ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Hallion Shines for W. Hoops in Tourney Win

To say that senior guard Lindsay Hallion is the heart of the Harvard women’s basketball team is an understatement.

“She’s the epitome of what every basketball player should strive to be like,” junior forward Katie Rollins said of her captain.

Hallion paced the Crimson to a first-place finish at the Dead River Company Classic this past weekend in Orono, Maine, and earned herself tournament MVP honors in the process.

She scored a combined 39 points on 16-for-19 shooting for the weekend. More importantly, her consistent play kept her team focused and pushed them to two big wins.

“[Lindsay] stepped up huge in all aspects of the game,” junior guard Niki Finelli said.

Hallion started the weekend off strong with a 20-point effort in Harvard’s 82-78 victory over Maine on Friday night. She shot 9-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line while not turning the ball over once. She added five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in her 31 minutes of playing time.

In the championship game against Hofstra on Saturday night, Hallion came back with 19 points en route to a 63-58 win for the Crimson. She was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point territory and posted five rebounds, five assists, and five steals.

More importantly, though, Hallion made big plays at the right times. She gave Harvard its first lead of the night midway through the first half against Maine and combined with junior Emily Tay to jumpstart a 12-2 run in the second half against Hofstra to put the game out of reach.

“We look to her when we need a spark,” Finelli said. “She’s constantly there to pick us up.”

“She kept us in it mentally,” Rollins added.

Hallion’s leadership has spurred Harvard to an early 3-2 record, a far cry from its disappointing 0-6 start last season.

“We didn’t have a good non-conference record last season,” Hallion said. “Our goal this year was to do better and we’ve gotten off to a good start.”

Her teammates credit their success to not only their captain’s on-court play, but also her leadership.

“Lindsay is an unbelievable player,” Rollins said. “She always plays with such heart, determination and passion. You can’t help but notice that every time she steps on the court.”

“It’s hard to put into words exactly what she is to this team,” Finelli added. “Everyone values her leadership while we’re playing. It’s what she does beyond that that really counts.”

And it’s not just her teammates that notice the work Hallion puts in behind the scenes. Head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith has nothing but praise for the senior co-captain as well.

“[Lindsay] is one of the most incredible student-athletes I have ever coached – in her work ethic, in her passion for the game, in her ability, in her unselfishness, in her ability to do whatever it takes to win,” Delaney-Smith said.

As a captain, though, Hallion puts the team ahead of her individual accolades. And although she has been recognized for her superior play – in addition to being named tournament MVP, she is also co-Ivy League Player of the Week – it is the team’s success that is most important to her.

“There were a number of people deserving of MVP,” Hallion said. “Honestly, it means a lot more that we won the tournament.”

Despite her humility, there is no question that without Hallion’s offensive production—she scored more than a quarter of the team’s points in each contest—the Crimson would not have found as much success last weekend.

“We definitely wouldn’t have gotten two wins without her there,” Rollins said.