Crimson Stumble Against Princeton, Earns Redemption over Penn

Harvard women’s basketball (21-4, 10-3 Ivy) split its final home stand of the season, falling to Princeton (20-6, 11-2) in a battle for second place in the Ivy 70-58, then quickly turning the page and downing the University of Pennsylvania (15-11, 6-7) on senior night 62-44.

The weekend’s results clinched the third seed in Ivy Madness for the Crimson and set up a third matchup against the Tigers in the first round. The team also earned its first season sweep over the Quakers since the 2011-12 season.

Harvard 58, Princeton 70

In a pivotal matchup for Ivy seeding, the Princeton Tigers emerged victorious over the Crimson, cruising to a 70-58 victory. All Princeton starters notched double figures in scoring while senior Harmoni Turner and junior Saniyah Glenn-Bello, who missed last week’s game with a knee injury, led the Crimson with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

The pivotal matchup earned Harvard its first sell-out crowd of the season with 1,636 rowdy fans in attendance, though Harvard women’s basketball head coach Carrie Moore viewed the crowd as a distraction for the team.

“It’s an unfortunate loss because I think that we are a better basketball team than what we displayed,” said Moore. “It’s tough for me to watch our performance at home in front of our best crowd all year. I think it was more of a distraction than anything for us unfortunately.”

Turner immediately set the tone for the raucous crowd, stripping Princeton’s Parker Hill and taking it coast-to-coast for the opening layup. The Tigers responded with a 13-2 run that silenced Lavietes Pavilion.

Following a Harvard timeout, Glenn-Bello took charge of the Crimson offense, knocking down two three pointers and a floater from the free-throw line. Junior captain Katie Krupa utilized a vast array of spin moves, putting defenders in a blender for back-to-back fall away post jumpers.

Glenn-Bellow shoots against Princeton. By Samuel A. Ha

Despite the offensive success, the vaunted Crimson defense could not slow the Tigers as the team trailed 22-16 after the first quarter.

After the teams traded baskets to start the second quarter, sophomore Karlee White drove baseline for a floater that cut the deficit to four, the closest the Crimson came to overtaking the Tigers. Princeton’s Fadima Tall drained two three-pointers that kickstarted an 11-3 run. Senior Elena Rodriguez drove into the paint, hitting a floater high off the glass to cut the deficit to 40-29 at halftime.

“We’re just getting shredded in ball screens,” Moore said. “We have to figure that out, that’s on me. They were driving it and we didn’t have consistent rim help. They got a lot of shots that were very comfortable for them.”

The Crimson failed to make any progress in the third quarter, with the team’s senior duo of Turner and Rodriguez failing to register a point in the period. The Tigers took advantage of the Crimson stars’ third quarter lull, extending its lead to 53-40 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Tigers remained in control to start the fourth quarter, pushing its lead to a game high 15 points. With the team’s back against the wall, Turner displayed her resilient fight, scoring nine points that ignited a 12-3 run and cut the deficit to 60-54 with three minutes remaining.

The Crimson offense ran out of gas, as the Tigers closed the period strong on a 10-4 run, reaching the final score of 70-58.

“We showed great fight in the second half but unfortunately were not ready to play in a way that allows us to beat a good team,” said Moore. “It’s hard to beat a team three times. There’s a lot on film that we can watch and get better.”

Harvard 62, Penn 44

On a night commemorating Harvard’s three seniors, Harvard bested Penn in a blowout 62-44 victory. The Crimson was led by senior duo Turner and Rodriguez, scoring 24 and 17 points, respectively.

Turner sealed her second double-double of the season, tallying a game-high 11 rebounds.

“I’m really happy for Harmoni and Elena,” said Moore. “They really led us tonight, they came alive and that gave our team a lot of lift. I challenged them after yesterday to play well. We go as they go and we need them to lead us.”

Moore also shared love to her unsung locker room glue, senior Mona Zaric.

“Her coming into the game and having an immediate impact is so deserving of someone that is so consistent with her approach, so selfless and is there for all her teammates even when things are difficult,” she said. “She’s a great example for what this program should be about.”

The offense started slow for both teams, closing out the first quarter with the Quakers leading 12-8. Towards the end of the first quarter, the Crimson’s defense showed signs of hope with two quick steals from White.

The Crimson defense came alive in the second quarter, tallying a pair of steals and blocks from Rodridguez and junior Gabby Anderson.

Nearing midway in the second quarter, Turner ignited the Lavieties crowd with an and-one turn around layup. She kept the Crimson in striking distance, closing Penn’s lead to a single point, delivering several no-look assists.

Turner then drove and dumped off a dime to Rodriguez for a last-second layup to tie the game at 26-26 to close the half.

Glenn-Bellow, freshman Lydia Chatira, and Turner talk whiling playing Penn. By Sudhish M. Swain

The third quarter saw an increase in defensive aggression from both teams, leading to more baskets from the post. The two teams traded buckets at the start, but two treys stretched the Crimson’s lead to six. A layup by sophomore Abigail Wright paired with a triple from Turner stretched the lead to 45-34 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was defined by Turner and Rodriguez’s farewell performance with both seniors leaving it all out on the floor, hitting a pair of threes.

The Crimson’s pestering full-court press produced a turnover that ignited the Lavieties crowd and the team took command and never looked back, stretching the lead to 18 with two minutes left after an and-one by Turner.

In the final minute the three seniors checked out to a standing ovation and hugs from coaches and teammates. The Crimson rode the rest of the game out, arriving at the final score 62-44.

“We had the mindset that we were not losing this game,” said Turner. “Unfortunately, we had to learn through a loss, but we were intentional about the bounce backs. I felt we did a really great job towards the end of the game.”

“We know we’re not losing two games in a row,” Rodriguez said. “We’re much better than what we performed yesterday so everyone came with that mentality. We turned the page, Penn was hungry for a win, and we had to go out there and take the win.”

The Crimson will travel to New Hampshire for its final regular season matchup against last-place in the conference, Dartmouth College. A win would earn the team the best overall record in the Ivy League, and potentially an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

—Staff writer Oscar E. Mercado can be reached at oscar.mercado@thecrimson.com.