Unprepared Crimson No Match for Princeton

It is no easy feat for a basketball team to beat two opponents by double digits in the course of a week.

But it’s even harder to maintain that dominance and consistency heading into the next game. One week after soundly defeating Columbia and Cornell by 18 and 16 points, respectively, the Harvard women’s basketball team (11-7, 2-2 Ivy) traveled to Princeton, N.J., on Friday night, feeling confident as it took on the Tigers (16-2, 5-0 Ivy).

The momentum from the previous week failed to carry through, though, and the Crimson fell to Princeton, 74-53.

“I don’t know what it was,” said Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. “We practiced well all week, I felt like we were ready, and we started the game strong.”

What made the difference so stark was actually quite obvious: rebounding.

While the Crimson owned the glass against Columbia, which has the nation’s leading rebounder in Judie Lomax, Harvard was unable to control the boards against Princeton.

The failure to do so—the Crimson was out-rebounded, 55-39—ultimately made the difference between a win and a loss for Harvard.

“The rebounding between last week and this week was a complete 180-degree difference,” junior captain Christine Matera said. “Our biggest problem is our inconsistency with rebounding.”

Delaney-Smith was much more frank in her analysis of the loss.

“If [the players] want to lose games because of rebounding, then that’s up to them,” Delaney-Smith said. “As a coaching staff, we can no longer do any good. Rebounding is an attitude, not a skill, honestly. We’ve done technique work, we’ve done everything we can do. To lose such an important game when one of the large factors was rebounding is extremely disheartening, and the team knows that.”

The problems began piling on for the Crimson early on in the game when junior forward Emma Markley picked up two quick personal fouls.

The calls were questionable, but the damage was already done—Markley found herself on the bench for most of the first half, and Harvard, without a true inside threat, was unable to establish its presence down low.

“Obviously it is a setback with having Emma on the bench both offensively and defensively,” Matera said. “At the same time, we’re confident that whoever comes into the game will step up. Whether it’s Jackie [Alemany] or Claire [Wheeler], we just need someone to come in, step up, and play defense and rebound.”

The Tigers’ fast-paced tempo on offense and its knack for creating turnovers on the defensive end allowed them to take control in the first half, despite being down 10-4 early in the game. As a result, the Crimson, with Markley watching from the bench, began to break down offensively, going scoreless for over seven minutes late in the period.

“We started having breakdowns, and that’s what Princeton’s good at doing,” Delaney-Smith said. “You have to play the full 40 minutes against them. We were right there play-for-play, but then, all of a sudden, a breakdown happens, and we’re down by 10. We can’t recover from them.”

At halftime, Harvard had lost the hot shooting hand it had found just a week ago, making only 29 percent of its field goal attempts. Overall, the Crimson finished shooting just 28.4 percent from the field.

Harvard’s poor shooting did not seem to affect Matera, though, who went 4-for-5 from the field and 9-for-9 at the free throw line. “Miss Consistency” was also perfect from outside the arc in her 19-point performance, making both of her three-point attempts.

“Her consistency is even more admirable, given the fact that she’s also a captain for the team, and she’s worked really hard at being consistent with her leadership,” Delaney-Smith said. “[Matera] was tough, she shot well, and she was smart. She did a good job in the game.”

While Harvard was largely a one-woman show, Princeton had no difficulty distributing the ball among its players. By game’s end, four Tigers were in double digits. Most notable was sophomore guard Lauren Edwards, who finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

“[Princeton’s] definitely well-rounded,” Matera said. “They work hard to get boards. They also take the ball to the basket, and they have depth on the outside. Their point guard is doing everything to set every one of them up.”

The Crimson cut the Tigers’ lead to 10 in the second half after three-pointers from Berry and Matera, but in the end, Princeton’s consistency was simply too much for Harvard to handle.

—Staff writer Kevin T. Chen can be reached at ktchen@fas.harvard.edu.