Terriers Hold On to Beat W. Hoops, 75-67

After a weekend in Texas where the Harvard women's basketball team was blown out then escaped with victory in overtime on a last-second shot, it was looking for a little sanity last night in its home opener against Boston University.

Instead, the Terriers and the Crimson ended up in a wild fight to the finish that came down to free throws and defense.

BU converted 10-of-12 free throws and stopped the Crimson offense in the last two minutes to pull away with the 75-67 victory.

While the Terriers (2-0) led the game for all but 17 seconds, they struggled at stretches and let Harvard bounce back time after time. The Crimson (1-2) took advantage of the opportunities, but B.U.'s pressure defense and inside offensive game stopped Harvard from coming all the way back.

"We just didn't come out today with good team defense," said sophomore point guard Jennifer Monti. "We had a lot of trouble with their baseline runners."

Terriers forward Dia Dufault and center Alison Dixon combined for 30 points, most off of inside layups and finger rolls from within two feet of the basket. Dixon was an offensive terror, coming down with four offensive rebounds and finishing with 13 points. The Crimson's double teams on her left open shooters on the perimeter.

The game was marked by back-and-forth offensive streaks for either side, with the Crimson unable to make the final run down the stretch.

In front of 423 loud fans inside Lavietes Pavilion, the Terriers came out aggressive and accurate. They built a 13-0 lead while the Crimson had three turnovers in the first three minutes. Until senior guard Courtney Egelhoff hit a three to make it 13-3, Harvard hadn't gotten a good shot off.

The Crimson slowly worked its way back into the game over the next 10 minutes. When freshmen forwards Kate Ides and Bree Kelley entered the game, they added much-needed inside defensive pressure and rebounding. The Crimson forced some turnovers and tied the game, 22-22. However, B.U. went back to the inside game with Dixon, and freshman guard Alison Argentieri chipped in with a pair of threes as the Terriers pulled away for a 40-30 halftime lead.

"At the half, we just had too many [14] turnovers," Monti said. "And our defense couldn't find the right situation--we started man-to-man, went zone, then went back."

The biggest problem at the half for the Crimson was in-the-paint offense. Center Melissa Johnson had only four points, while senior forward Laela Sturdy, averaging 18 points per game, had none.

The first minutes of the second half resembled the first minutes of the first half. Turnovers and fouls hurt Harvard while Dufault drove inside for five early points. When Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith brought in Ides and Kelley again, it didn't work.

Crimson turnovers at midcourt led to fouls, and the Terriers made them count, at one point leading by 19 points. Egelhoff began putting up wild three-point attempts, and the Crimson seemed unbalanced and sluggish.

Eventually, B.U. stopped its press defense, and Harvard shot the ball better. The combination of Ides, Johnson and Sturdy inside held the Terrier offense at bay while Johnson's scoring and offensive rebounding led Harvard on a 10-point run and pulled them to within seven at 58-51. Johnson played well in the second half, scoring 15 of her 19 points.

Each team bore down defensively for the final six-and-a-half minutes of the game. Argentieri was all over the place, getting steals and hitting free throws. She played eerily calmly in her first collegiate road game. Although Harvard made a final run in the last several minutes, time was not on its side as it was forced to foul at the end.

"Well, actually, their guards weren't all that impressive," Monti said, " I don't think they really hurt us, despite the numbers."

The numbers for Argentieri were impressive. She finished with 21 points and four assists while giving up only one turnover. On the contrary, while Monti was impressive as team leader and clutch shooter, she had six assists but also six turnovers.

"On team D, we just messed up on simple fundamentals," Monti said. "We'll definitely be working on that for later."

The Crimson may also want to work on shot selection. Although shooting a respectable 26-for-59 (44.1 percent) from the floor, the team often took bad-looking three-pointers and looked rusty in the post.

The home fans also got a glimpse of the bright future for the Crimson. In addition to the leadership of Monti, a sophomore (who played all 40 minutes), freshmen Ides, Kelley and forward Sarah Johnson all got playing time. Ides and Kelley combined for 12 points and eight rebounds, while Johnson helped on the offensive boards and defense.

Harvard beat B.U. last year, and slipping up this time didn't help the team's spirits. This weekend, Harvard hosts the Harvard Invitational and will need all the great play it can get when it faces big-time Big Ten basketball power Ohio State on Friday.