Hallion Shines in Win

The Harvard women’s basketball team felt right at home in its first game at Lavietes Pavilion last night, as co-captain Lindsay Hallion’s 22 points propelled the Crimson to a 75-60 victory over Siena (0-2, 0-0 MAAC).

The game was marked by Harvard’s sharp shooting. The Crimson (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) connected on 61.2 percent of its shots from the field, 45.5 percent of its three-pointers, and 90.9 percent of its attempts at the charity stripe.

“I loved the team balance in scoring. I thought our team shooting was great,” coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “I loved the distribution of shots. We’re a very good offensive team.”

No player was hotter than Hallion, who hit 9 of 13 shots from the floor, netting two three-pointers and converting both of her free throws.

“She was wonderful,” Delaney-Smith said. “It was only right and fitting that Lindsay had the game that she had. This is what Lindsay is capable of against a team we match up well with.”

Hallion saved her best for when the Crimson needed it most. When the Saints cut the lead to six with 14:23 left in the second half, Hallion answered by setting up junior center Emma Moretzsohn for an easy two as the shot clock wound down, then drove and dished to senior Adrian Budischak for a lay-up on the next possession. Hallion also hit the offensive glass to bang home a put-back less than a minute later.

“Our team is so balanced. We’ve got so many people that can score, that can get us shots,” Hallion said. “I was a little more open today and took a little more shots, but it was a really good team effort.”

Siena led the game early in the first half, as good shooting and an aggressive effort on the offensive glass guided the Saints to a 20-12 advantage with 9:35 to go in the first half. Harvard started the game up 6-2 but fell behind on a 18-6 Siena run over nine minutes in the opening frame.

The Saints notched nine offensive rebounds in the first half, keeping the ball out of the hands of the Crimson’s offense.

“It doesn’t mater how well you play on offense if you’re giving up five or six shots on the other end,” Hallion said.

“I really did not like our rebounding,” Delaney-Smith added. “It was better than it was in the James Madison game, but it’s not good. We’re not good. And it’s mental. It’s not even physical, it’s mental.”

From there, though, Harvard took control. The Crimson’s size and strength in the post—junior Liz Tindal, senior Adrian Budischak, junior Katie Rollins, and junior Emma Moretzsohn—kept Siena out of the post and left the Saints hoisting jump shots and three pointers.

“The big question marks about us are our defense,” Delaney-Smith said. “It started average and then we picked it up, and that’s how we got our run.”

The offense was sparked by three-pointers from co-captain Jessica Knox, Tindal, and Hallion. Over the final 9:35 of the first half, the Crimson outscored the Saints 26-4 to take a 38-24 lead into the break.

Despite the large lead, the second half provided some drama. Siena’s Melissa Manzer scored 11 straight Saints points to cut the lead to single digits at 49-41 with just over 15 minutes to play.

“The second half [our defense] was marginal. They were spreading us out, we were late in rotations,” Delaney-Smith said. “We were denying and lunging—it was up and down. That’s okay in the beginning of the year, but not for a veteran team it’s not.”

Despite the inconsistency on defense and trouble on the boards in the first half, Harvard iced its home opener on the strength of Hallion’s play and seven straight free throws to end the game.

“It’s a little bit of a weight lifted off our shoulders,” said Hallion of the team’s first win. “But we’re not satisfied with one.”

Delaney-Smith, however, was encouraged by the squad’s victory, especially because Harvard went winless in its first six games of last season and was just 2-11 during the non-conference stretch.

“We’re very happy. This feels funny. We didn’t do this last year,” Delaney-Smith said. “It’s absolutely great—I’m going to go have a lemonade. I’m going to go right out now and have a lemonade.”