W. Cagers Split ECAC Holiday Festival

WORCESTER, Mass.--Consolation wins never provide the feeling their names indicate. Just ask the Harvard women's basketball team.

Harvard (3-1) earned a weekend split to bring home a third-place finish in the third annual ECAC Holiday Festival Invitational Tournament at Holy Cross's Hart Recreational Center. Harvard dropped its first-round contest to Maryland (3-2) on Saturday, 81-61, but recovered for a 68-54 victory over Mount St. Mary's (2-2) in yesterday's consolation game.

In the midst of Harvard's roller coaster weekend, co-captain Allison Feaster became the school's all-time scoring leader, running her career points total to 1,614. The mark had previously been held by Tammy Butler '95 (1,605 points).

Despite the win and the fact that Maryland is a strong ACC team, the Crimson played its worst basketball of the short season on offense. Both games were marred by dismal shooting performances from Harvard.

The Crimson hit a season-low 31.3 percent of its shots against the Terps on Saturday and converted on just 34 percent of its field goals against the Mounts. Harvard's 26 first-half points yesterday were also a season-low.

The opposing defenses were not the reason for the Crimson's poor shooting. Harvard had clear looks at the basket and took good shots in both contests, but its shots simply did not fall.

"We could not have been worse offensively on both days," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. "Right now, we're not the shooting team that I'm used to having, but we will hit those [shots]."

In spite of its shooting woes, Harvard turned in two fine defensive performances over the weekend. It was defense that kept the Crimson alive in both games and allowed Harvard to come away with a victory.

Harvard abandoned its usual man-to-man defense against Maryland and played a zone against the athletic Terps. The strategy was effective overall in containing Maryland and in helping the Crimson outrebound the Terps by three.

"My defense is playing very well. I like what we're doing," Delaney-Smith said.

Maryland led by as many as 10 points in the first half before a couple of three-pointers by junior Suzie Miller and sophomore Courtney Egelhoff cut the Terps' lead to 34-31 with one minute left in the period. The momentum quickly swung back to Maryland's side, however, as Terps guard Tiffany Brown answered with a trey of her own.

On Harvard's next possession, a costly turnover led to a layup at the other end by Maryland co-captain Sonia Chase. In the span of 40 seconds, a one-possession game turned into an eight-point Maryland lead at halftime.

The Terps capped the 9-0 run at the start of the second half with two quick buckets to extend their lead to 12 points. The Crimson would get no closer than The Crimson would get no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

Ultimately, it was an excellent shooting performance by Maryland coupled with uncharacteristically poor shooting and costly mistakes by Harvard that did the Crimson in. The Terps hit over 49 percent of their shots, and 23 Harvard turnovers led to 26 Maryland points.

"I can't tolerate that [poor] decision-making, but it's early in the season, so it was respectable," Delaney-Smith said. "We were horrible, and we didn't get blown out by a very good team. That's an indication that we're okay."

Chase finished the game with 25 points and six steals for the Terps, while her teammate and co-captain Stephanie Cross recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds. Cross was awarded the tournament's Most Valuable Player award following Maryland's 82-74 victory over host Holy Cross in the championship game.

Feaster was the bright spot for Harvard. The senior had a spectacular game and finished with a game-high 28 points, 13 rebounds and three steals in a losing cause.

Harvard's play only worsened in the first half of yesterday's consolation game against Mount St. Mary's. The Crimson looked tentative and unfocused as it hit only eight field goals in the period, and Harvard held a slim 24-21 lead over its inferior opposition at halftime.

The Crimson finally settled down in the second half and pulled away for the 14-point victory behind several record-setting performances by the senior class. Co-captain Megan Basil and senior guard Sarah Brandt each had career-best performances in different offensive categories, and Harvard's most coveted record fell at the hands of the school's greatest player.

Basil found the cure for her shooting blues, draining three of her eight shots from behind the arc to finish with a career-high 16 points. The Crimson's floor general also turned in one of her typically solid defensive performances, recording three steals in the contest.

Brandt continued to make her case for the sixth-man award, coming off the bench to haul in a career-high nine rebounds. She also chipped in five points and two steals of her own.

"I like the challenge of coming off the bench and trying to spark my teammates," Brandt said.

The highlight of the weekend for Harvard, however, was Feaster's accomplishment. With 5:58 remaining in yesterday's contest, the Crimson's "all-everything" forward stepped to the foul line and did what Harvard basketball fans have known she would do for quite some time.

Feaster's first shot tied Harvard's career scoring mark, and her second shot gave her sole possession of the record. She finished the game with a season-high and tournament-high 30 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.

Feaster is on pace to become the first player in Ivy League history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in a career. She is currently second on the career rebounding list (889) to Butler's 1,053.

Feaster also holds the career record for steals (230) and continues to add to that mark. She was named to the All-Tournament team this weekend, and led all players over both games in scoring and rebounding.

"[Feaster] amazes me; she's a physical specimen," Delaney-Smith said. "[Allison Feaster is] unquestionably the best player at this tournament."

Harvard comes out of the weekend tourney knowing that it must shoot much better, make fewer turnovers and commit fewer fouls to have a successful season. The loss to Maryland could potentially hurt the Crimson's chances for a decent seed in the NCAA Tournament, especially after Holy Cross played the Terps to within eight points.

However, the Crimson can also take many positives out of the weekend. Harvard looked sharp defensively, and outrebounded both of its opponents. A typical shooting percentage in the mid-40s by the Crimson could very easily have resulted in two wins.

"Defense was great, but offensively we need to be a little more patient," Feaster said. "On the whole, we need to be more confident with the ball, and we have to get our turnovers under control; that's going to be key for us."

Ultimately, though, Harvard must produce on the court. The Crimson's shooting slump appeared to take an upswing in the second half of yesterday's contest, and Harvard will have its first chance to build on that performance this weekend when it hosts the Harvard Invitational Tournament at Lavietes Pavilion.

MARYLAND, 94-90 at WorcesterMaryland  39  42  --  81Harvard  31  30  --  6

Ultimately, it was an excellent shooting performance by Maryland coupled with uncharacteristically poor shooting and costly mistakes by Harvard that did the Crimson in. The Terps hit over 49 percent of their shots, and 23 Harvard turnovers led to 26 Maryland points.

"I can't tolerate that [poor] decision-making, but it's early in the season, so it was respectable," Delaney-Smith said. "We were horrible, and we didn't get blown out by a very good team. That's an indication that we're okay."

Chase finished the game with 25 points and six steals for the Terps, while her teammate and co-captain Stephanie Cross recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds. Cross was awarded the tournament's Most Valuable Player award following Maryland's 82-74 victory over host Holy Cross in the championship game.

Feaster was the bright spot for Harvard. The senior had a spectacular game and finished with a game-high 28 points, 13 rebounds and three steals in a losing cause.

Harvard's play only worsened in the first half of yesterday's consolation game against Mount St. Mary's. The Crimson looked tentative and unfocused as it hit only eight field goals in the period, and Harvard held a slim 24-21 lead over its inferior opposition at halftime.

The Crimson finally settled down in the second half and pulled away for the 14-point victory behind several record-setting performances by the senior class. Co-captain Megan Basil and senior guard Sarah Brandt each had career-best performances in different offensive categories, and Harvard's most coveted record fell at the hands of the school's greatest player.

Basil found the cure for her shooting blues, draining three of her eight shots from behind the arc to finish with a career-high 16 points. The Crimson's floor general also turned in one of her typically solid defensive performances, recording three steals in the contest.

Brandt continued to make her case for the sixth-man award, coming off the bench to haul in a career-high nine rebounds. She also chipped in five points and two steals of her own.

"I like the challenge of coming off the bench and trying to spark my teammates," Brandt said.

The highlight of the weekend for Harvard, however, was Feaster's accomplishment. With 5:58 remaining in yesterday's contest, the Crimson's "all-everything" forward stepped to the foul line and did what Harvard basketball fans have known she would do for quite some time.

Feaster's first shot tied Harvard's career scoring mark, and her second shot gave her sole possession of the record. She finished the game with a season-high and tournament-high 30 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.

Feaster is on pace to become the first player in Ivy League history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in a career. She is currently second on the career rebounding list (889) to Butler's 1,053.

Feaster also holds the career record for steals (230) and continues to add to that mark. She was named to the All-Tournament team this weekend, and led all players over both games in scoring and rebounding.

"[Feaster] amazes me; she's a physical specimen," Delaney-Smith said. "[Allison Feaster is] unquestionably the best player at this tournament."

Harvard comes out of the weekend tourney knowing that it must shoot much better, make fewer turnovers and commit fewer fouls to have a successful season. The loss to Maryland could potentially hurt the Crimson's chances for a decent seed in the NCAA Tournament, especially after Holy Cross played the Terps to within eight points.

However, the Crimson can also take many positives out of the weekend. Harvard looked sharp defensively, and outrebounded both of its opponents. A typical shooting percentage in the mid-40s by the Crimson could very easily have resulted in two wins.

"Defense was great, but offensively we need to be a little more patient," Feaster said. "On the whole, we need to be more confident with the ball, and we have to get our turnovers under control; that's going to be key for us."

Ultimately, though, Harvard must produce on the court. The Crimson's shooting slump appeared to take an upswing in the second half of yesterday's contest, and Harvard will have its first chance to build on that performance this weekend when it hosts the Harvard Invitational Tournament at Lavietes Pavilion.

MARYLAND, 94-90 at WorcesterMaryland  39  42  --  81Harvard  31  30  --  6