Crimson Kicks Off Year With Pair of Tournament Losses

A last-minute charge by the Harvard women’s basketball team fell just short Sunday afternoon, when co-captain Brogan Berry and sophomore guard Christine Clark brought their team back to within one point after trailing, 69-60. But the Crimson (0-2) was unable to convert on its final possession and fell, 69-68, to Butler (1-1) at the KCRG-TV 9 Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa.

It was the second of two games this weekend for the Harvard women, who fell to a highly touted University of Iowa team after holding a commanding first-half lead in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday night.

“It was a disappointing weekend for us overall,” Berry said, “but hopefully it will serve as a catalyst to raise the bar higher for ourselves the rest of the season.”

BUTLER 69, HARVARD 68

Harvard may have been feeling the aftereffects of its game the previous night, for the team was slow to get going in the first half.

“I thought we started the game really poorly,” Crimson coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said.

The two sides traded baskets for much of the half before the Bulldogs—led by freshman forward Haley Howard’s 13 first half points—pulled ahead, 34-26.

Co-captain Lindsay Louie stemmed the run with a bucket, and Berry, who led the Crimson with 11 first-half points and 18 on the day, added a three-pointer to bring Harvard within three.

But Butler continued to pull away before Berry hit another three at the buzzer to send the Crimson into the locker room down, 42-36.

“Poor defense, poor shooting, no offensive connection,” said Smith of the team’s first-half performance.

Harvard scored the first six points of the second half to tie the score at 42, but the Bulldogs responded swiftly with a 12-0 run.

The Crimson clawed their way back and a put-back from sophomore center Elise Gordon brought Harvard within one, 55-54, with just under 10 minutes to play.

After trading a few buckets, Butler poured in nine straight points to take a 69-60 lead with 1:34 to play.

Clark took over for the Crimson at that point, scoring five of her 15 second half points to bring Harvard within four. Berry drained a three with 25 seconds left, cutting the deficit to one.

The Bulldogs missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12 seconds remaining, and Harvard pulled down the rebound. The stage was set for a comeback victory, but the Crimson was unable to get off a last-second shot, and Butler walked off with the win.

“It was a game that should have been ours,” Berry said.

IOWA 90, HARVARD 81

A career high 28-point performance from sophomore guard Christine Clark wasn’t enough to carry Harvard to a season-opening victory on Saturday night.

After a dominant first-half performance in which the Crimson led by as many as 14, a second-half charge by Iowa (1-1) put Harvard in an insurmountable hole, and it fell to the Hawkeyes, 90-81, in the opening round of the Hawkeye Challenge.

The Hawkeyes returned four starters from a squad that made its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament last spring. Add to that the 11th-ranked recruiting class in the country, and Iowa was clearly a formidable opponent to begin the Crimson’s year.

The Ivy League representatives gained an early 9-5 advantage, thanks to a three-pointer from junior forward Miriam Rutzen and a pair of buckets from Clark. The Hawkeyes knotted the score at nine before Harvard exploded on a 19-5 run.

A second three from Rutzen, a traditional three-point play from Clark, and buckets from sophomore guard/forward Missy Mullins and Berry helped catapult the Crimson to a 28-14 advantage 10 minutes into the first half.

The Hawkeyes cut the lead to eight before Clark connected on a three to put Harvard up, 33-22. Iowa chipped away from that point forward; they trailed, 40-37, at the break after scoring the last six points of the half.

Iowa capitalized on a few Harvard turnovers right out of the break. The two sides traded baskets for much of the half, and the score was tied at 55 with just over 11 minutes to play.

But the Hawkeyes were stronger down the stretch. Led by junior guard Jaime Printy, who put in 24 points, Iowa opened up a 10-point lead.

Clark stopped the bleeding with back-to-back buckets, and the Crimson was down, 75-68, with 4:30 to play. But the Hawkeyes held strong, and Harvard couldn’t muster a comeback.

“I was pretty happy with everything we did. We just didn’t end up with the win,” Delanie-Smith said.

It was a career day for Mullins, who dropped 12 points. Clark also tied her career-high, pouring in 28 points.