Bentley Bests Women in Cliffhanger

Can a team that committed 47 turnovers find hoopster happiness in Cambridge? The Harvard women's basketball team sure hopes so in the wake of Saturday's 72-71 double overtime loss at Bentley.

Freshman forward Dorris Woolery pumped in 26 points for the Crimson, connecting on ten of 22 from the floor and six of nine from the charity stripe. But the newcomer also committed 12 turnovers, joining mate Lisa Bernstein (13 miscues) in the debit department.

Harvard started off by humming the Foreigner tune--"cold as ice"--as the women in red couldn't hit the side of a barn in the first ten minutes. Coach Carole Kleinfelder brought her troops out of a comatose state in time to nab a 28-26 halftime lead as the Falcons succumbed to the deadly turnoveritis contagion.

The lead seesawed back and forth in the second stanza. Wendy Carle, Harvard's steady all-Ivy stalwart, racked the boards en route to a 14-point (7-18 FG), 15-rebound night. But it was another veteran, senior Hildy Meyers, who sparked the Crimson when the going got rough.

"Hildy did a heck of a job and pulled us together when we needed it down the stretch," said Kleinfelder, who has her work cut out for her with a brutal Division I slate and raw recruits who need college finesse.

Meyers, the team's lone senior, helped Harvard catch Bentley at the regulation buzzer after the Crimson had found itself in seven-point, mid-half arrears. Meyers and Carle each hit a bucket in the first OT, while Woolery chipped in a pair of free throws.

But Patty Shinkwin, Bentley's leading scorer with 15 points, Maureen DeLuke and Shana Hall matched the visitors swoosh for swoosh for send the game into the second extra five-minute period.

Just Starting

Rookie Gillian Raney came alive in the marathon with a pair of clutch buckets, and Meyers added a free throw, but Harvard couldn't catch the veteran Bentley express. Paula Ayers (14 points) chucked home five points and Jackie Forster (15 points) plunked home a charity toss as the hosts hung on to win the wild and wooly affair by a marker.

Down the Hatch

The loss drops Harvard to 0-2. "We haven't really found the right combination yet," Kleinfelder said. "We look good in flashes, but we need more consistency from the veterans and the frosh have to become comfortable and confident with our system."

Will home cooking mean fewer turnovers on the menu? We'll see.