Women's Basketball Drops Season-opener for Third Straight Year

Sometimes in basketball, there is nothing a team can do to slow down an opponent’s offense as it watches each shot fall through the basket, one after another.

Such was the case for the Harvard women’s basketball team on Friday night in Chicago.

Propelled by sharpshooting guards who knocked down 11 first-half three pointers, DePaul (2-0, 0-0 Big East) handed the Crimson (0-1, 0-0 Ivy) its first loss of the season, 99-75, in the first round of the DePaul Maggie Dixon Classic.

“We are a little disappointed,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “We are capable of much better.”

Trailing from the beginning of the game, the Crimson was able to keep the deficit manageable for most of the first half.  But with less than seven minutes left in the first frame, the Blue Demons went on a scoring surge, tallying 16 points in less than four minutes to extend their lead to an insurmountable 25 points. Junior guard Megan Rogowski led the charge for DePaul during this onslaught, knocking down three of her four treys within four minutes.

Harvard was unable to slow down the Blue Demons’ offense before the game was out of reach. Led by senior forward Jasmine Penny’s 15 first-half points, DePaul managed to amass 61 points in the first 20 minutes of the contest.

Penny was not the only player that DePaul relied on for scoring. Five Blue Demons registered double-digit points during the tilt. This balance also extended to beyond the arc, as six players converted from three-point land, including a team high four from Rogowski.

The Blue Demons had an imbalanced shot selection over the first 20 minutes. The team took five more three-point shots than two-pointers in the first half. But DePaul was able to shoot over 47 percent from beyond the arc, making the three-point heavy offensive attack effective.

“We knew they were going to run and shoot threes quickly,” Delaney-Smith said. “We thought we were ready for that, but we didn’t start well.”

With the Blue Demons’ lead over 30 for most of the second half, the Crimson managed to rally towards the conclusion of the game. The team ended the game on an 11-4 run to cut the final deficit to 24 points.

This is the third straight opening game that Harvard has dropped. The squad last won its season debut against Maine in 2010.

Junior forward Erin McDonnell and sophomore forward AnnMarie Healy led the offense for Harvard, each registering 13 points in the contest. That mark is a career-high for Healy, who had not reached double-digit scoring with the Crimson during her freshman year.

“AnnMarie stepped up big,” Delaney-Smith said. “She played at a level we knew she could play at, but hadn’t been able to do so consistently. She brought it last night.”

Harvard did not experience the same success as DePaul from deep, shooting just 5-for-23 from beyond the arc in the contest. Senior guard Jasmine Evans and freshman guard Taylor Finley were each able to knock down two three-pointers apiece.

“Our performance from three against DePaul wasn’t indicative of how well we can perform,” junior guard Ali Curtis said. “In order to get good open threes, we have to move the ball around, reverse the ball, get everyone involved.”

Turnovers hindered the Crimson attack all night. The team turned the ball over 20 times over the course of the game, which led to 24 Blue Demons points.

“We knew that they were going to pressure us,” Delaney-Smith said. “That’s what they do…but they put us back on our heels unfortunately.”

DePaul also struggled with turnovers, losing possession 16 times in the game. But the Blue Demons were able to limit the damage, holding Harvard to only 10 points off turnovers in the contest.

Co-captain Christine Clark led the Crimson with four assists on the night, while senior combo guard Melissa Mullins grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in addition to her eight points.

Harvard never held the lead in this game. DePaul started off the game on a 12-1 run, capped by a layup from junior guard Megan Rogowoski. The Blue Demons did not look back from there.

“It was the season opener at their home court against a very good team,” said Delaney-Smith. “You don’t roll over and die from this. You look to the next game and learn from this one.”