Women's Basketball Leaps into First

On Friday, Cornell was the hot team of the 2007 Ivy season and was looking to prove that it belonged in the league championship conversation. Having won four league games without a loss, the Big Red seemed primed to turn last season’s surprise fourth-place finish into a serious run for the Ancient Eight crown.

But how quickly things change in the Ivy League. The next night, Cornell had not only suffered its first league setback—a 60-56 loss to Dartmouth Friday night—but also found itself watching the Crimson pass it by on the scoreboard and in the standings.

After taking care of business in a 65-36 rout at reeling Columbia—and noting the Big Red’s loss to Dartmouth, a team Harvard beat last month—the Crimson headed into Ithaca, N.Y., and leaped into a tie for first place with a 71-57 victory over Cornell.

After an 0-6 start to its season, Harvard (6-12, 4-1 Ivy) is finally asserting itself as one of the teams to beat in the Ivy League. And with Princeton, the league’s other 4-1 team, coming to Lavietes Pavilion next weekend, the Crimson will soon have another chance to prove that its preseason expectation of an Ivy title didn’t melt away in December.

“We’re finishing the first round of games and we’re tied for first place, so it’s a great position to be in,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “I’m very proud that given our non-conference record, where a lot of teams could have chucked it and lost confidence, they just stuck with it and worked really, really hard. This particular group’s reaction is something that demands my respect.”

HARVARD 71, CORNELL 57

Sophomore Emma Moretzsohn came off the bench to record 18 points and 13 rebounds in 12 minutes and help Harvard to a 71-57 statement win over Cornell.

The victory launched the Crimson into a first-place tie with Princeton atop the league standings.

Sophomores Emily Tay and Niki Finelli chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Harvard never trailed, building a 6-0 lead out of the gate and a 29-20 margin heading into the locker room.

“Coming out strong with buckets is a key thing for us,” Tay said. “In the beginning of the year, when we wouldn’t make shots, we’d lose confidence. Now, even when there’s a little momentum change for [our opponents], we feel like we have an answer for everything they do.”

With starting forward Katie Rollins sidelined with foul trouble, Moretzsohn stepped in to score 12 of her 18 points in the second half and help the Crimson sustain several Big Red comeback attempts.

“Emma is a work-in-progress and I think she knows that, but I think this game will be great for her confidence,” Delaney-Smith said of Moretzsohn. “But she’s had some really fine games for us all season.”

HARVARD 65, COLUMBIA 36

The Crimson put forth its best defensive effort of the season—holding Columbia to 36 points on 26 percent shooting from the field—to down a last-place Lions team desperate for its first league win.

Tay led a balanced attack for Harvard, contributing a solid all-around game with 12 points, six assists, and four steals. Senior Christiana Lackner added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Crimson.

A tough zone defense helped Harvard to a game-opening 16-3 lead and a 31-16 advantage at the break. The Crimson alternated man-to-man and different types of zone defenses, never allowing the Lions to find any kind of offensive rhythm.

“Our defense is playing together so much better now that we’re so many games into the season,” Tay said.

“When there were breakdowns, it was a team effort,” Delaney-Smith added. “We had good rotation, good help defense, and that’s probably what we were not able to do consistently in the past.”

—Staff writer Emily W. Cunningham can be reached at ecunning@fas.harvard.edu.