Hoopsters Down Manhattanville, 66-32

The scoring nucleus of the Harvard women's basketball team took an unrequested vacation Saturday, but the less-heralded hoopsters pounced on their chance to shine, leading the 4-4 Crimson to a 66-32 rout of Manhattanville at the IAB.

Elaine Holpuch, the freshman scoring dynamo, twisted an ankle in the first minute of play and had to sit out the first half, while captain Caryn Curry, with three personal fouls in the first four minutes, also spent most of the first half on the bench.

So freshmen Dorris Woolery and Gillian Raney, overcoming some early season jitters, took up the slack, combining for 14 first-half points.

"We were much more relaxed out there. The rest over vacation really did everyone a lot of good," Raney said yesterday.

Woolery's two straight field goals six minutes into the game made it 11-6 for the Crimson, and the Valiants never got any closer.

Point guard Lisa Bernstein hit a lay-up after a picture-perfect three-on-one break to extend the Harvard lead to 19-8. Manhattanville then called time out, but everyone on the court and the 150 spectators knew that the cagers were on their way to an easy win.

Karen Smith, the 6-ft. 1-in, freshman in for Holpuch at center, looked impressive as she snared five rebounds and blocked two shots in the first half while the Crimson rolled to a heady 30-12 halftime bulge.

Woolery (14 points in the game) and Raney (ten points) continued to lead the Crimson charge in the second half, as the cagers breezed to a 66-32 decision.

Despite the one-sided margin, Harvard did not dominate the boards, with only a 39-30 rebounding advantage over the smaller Valiants.

Woolery, however, supplied ten of the rebounds, her most impressive total of the year and a welcome sign of things to come for the hoopsters.

"Our defense is weak," coach Carole Kleinfelder said after the game, conceding that rebounding remains a problem. Holpuch, despite a strong ten-point effort in the second half, garnered only one rebound on the evening.

Kleinfelder said that despite defensive lapses, the team is improving. "If we win our next few games, we'll be in really good shape for the Ivy championships," she said, referring to the February 9-11 tournament at Yale.

The Crimson travels to Holy Cross on January 12 and to Williams on January 13 before breaking for exams. The squad returns to the IAB on January 31 against Dartmouth.