W. Cagers Gun Down Hartford, 80-63

Revenge is a dish best served cold--or at least with a convincing win.

The Harvard women's basketball team feasted on Hartford, 80-63, last night at Briggs Cage and erased the taste of a bitter defeat.

Last year, the Hawks--an average team in the Seaboard Conference--should have been an easy victim for Harvard. Instead, they were a menacing foe who shocked the Crimson with a come-from-behind win, 99-86. The game was one of the few low points during Harvard's best season ever.

This year, no such foils occured. Harvard wouldn't let it.

"We were really pysched for this game," said senior Beth Chandler, who led all scorers with 24 points and 10 rebounds. "We were thinking about last year's game since [we began practicing]. It was a loss we wanted to revenge."

"Everyone remembered it," senior Sarah Duncan added. "It's hard to forget a loss like that."

The victory improved Harvard's record to 4-2, while leaving Hartford without a win for the season. The Hawks are now 0-6.

Harvard came on to the court like a team with a mission. Three minutes into the game, the Crimson unloaded an attack of 17 straight points and established a 17-4 lead.

A combination of aggressive defense and timely shooting under-scored this sequence. Guard Hanya Bluestone made a steal off a Hartford shooter, took the ball down court for a reverse lay-up basket and was fouled on the play to give Harvard a 9-4 lead. Chandler followed by blocking a shot and feeding the ball to Heidi Kosh for the score.

"They beat us down on the floor, on the transition game." Hartford Coach Jean Walling Murphy said.

Harvard suffered a defensive let-down toward the end of the first half and allowed the Hawks to creep back into the game. The score at the half was 40-29, and the Crimson had to enter the locker room wondering if last year's collapse would haunt the team.

"We came out and did what we were supposed to do...then had a breakdown," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "We talked about it at halftime, and they came out and did the job."

In the second half, the Crimson kept Hartford off-balance. It suppressed Hartford's leading shooters, limiting Annette Flynn to only two points after she scored 12 in the first half.

"The only way they could have gotten back in the game is if we beat ourselves," Delaney Smith said.

Harvard was powered by the unrelenting efforts of Co-Captains Chandler and Duncan. Duncan had 20 points and six rebounds.

Chandler--continuing to play with fiery emotion--was the game's most uncontainable force on the court.

"Chandler did a job. We couldn't stop her," Walling Murphy said.

Plagued in previous games by fouls, Duncan stayed out of foul trouble and concentrated on what she does best--scoring and rebounding. Duncan's outside shooting was on target for the entire game. She connected for two three-point shots.

Chandler and Duncan have vastly different styles but share an ability to dominate the game.

"Both players were awesome tonight," Delaney Smith said. "Beth is more physical, more methodical. Sarah is quicker...more of a finesse player."

"Both are leaders on the floor," Delaney Smith added.

THE NOTEBOOK: Heidi Kosh and Bluestone had 13 and 12 points, respectively...The Hawks shot 36 percent from the field...Melinda Nelson returned to action after being sidelined with an injury...The Crimson travels to Burlington, Vt. tomorrow to face the Catamounts of the University of Vermont...The Crimson went to the free throw line 21 times, converting 12 shots...Duncan recorded five blocks for Harvard...Kosh led all players with seven assists...Harvard's Ivy slate begins January 7 at Briggs Cage. The game against Dartmouth is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Last Night's Game Crimson, 80-63 at Briggs Cage Hartford  29-34--63 Harvard  40-40--80

HARTFORD [63]: Annette Flynn 7-0--14; Betsy Andersen 3-0--7; Patrice Ward 2-1--5; Trish Slocum 2-0--4; Pauline Frisind 6-0--13; Kerri Crimmins 4-2--10; Lisa Smith 0-1--1; Anne Sangiovanni 0-0--0; Cheryl Brooks 1-1--3; Dacid DeAngelis 2-0--4; Regina Ronan 1-0--2.

Totals: 28-77 5-10 63

HARVARD [80]: Sarah Duncan 9-0--20; Jen Mazanec 1--0--2; Beth Chandler 10-4--24; Heidi Kosh 5-3--13; Hanya Bluestone 5-2--12; Beth Wambach 3-0--6; Dina Hadrick 0-0--0; Jody Fink 0-1--1; Sandy Springer 0-0--0; Melinda Nelson 0-0--0; Maura Healey 0-2--2; Heather Harris 0-0--0; Liz Resnick 0-0--0.

Totals:33-68 12-21 80.

Three-pointers: Andersen, Frisina; Duncan 2. Rebounds: Hartford 45 (Flynn 7), Harvard 47 (Chandler 10). Assists: Hartford 16 (Slocum 6), Harvard 23 (Kosh 7). Steals: Hartford 4 (Flynn, Ward, Slocum, Frisina), Harvard 14 (Bluestone 4). Blocked Shots: Hartford 0, Harvard 8 (Duncan 5).