COMEBACK GAME OF THE YEAR: 22-Point Comeback Stuns Princeton

There exists an inexplicable force in sports, a mysterious element that can be sensed by players and fans alike. Every so often, an enigmatic situation or occurrence drastically changes a contest, and no one knows what exactly happened. The force was present when Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner was stricken by the “Curse of the Bambino,” botching a ground ball during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. It was there when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLIII, ruining the Patriots’ undefeated season. In these situations, rational explanations rarely suffice.

The force struck again on the night of Feb. 20 at Lavietes Pavilion. The Harvard women’s basketball team faced Princeton in a must-win game to keep the Crimson in the running for the Ivy League title. While Harvard’s 54-50 win might appear mildly interesting in the box score, attendants of the game know it to be one of the most remarkable comebacks that any Crimson team orchestrated throughout the year.

It was around 8:00 pm that the Harvard players began walking sullenly into their locker room after some of their sloppiest play of the season. Princeton was up, 34-15, at halftime, cushioned not only by its convincing lead but by the disheartened faces of the home team and its fans. In the first eight minutes of play, the Crimson had put just two points on the board. Meanwhile, the Tigers were slashing to the basket and comfortable from beyond the arc.

“It may have been the worst half of basketball in my 27 years,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said after the game. “Princeton was laughing at us.”

One can give various technical reasons for the Crimson’s atrocious opening half—sluggish rotations and adjustments on defense, rushed shots on offense, or failing to make the extra pass. It is not as easy to explain, however, why Harvard re-emerged from its locker room with a confident swagger, or why every shot during its halftime warm-ups fell cleanly into the goal. Whatever Delaney-Smith said to her squad, it somehow conjured the force in them.

“We fell apart in the first half, rallied at halftime,” sophomore forward Jackie Alemany said. “We made certain goals to reach at certain times, and through tough defense and with Princeton getting lazy and arrogant, we shut down their offense and made smart decisions on [our own] offense.”

That said, something intangible was different from the minutes before. It was as if the first half was simply a distant memory.

Harvard outscored Princeton, 39-16, in the final frame, receiving contributions from nine out of the 10 Crimson players on the roster. The reversal of fortune began immediately, as co-captain Emily Tay, sophomore Emma Markley, and freshman Brogan Berry attacked the basket and chipped away at Princeton’s lead. The Tigers fell out of sync, hitting only one field goal in the first eight minutes of the second half.

“We actually ran our system,” Delaney-Smith said. “We were less frantic. We were balanced and we were stronger and we had team play versus everybody trying to go one-on-one.”

Harvard took a 40-39 lead with five minutes remaining in regulation, giving Princeton a much-needed wakeup call. Both teams rained down shots on each other, trading jumpers and lead changes in the final minutes. With just 54 seconds left, Princeton guard Addie Micir hit a trey to tie the game at 50. The next trip up the floor, Berry dished to Markley, who absorbed contact and finished with a strong layup. Lavietes erupted—hope had become reality, and victory was in the air.

With under 30 seconds to go, Princeton squandered its last chance when guard Jessica Berry missed a crucial jumper. Markley grabbed the board and was fouled, then connected on two free throws with nine seconds remaining. The pair proved to be the dagger.

A joyous, electrified home crowd was at its feet, basking in glory and blissfully unconcerned with explaining what it had just witnessed.

“That was just…an awesome game, awesome win,” Markley said.

The comeback win cannot be fully replicated by report. Like in many famous contests, some moments cannot be fully understood by those who weren’t there. Sports fans live for such games and such moments, experiences that elude capture by words.

—Staff writer Justin W. White can be reached at jwwhite@fas.harvard.edu.