W. Hoops’ Threes Can’t Top Wildcats

Though a late rally put the fourteenth-seeded Harvard women’s basketball team within sight of victory, third-seeded Kansas State’s performance from the charity stripe proved what the Wildcats knew all along—there’s no place like home.

In a sea of 10,732 purple-clad Kansas State fans, the Crimson fell 79-69 to the No. 7 Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA East Regional in Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan. on March 23.

“For about five to 10 minutes right after the game we were, of course, a little disappointed, but I think that’s understandable,” said sophomore center Reka Cserny, who led all scorers with 25 points. “The game was so close and we believed so much that we could win. But after about 10 minutes, I think everyone was relieved, because we realized what a great game we played and how much we actually enjoyed it.”

“I’m very proud of my team,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “I think Kansas State is one of the best in the country. I would love to see them win it all.”

Despite Delaney-Smith’s wishes, the Wildcats’ season ended Tuesday when Notre Dame, the No. 11 seed, upset them 59-53 and snapped their 22-game home win streak.

Ignited by timely treys from junior forward Hana Peljto and captain Kate Ides, the Crimson chipped away at the Wildcats’ 19-point lead, knocking it down to just eight. However, Harvard’s success from behind the arc was not enough to counter Kansas State’s accuracy from the free-throw line and the Wildcats held on for the win.

“That is what the game is about. It is about the runs,” Peljto said. “So credit to Kansas State for hitting the big shot and having the composure to finish out the game, even with our big run.”

The Wildcats utilized one of the most impressive starting lineups in the nation—including Naismith Player of the Year finalists junior center Nicole Ohlde and sophomore forward Kendra Wecker—to build a 43-30 halftime lead. Kansas State’s advantage peaked at 58-39.

Cserny caused problems for the Wildcats, scoring 10 straight Harvard points and cutting the Crimson deficit to 60-47 with nine minutes remaining. Though the Wildcats’ imposing offense continued to push through Harvard’s defense, three-pointers from Peljto and junior forward Tricia Tubridy kept the Crimson within reach at 65-53 with 6:11 left.

“We have a lot of really good three-point shooters and late in the game a big three-point shot can really get the momentum going for you,” junior point guard Bev Moore said. “Pretty much everybody on our team has the green light to shoot the three anytime we get them.”

Harvard lost its most potent offensive weapon when Cserny fouled out with 5:56 remaining. Without her, the Crimson was forced to rely even further on perimeter shots.

Tubridy nailed a jumper and grabbed two tough rebounds, the second of which led to an Ides three that brought the score to 67-58 with just over four minutes left. The captain demonstrated further poise under pressure, hitting another three-pointer at 3:29, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to eight at 69-61 and capping an Harvard 11-5 run.

Kansas State called a timeout to regroup, but to no avail as it abruptly ended its next possession with a turnover.

The Crimson could not take advantage of the opportunity, though, as the next two minutes ticked down scoreless before the Wildcats ended the drought when Ohlde and sophomore guard Laurie Koehn drained three free throws, putting Kansas State’s advantage back into double-digits at 72-61 with under a minute to play.

“It felt like every time we got real close they would hit a big shot on us,” Peljto said.

Peljto contributed a hard-earned basket and Moore hit two threes, but the Wildcats turned to the charity stripe to put Harvard away.

The Crimson finished the game 11-of-31 from behind the arc, while the Wildcats hit 8-of-28.

“We probably overuse the three,” Delaney-Smith said. “That’s how we’ve played all year. We are a big three-point shooting team.”

While Peljto’s 15 points were well below her season average of 21.3, she grabbed eight rebounds and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.

“They doubled Hana in the paint whenever she got the ball, so she couldn’t make the moves she usually does,” Cserny said.

Despite being defended by six-footer Megan Mahoney, the 5’2 Moore put up 14 points, including 4-for-9 shooting from behind the arc. Moore coordinated Harvard’s offense while playing all 40 minutes.

Injuries to sophomore guard Rochelle Bell and freshman guard Jessica Holsey hampered the Crimson heading into the game. Holsey has been battling a subluxing right shoulder for much of the Ivy season, and her time on the floor last Sunday was limited to two minutes supported by a brace.

“While I was in the game, I was somewhat hesitant about reaching for the ball on defense,” Holsey said. “Other than that, I felt ready to play.”

Bell, Harvard’s starting shooting guard, has a history of ankle problems and injured her left ankle in practice the day before the game. She played in spite of the injury, but suffered another sprain—this one to her right ankle—while guarding Wecker in the second half. Though she had to be helped off the floor, Bell still tallied 27 minutes of playing time while making major contributions on defense.

“It hurt pretty bad at the time and the funny thing about adrenaline is that it can make you play when you really are in a lot of pain,” Bell said. “Thinking about the chance to upset this team and the desire to continue the season made me want to be back in there.”

Wecker led the Wildcats with 21 points, followed closely by Ohlde with 20. Wecker, who is also the Big 12 javelin champion and an Olympic hopeful in the event, further demonstrated her athleticism with nine rebounds and three steals.

Both the Wildcats and the Crimson return not only their entire starting lineups next year, but—with the exception of Ides—their entire rosters. However, Kansas State’s starters can already appreciate the benefits of experience, as Kansas natives Ohlde, Wecker and Koehn have been playing together since their AAU years.

Koehn tallied 17 points for the game, including four three-pointers. During the first half, her success from behind the arc was devastating for a Harvard team trying to double in the post. The Crimson did not use its usual 3-2 defense as much in the first half as in the second, a move that Delaney-Smith later regretted.

“[I was] thinking they run a 3-2 and I think they are very talented from the corners,” Delaney-Smith said. “It also leaves more stuff on the weak side block to either rebound or defend. It has a weakness and Ohlde and Wecker scared me on the weak side block and a lot of the shooters scared me in the corners. So we did not use that in the first half.”

—Staff writer Jessica T. Lee can be reached at lee45@fas.harvard.edu.