Notebook: Peljto Out For Up To Six Weeks

Staten Island, N.Y.—Though the Harvard women’s basketball team defeated Wagner Thursday, the pain that the Crimson suffered at the hands of BC continues to worsen.

Junior Hana Peljto, Harvard’s primary scoring threat, was unavailable for the squad’s game against Seahawks on account of an injury sustained early in the first half against the Eagles.

“She sprained her MCL in the beginning of the Boston College second half,” said Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. “And she continued to play on it because she knew it would be her last game. She is one tough cookie, so she just kept playing on it.”

According to Smith, the doctors forecast that Peljto will need to be held out of competition for two to six weeks.

“She will not let it be six weeks,” Delaney-Smith said. “If they have to cut it off she’ll play on one leg. That’s the kind of kid she is.”

Like Butter

With star Peljto out of action, the Crimson spread the ball all over the court against Wagner, dramatically reshaping its attack.

While Peljto normally takes up playing time and accounts for a large portion of Harvard’s scoring, her injury has forced Delaney-Smith to test the depth of her bench.

Against the Seahawks, all 11 of the Crimson’s healthy cagers took to the hardwood, with 10 players attempting at least one field goal and nine players scoring at least once.

“I think it’s probably because when Hana’s in there we rely on her,” Delaney-Smith said when asked about the Crimson’s distribution of the ball. “We passed the ball a little bit better and we had more assists.”

The changes in the Crimson offense were not entirely related to Peljto’s injury. Recently, the squad has made efforts in practice to diversify the offensive attack.

“It wasn’t necessarily because Hana was out,” sophomore Rochelle Bell said. “But we made some steps in the past couple of days to play more as a unit. Everyone feels more confident when we get more touches.”

Everything Can Change In A New York Minute

With 9:44 remaining in the second half, the Crimson led by 10 points and was coasting comfortably.

One minute later the lead had been whittled down to three.

In the interim, Harvard had committed two fouls and surrendered four successful shots from the charity stripe.

Wagner had knocked down a three-pointer.

The Crimson had turned the ball over three times----and attempted zero shots.

“One problem was our rebounding,” Bell said. “And another was we didn’t get all the shooters. They were shooting real well from the three-point line and we just weren’t getting a hand up.”

The lead was never again extended beyond seven points and the stage was set for the dramatic finish.

--Crimson staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.