W. Hoops Finally Sweeps Dartmouth

They had to wait until to the last game of their final year to pull it off, but the Crimson seniors have finally earned a season-sweep of Dartmouth.

"That makes all of the pain and struggle worth it--winning against them, on the court, in the last game of your life," said senior guard Lisa Kowal.

Led by 25 points from freshman forward Hana Peljto, Harvard (12-15, 9-5 Ivy) cruised over Dartmouth (12-15, 8-6), 73-60, to wrap up second-place in the Ivies.

The league title was won by Penn (22-5, 14-0), who last night became the first team other than the 1996-97 Crimson to go undefeated in the Ivies. Penn's five-game lead at season's end is the largest in league history.

For the first six minutes of the game and the final 40 seconds, Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith deployed a lineup consisting of Peljto and the four seniors--Kowal, Carrie Larkworthy, and co-captains Kristen Boike and Melissa Johnson.

It took a late surge by Peljto at the end of game to make the margin of victory wide enough for the bench to be emptied at the end. Dartmouth rallied on the strength of a trio of three-pointers from tri-captain Samantha Berdinka to pull within five with five minutes left.

Peljto responded by scoring all eight of Harvard's points over the next two minutes. She was unstoppable inside as Harvard built an insurmountable 68-57 lead.

Peljto's performance on the day--18 second-half points, 9-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line--assured her a second-place finish in the Ivy scoring race. Dartmouth center Katherine Hanks had come close to overtaking Peljto in the first half, but came up short.

"Hana is on her way to a great career because she is multi-dimensional," Delaney-Smith said. "You can't stop her."

Hanks scored 18 to lead her team. Those points included a three-point shot from just inside half-court as the first-half buzzer sounded.

Junior forward Katie Gates was Harvard's next leading-scorer off the bench, scoring 15 points including four threes, all of which came at key moments of the game. Had she connected on some feeds underneath from junior guard Jenn Monti, she would have achieved a career-high point total.

Monti, meanwhile, had a game-best eight assists.

The Crimson shot 9-of-20 from three-point range. Two of the biggest treys came from junior guard Laura Barnard, who hit back-to-back threes for the Crimson to turn a 24-22 deficit into a 28-24 lead. Harvard would never trail for the rest of the night.

Out of 12 players who took the court for Harvard, the only four who failed to make the scoreboard were the seniors.

"Our senior class has had a rocky road," Delaney-Smith said. "They were certainly not short on effort this year."

Out of the senior class, there was great uncertainty as to whether Johnson, Kowal, and Larkworthy would return from injuries, which is why the Crimson carried 16 players on its roster this year.

"They were all able to turn it around and contribute this year," Delaney-Smith said.

Kowal, the Crimson's starting guard alongside Monti for most of the season, earned five assists in her final game. It has been a long road back for Kowal, who was diagnosed with a twisted vertebrae her sophomore year. Just a year ago, her status was uncertain.

"I went into this summer knowing I wanted to make a difference, so I gave everything I had," Kowal said. "It was tough sophomore year when I didn't know what was wrong and whether I'd be able to play again. But for all of us this was a great season."

Boike began the evening's festivities by singing the national anthem and finished off the night holding onto the ball as the clock ran out.

"She was a walk-on, a role player who got elected captain," Delaney-Smith said. "I think that's a statement about Kristen Boike and what kind of commitment she's made to this program."

As the seniors depart, Harvard can take comfort in the fact that the players who scored all 73 of the Crimson's points last night will be back next season. Penn, in contrast, will be losing its two leading scorers, Diana Caramanico and Erin Ladley. Next year's Ivy title is up for grabs, and the Crimson is poised to reclaim it.