Women's Basketball Gets Even With Big Green

On paper, Harvard’s win over Ivy League rival Dartmouth Saturday night looked more like a junior varsity high school matchup than a contest between what have been the league’s top two squads for the past decade. The Crimson turned the ball over 24 times, tied a season low for points scored, and saw only one starter reach double figures.

But on a night when Harvard turned in by far its best defensive effort of the season, it was enough. The Crimson (8-8, 1-1 Ivy) held the Big Green (4-12, 1-1) to just 34 points on 24 percent shooting from the field in a 47-34 victory at Leede Arena in Hanover, N.H.

Three weeks after watching Dartmouth celebrate its victory in the Ivy opener between these two teams at Lavietes Pavilion, Harvard knew that it would again have its work cut out for it in Hanover. The Crimson had fallen behind early in the first half in the opener, but did not have to play catch-up again in the rematch. With 3:59 to play in the opening frame, a Lindsay Hallion layup gave Harvard a lead that it would not relinquish again.

Beyond establishing a lead early, stopping Dartmouth guards Koren Schram and Kristen Craft needed to be a priority for Harvard. In the Big Green win, Schram and Craft chipped in with timely shots from long range whenever the Crimson seemed to be gaining momentum—Craft’s three-pointer, which came with 2:37 to play in the game and pushed Dartmouth’s lead to three, was the most memorable back-breaker. This time around, Harvard held Craft scoreless in her 22 minutes of play. Schram managed just four points and shot 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.

On a lackluster shooting night for the Crimson starters—Hallion and juniors Katie Rollins and Niki Finelli combined for just 10 points—freshman forward Emma Markley had a breakout game for Harvard. The rookie scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just 15 minutes of action.

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