Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 20 Princeton 82-79 in Overtime

Harvard senior Katie Krupa’s go-ahead three-pointer with five seconds remaining in regulation felt like it should have been the play that secured an upset. The shot capped a gritty, defensive-minded comeback and sent the Crimson bench into a frenzy. However, Princeton’s Ashley Chea responded with a buzzer-beating three to force overtime. Despite a furious overtime push, the Harvard women’s basketball team (9-8, 2-2 Ivy) fell to the No. 20 Tigers (16-1, 4-0) with a score of 82-79 in a heartbreaker at Jadwin Gymnasium.

From the opening tip-off, Harvard matched Princeton’s athleticism in a way few Ivy League teams have been able to do. Junior captain Karlee White set the tone immediately on the defensive end, flying into passing lanes and forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over. In fact, Princeton gave the ball up five times in the first six minutes of play.

The pressure paid off early as junior captain Abigail Wright buried a smooth pull-up jumper to put Harvard ahead 9-5. The Crimson carried an 11-9 lead into the first break after freshman Olivia Jones forced another turnover to disrupt Princeton’s final possession.

That opening-quarter burst held extra meaning for Wright, who was playing on the same floor where her mother, Ellen DeVoe, compiled one of the most decorated resumés in Princeton women’s basketball history.

DeVoe is ranked second all-time in program history in points with 1,290, in rebounds with 942, and in blocks with 157. The Princeton graduate still holds the program’s single-game record with nine blocks, a statistic that continues to loom large in the Tigers’ record books.

Wright’s basketball legacy extends further still: her brother Ethan Wright was a Second Team All-Ivy League selection in 2022, earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors three times during his career at Princeton, and was ranked among the league’s top rebounders that season. Since graduating, Ethan has taken his talents to the professional level, where he currently plays for the Caledonia Gladiators.

In the face of Harvard’s relentless pressure, the Tigers were able to stay afloat thanks to junior Olivia Hutcherson, who scored seven of Princeton’s nine first-quarter points.

Harvard’s defensive energy refused to let the home team get comfortable with the ball. The Crimson forced a travel, leading to the Tigers’ sixth turnover early in the second quarter.

On the resulting possession, Jones drilled a three-pointer to stretch Harvard’s lead to 14-9.

Still, the Tigers stayed competitive. Princeton found points at the rim and on second chances, while Harvard struggled to convert on rebounds.

Wright finished through contact off a gorgeous bounce pass from White, and White later knocked down a deep three off a flare screen, a snapshot of a dominant night for White, who finished with 27 points and a double-double.

Despite being rattled by Harvard’s pestering full-court press, Princeton managed to stay within striking distance on the scoreboard. The Tigers gave up turnovers and struggled to find their rhythm early, but by halftime, they had clawed their way back, capitalizing on a late defensive lapse to tie the game at 25.

At the halftime break, White led all scorers with 10 points. Although Harvard was the visiting team, the Crimson bench—mustered by senior Gabby Anderson, who is sidelined with a season-ending knee injury—made its presence felt, roaring after every defensive stop.

In the third quarter, the momentum swung repeatedly. Krupa found Jones on a skip pass for three, White converted a layup off a Princeton turnover, and Saniyah Glenn-Bello cleaned up inside to give Harvard a 42-38 edge.

However, Princeton’s transition game began to click, as Chea raced down the floor for consecutive uncontested layups. Late in the frame, the Tigers capitalized on a Harvard offensive foul to take a 49-48 lead heading into the fourth.

The final quarter was tense and physical. Jones picked up her fourth foul early, forcing Harvard to adjust.

Princeton briefly opened a seven-point advantage as the Crimson’s perimeter shots stopped falling.

A costly turnover after a Harvard timeout eventually pushed the Tigers ahead 61-58, but the Crimson refused to fold. Wright steadied Harvard at the line, White stripped the ball and converted in transition, and Glenn-Bello responded with a massive three-pointer. The senior’s shot hit with 44 seconds left to help Harvard chip all the way back, tying the game at 61 apiece.

Then came the moment: with five seconds left, Krupa rose from beyond the arc and drilled a cold-blooded triple to give the Crimson a 64-61 lead. The Crimson bench exploded in cheers, thinking it had secured the upset.

However, Princeton’s Chea answered with a buzzer-beating three of her own, forcing overtime and causing Jadwin Gymnasium to erupt in jubilation.

Overtime included frequent trips to the free-throw line, with a total of 15 foul shots attempted in the extra period, 10 of them by Princeton.

Still, the Crimson refused to relent. Wright completed a three-point play, White finished through traffic, and even after the game was all but over, White buried a buzzer-beating three as time expired, a final reminder of how close Harvard was to pulling off the upset.

White finished with a dominant 27-point, 10-rebound double-double, going 10 for 15 shooting and three for six in three-point shooting. Glenn-Bello added 16 points, Wright chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Jones contributed 11 points to the Crimson’s effort.

Even though the afternoon ended in heartbreak for Harvard, the Crimson proved it could compete with one of the Ivy League’s most dominant programs.

Harvard will remain on the road next weekend, traveling to Ithaca, N.Y., to face Cornell on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST.

—Staff writer Tamar H. Scheinfeld can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Natalia Howard Pagán can be reached at [email protected].