoring Columbia 11-9 in overtime to earn a spot in Saturday's championship game.
 
Harvard will meet No. 1 seed Princeton in the championship game of Ivy Madness tomorrow – Saturday, Mar. 14 – at 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU) with the winner earning a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Crimson will compete in the Ivy Tournament championship game for the third time (2023, 2025, 2026).
 
The Crimson took the season series from Columbia, 2-1. The Lions took a narrow 58-55 decision on Jan. 10 in Cambridge before the Crimson captured a 68-64 win at Columbia on Mar. 7.
 
Wright led three Crimson in double figures with her 18 points on 8-of-14 field goals, White totaled 16 points and a career-high seven steals, and Saniyah Glenn-Bello notched 12 points and four boards. Katie Krupa added nine points and six boards, and Olivia Jones contributed nine rebounds and seven points. 

Harvard Highlights

• Abigail Wright – a Second Team All-Ivy selection – scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-14 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws with three rebounds. She finished in double figures for the 31^st time in her career and 20^th time on the season.
• Karlee White – a unanimous First Team All-Ivy pick – totaled 16 points, a game and career-high seven steals, four rebounds, and three assists. She notched her 25^th game in double figures in her career and 20^th on the season.
• Saniyah Glenn-Bello posted 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, scoring in double figures for the 31^st time in her career and 17^th time on the season.
• Katie Krupa notched nine points, six rebounds, and two assists. She netted five of her nine points in overtime.
• Olivia Jones – the unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year – contributed a game-high nine rebounds, seven points, and two assists.
• Harvard held advantages in points in the paint (44-28) and points off turnovers (19-9).
• The Crimson led for 32:58 in the contest.
• Harvard improved to 2-1 in overtime games on the season.

 

How It Happened

• The Crimson jumped out to a 10-2 lead at the 6:32 mark of the first quarter as Wright scored Harvard's first six points of the game.
• After Columbia pulled within 10-9, a 3-pointer from Mary Hollensteiner and a driving layup from Krupa gave Harvard a 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
• Glenn-Bello netted the Crimson's first two buckets of the second quarter as Harvard remained ahead 19-18 with 5:33 to play in the half.
• Glenn-Bello hit twice more from the floor inside of the first half's final four minutes to tie the score at 25-25 before Columbia brought a 28-25 edge into halftime.
• Harvard outscored Columbia 10-4 to open the second half, taking a 35-32 lead with 5:51 to go in the third quarter. Back-to-back jumpers from Jones and Glenn-Bello pushed the Crimson ahead 39-34 with 2:59 to play in the third
• A pair of free throws from White gave Harvard a 45-42 lead at the end of the third frame.
• Harvard used an 8-3 spurt to open the fourth quarter to move its margin to 53-45 with 4:48 remaining. The Lions then closed regulation on an 11-3 run to send the game to overtime tied at 56-56.
• Opening overtime, White canned a 3-pointer and Glenn-Bello converted a layup to put Harvard up 61-58 with 3:40 to play.
• Inside of the final minute, Krupa knocked down a 3-pointer to make the score 64-60 with 44 seconds left. A pair of free throws from Krupa, a free throw from White, and a final stop from the Crimson sealed the win. 

Next Up

No. 3 seed Harvard will face No. 1 seed Princeton in the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament tomorrow – Saturday, Mar. 14 – at 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU).