W. Hoops Starts West Coast Road Trip With Win

SAN JOSE, Calif.—After getting into foul trouble early in the game, Harvard dominated the second half to defeat San Jose State (2-1), 75-61 on Friday afternoon at The Event Center to win the first game of its California road trip.

Led by captain Reka Cserny, the Crimson (3-0) outscored the Spartans 42-25 after the break to erase a 36-33 halftime deficit. The senior center—who had been struggling offensively—hit her first three-pointer of the year to give Harvard a 51-45 lead with 13:53 left.

Stifled by the Crimson’s strong defense, San Jose State would never trim the lead to less than four points for the remainder of the game.

Senior guard Katie Murphy sparked the defensive effort, with four of her six steals coming down the stretch. Harvard held the Spartans to a 28.6 percent field goal percentage in the second half—including a meager 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.

With San Jose State’s offense sputtering in the last 20 minutes, Cserny and the Crimson attack took over. The center—who scored 18 of her 22 points in the final period—fired off nine straight points to key an early second-half run that gave Harvard a solid lead over the Spartans.

Junior forward Maureen McCaffery then drained a wide-open three-pointer to give the Crimson a 67-55 lead—ending any hopes of a San Jose State rally. Harvard never looked back, coasting to a 14-point win.

The Crimson’s win came despite a plethora of early fouls. Two starters—Cserny and junior forward Kate Mannering—were limited to less than 25 minutes due to their foul trouble.

But Harvard’s defense kept it in the game, forcing the Spartans to turn the ball over 25 times.

The Crimson helped itself with a great performance at the free-throw line, hitting 25-of-32 on the night for 78.1 percent shooting, its best showing on the season. Cserny and senior point guard Jessica Holsey both went 7-of-8 from the line.

Holsey—coming off a career night against Rhode Island on Tuesday—also made four shots from the field to finish with 15 points. Murphy chipped in on offense as well, dishing out a career-high seven assists to complement her stellar defensive effort.