Harvard Hammers Big Red

The Harvard women’s basketball team made its yearly odyssey to Ithaca, N.Y., to face Cornell, and, for the seventh time in a row, the Crimson defeated the Big Red. Harvard’s 84-38 win continues the Crimson’s history of domination over the Big Red. Harvard went from 2008 to 2017 without losing to Cornell, nearly the same amount of time it took Odysseus, the mythical king of Ithaca, to travel home after the Trojan War.

Harvard (10-8, 3-2 Ivy) came out with a vengeance after losing a nailbiter to No. 20 Princeton in overtime during its last game. The Crimson employed the same athletic, pressuring style of defense it used to push the Tigers, but, unlike Princeton, the Big Red was unable to hang with Harvard. The Crimson’s advantage was immediately evident through steals and offensive rebounds.

Freshman guard Olivia Jones announced her presence early with an offensive rebound and put back for two, plus a foul to make it an old-fashioned three. Jones got another offensive rebound a few plays later and drew a foul to cash in on the daily double. Her successful start set the tone for what would become a career day. Jones notched her first collegiate career double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.

Already suffering on the offensive end from the Crimson’s stifling defense to the tune of 31 turnovers — a season high for forced turnovers by Harvard — the Big Red tried to slow down the pace and mitigate the Crimson’s athletic prowess on Cornell’s defensive end by playing a zone. Junior guard Mary Hollensteiner proved that to be a big mistake. Hollensteiner splashed six shots from downtown in seven attempts and scored 22 points during the contest.

Each starter for Harvard notched at least two steals, with senior guard Saniyah Glenn-Bello pacing the pack with three. 15 of the 16 members of the Crimson’s roster recorded at least one stat in the game. The lone exception was senior guard Gabby Anderson, who is sidelined for the rest of the season with a devastating knee injury. 10 different athletes scored for Harvard in the game.

The Crimson’s quality depth allowed Harvard to continue to pull away in the second half despite its 25-point lead at halftime. The Crimson never took its foot off the gas, as Cornell was held to 14 points across the entirety of the second half.

With the win, Harvard is now tied for third in the Ivy League with Brown. The Crimson will have its chance to break that tie next weekend as Harvard faces cellar-dweller Yale on Friday before facing the Bears on Saturday. Both games will be at home for the Crimson in the friendly confines of Lavietes Pavilion. The Yale game is the #OneCrimson Game, and the contest against Brown is where the Harvard team will host its annual Pride Night. Both games tip off at 7:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.

– Staff writer Reed M. Trimble can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ReedTrimble1. Follow @THCSports for all of The Crimson’s sports coverage.