St. Joseph's Dumps Hoopsters, 58-44

Coach Carole Kleinfelder's ominous prediction about the women cagers' opening roadtrip has come true. The Crimson dropped its third straight to St. Joseph's, 58-44, Saturday in Pennsylvania.

Though the team played more confidently than it did in Friday's blow-out at Villanova, the Crimson could not keep up with the physical St. Joseph's squad. Led by freshman center Kate McPeak, who scored 15 points and snared six rebounds, the Hawks went up, 25-20, at the half and pushed and shoved their way home.

The refs did their best to control the war games, sending Harvard players to the foul line for 41 shots, but the Crimson converted on only 14 free throws.

When they were not wasting opportunities at the line, the hoopsters spent a lot of time throwing the ball away. A total of 35 turnovers reminded anyone who might have forgotten that the Crimson still needs to work on the basics.

Despite these discouraging statistics, some good news did emerge from Saturday's game. Karen Smith, who started and played most of the game with Elaine Holpuch in a double-center offense, tossed in 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Co-captain Caryn Curry also turned in a respectable performance, leading the team in scoring with 13.

Above all, the Crimson defense showed signs of coming together. The cagers shifted smoothly from a 1-2-2 zone to a tight man-to-man coverage that often confused the Hawks.

Defense, however, could not compensate for a lack of offensive rebounding. The Crimson forward line pulled down a meager 14, while the Hawks cleared 34. Surprisingly, height was not the difference. Like Harvard, St Joe's carries only one six-footer, but the Hawks consistently staked out better positions under the boards.

And in the end, tough boxing-out and not-so-subtle elbows carried St. Joseph's to the win.