MADISON, Wis. – Harvard women's basketball (20-12, 10-4 Ivy) narrowly fell to Wisconsin (16-17, 5-13 Big Ten), 64-61, in an overtime battle in the quarterfinals of the WBIT.
In the final game of a breakout junior season,
Abigail Wright tallied a team-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 11 rebounds, and three assists.
Karlee White joined in double figures with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
How it Happened
Both teams struggled to create momentum to start the first quarter, but the Crimson established its defensive pressure to keep the game close. Wisconsin held a small lead at 7-6 at the first media break. Despite some offensive struggles,
Karlee White connected in the waning moments of the quarter ,cutting the deficit to three at 14-11.
With the first two buckets of the second quarter, Harvard quickly pulled in front. The Crimson then began to catch fire, and a 12-0 run gave Harvard a nine-point lead at the midway point of the frame. The Badgers followed with their own run in the next two minutes, cutting the Crimson's lead to 23-21. Harvard eventually halted Wisconsin's run and the contest was knotted at 26 at the half.
There were six lead changes and no team lead by more than two in the first five minutes of the half. Harvard then broke out on a 7-0 run to take a six-point lead with a minute and a half remaining. The Badgers cut into the lead, but Harvard still led 39-38 at the conclusion of the frame.
The Crimson wasted no time extending its lead to open the fourth with consecutive threes from White and
Saniyah Glenn-Bello. Two free throws from
Katie Krupa put the Crimson up by eight with less than a minute remaining. The Badgers continued to hang around, however. Down seven with 40 seconds left, Wisconsin went on a 7-0 run to tie the contest and force overtime.
The Badgers took their first lead since the third quarter with 2:50 remaining in the extra frame. The Crimson responded on the other end to pull back in front at 61-60. A layup and two free throws from the Badgers would seal the game; however, with Wisconsin stealing the contest, 64-61.
Harvard Highlights
- Abigail Wright completed a breakout season with a team-best 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. She also registered her fifth career double-double with 11 rebounds.
- Karlee White tallied her 23rd double-figure outing with 16 points.
- Olivia Jones, Saniyah Glenn-Bello, and Katie Krupa each added nine points.
- Jones also added seven rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block in her final game of a strong first-year campaign.
