Crimson Hopes To Split League Title

With redemption comes a crown.

The Harvard women’s basketball (19-8, 11-2 Ivy) will seek to avenge an early season loss tonight in Hanover, N.H., as it plays division rival and current league-leader Dartmouth (17-10, 12-1 Ivy).

If the Crimson wins, it will share its 12th division title with the Big Green, forcing a decisive game later this week between the two teams to determine who will receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The last time the two teams met, Harvard could not pull off a comeback, getting to within three points in the final 25 seconds, only to eventual fall 59-55. Freshman Brogan Berry led the Crimson with a career-high 20 points, but it was not enough to overcome Dartmouth’s stifling defense that kept high-scoring sophomore Emma Markley in check. The Big Green is the leading defensive presence in the league, keeping opponents to a mere 46.8 points per game.

“I think Dartmouth is a really well coached team,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “They are an athletic team, and their defensive statistics are better than ours. We are not known for defense, we are known for offense. Of late we are playing good defense, so hopefully we can put both of those ends of the court together.”

Harvard has been dominant all season with its run-and-gun offensive system. The Crimson is an offensive powerhouse, averaging 69.5 points per game. However, Harvard will need a solid performance all around to keep Dartmouth at bay.

“I think it will come down to playing strong defense, boxing out, all those simple little things we need to do,” Berry said. “We just need to come out with more energy than they do. We’ve had a couple slow starts this year, so [we need to] come out strong, and keep our intensity up.”

Saturday night’s game against Yale highlighted the Crimson’s scoring ability. Harvard bulldozed the Bulldogs in a crushing 91-57 win, which included a 34-point contribution from co-captain Emily Tay.

Dartmouth is also going into tonight’s tense encounter hot after the Big Green easily took care of Brown with a dominant 64-43 win. Sophomore Brittney Smith led Dartmouth with a 20-point, 11-rebound performance, and will be one player the Crimson will need to stop. The last time the two teams met, Smith put on a clinic with 18 points and 11 rebounds. She will be seeking to secure Dartmouth its 17th division title and a tournament berth.

Harvard seems to have history on its side, but recent encounters have proven that the Crimson will not have it easy. Harvard leads the series 35-29, though it has only won one game in the last four meetings. Two of the last three at Leede Arena, however, have gone in the Crimson’s favor. Harvard is undefeated on the road against Ivy League opponents this year, and it hopes to keep that streak going in order to extend its season.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us,” co-captain Niki Finelli said Saturday night. “Dartmouth is a very dangerous team and we have to respect them completely. But I think right now we just have to carry this momentum that we have, and really play Harvard basketball and just get that good feel back and that flow back and good things will happen for us.”

If the Crimson forces a playoff game, it will be the second consecutive year that the team will have competed in a league playoff. Harvard is also a win away from their ninth 20-win season and the second league title three-peat in school history.

It’s now or never for the Crimson, and the pressures of a championship will determine just how great this season can be for Tay and her team.

“We are really excited to play them, and we’re just happy we have the chance to get a piece of the championship,” Tay said.