Harvard’s Stifling Defense Leads to Another Big Red Blowout, 74-37

Harvard women’s basketball never let Cornell get comfortable on Saturday afternoon.

For the second time this year, relentless defensive pressure by the team overwhelmed Cornell’s offense, as the visiting Big Red turned the ball over 21 times in its 74-37 loss to the Crimson at Lavietes Pavilion.

The game was effectively decided in the first half when Harvard turned 12 Cornell turnovers into transition points and built a 43-20 halftime cushion.

After Harvard (15-9, 8-3 Ivy) held Cornell (8-16, 3-8) to its lowest scoring output of the season in an 84-38 thrashing when the teams first met, the host outdid itself by doubling the Big Red’s score and stifling the visitors to a new season-low in points scored.

Harvard entered the matchup sitting third in the Ivy League at 8-3, one game behind co-leaders Princeton and Columbia and just ahead of Brown in a tight race for the four Ivy League Tournament spots, and it showed immediately. The Crimson forced two turnovers in Cornell’s first four possessions and converted both into transition baskets. Junior captain Karlee White attacked downhill early, finishing through contact to spark an 8-0 start.

By the end of the first quarter, Harvard led 17-8, having already imposed its tempo and forced Cornell into rushed passes and sideline traps.

Through a variety of different full-court presses and halfcourt traps, the Crimson forced Cornell’s offense to the sidelines before swarming it and forcing turnovers. The Big Red shot just 30 percent from the field and had no player score in the double digits.

“To keep them guessing, we try to get underneath them and push them to the sidelines,” Harvard’s head coach Carrie Moore said. “They really need to get to the middle of the court. So if you can keep them sidelined, which is something that we talk about a lot, you’ll have success against them.”

In the second quarter, Harvard broke the game open.

White controlled the tempo offensively, attacking in transition and in the halfcourt while capitalizing on the extra possessions created by Harvard’s defense. Senior forward Katie Krupa added a steady presence inside, knocking down a midrange jumper and converting at the free-throw line while freshman guard Olivia Jones controlled the glass and kept the offense flowing.

White scored 22 points in the first half and led the Crimson in scoring with 24 on 10-for-14 shooting. Krupa added 10, and Jones had eight points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

By halftime, the Crimson had stretched the margin to 43-20.

“I think like I told the team, anytime we can win a conference game, especially this time of the year, great to have it – especially by the margin that it is,” Moore said. “And I think we can get everybody in the game to have that opportunity to play and compete in an actual basketball game. I think it’s huge for us.”

Out of the break, Cornell briefly found rhythm from beyond the arc, knocking down a pair of threes to trim the deficit slightly. But Harvard responded immediately. Krupa finished inside on the next possession, and sophomore guard Alayna Rocco connected from deep to keep momentum squarely in the Crimson’s favor. By the end of the third quarter, Harvard led 62-31.

Harvard’s ability to pressure without fouling, White said, is drilled repeatedly in practice.

“Honestly, it just stems from practice,” she said. “Sometimes we’ll have coaches or refs in practice, and if you put a hand there, they’re calling it and we’re restarting the drill. We do it to get it right.”

White also pointed to awareness on the floor as a factor in the team’s discipline.

“I think also understanding our importance of being on the floor,” she said. “We kind of learned our lesson of being in foul trouble. We know we need to be on the floor to be impactful.”

Harvard forced 21 turnovers while committing just 13 fouls, maintaining aggression without sacrificing composure. The Crimson dominated the paint 40-12, won the rebounding battle 39-21, and converted turnovers into 25 points.

“I don’t think they like our pressure,” Moore said. “We were able to really disrupt them early.”

With the regular season nearing its conclusion and Harvard just one game behind the Ivy League leaders in a crowded race for the conference’s four postseason spots, the Crimson now turn to its final home stretch. Harvard needs only one more win to clinch a return trip to Ivy Madness, which it won last year as the No. 3 seed.

The Crimson will play its final home games of the season next weekend as it welcomes Penn and Princeton to Lavietes Pavilion on Feb. 27 and 28, respectively.

— Staff Writer Tamar H. Scheinfeld can be reached at [email protected].
— Staff Writer Samuel S. Rudavsky can be reached at [email protected].