U Mass Pressure Beats Crimson; Crimson Drops Sixth Straight

The Harvard women's basketball chalk can chalk this one up to inexperience.

A plethora of mistakes and another lackluster shooting performance combined to give the Crimson its sixth consecutive loss, a 74-57 decision at the hands of the University of Massachusetts at Curry Hicks Cage in Amherst yesterday.

The loss drops the Crimson's overall record to 6-9. Harvard remains 1-3 in Ivy League play.

The squad has relied all season on the performance of its younger players, especially its six freshmen.

The Crimson got off to great start early in the season, but a series of away games and tough Ivy opponents has derailed the Harvard squad. Coming off a three-win season, Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith has given her first-year players the opportunity to shine in pressure situations.

But even very talented freshman sometimes lose their poise under pressure.

The Minutemen were able to exploit Harvard's inexperience, applying a full court press that broke down the Crimson attack.

"They pressed us the whole game," said Co-Captain Anna Collins. "I don't think we handled the pressure well."

Collins cited the Minutemen's greater experience as the deciding element in the contest.

"They're a very experienced, good team," said Collins. "I don't think that they're a better team than us, we just made more mistakes."

Co-Captain Wendy Joseph voiced similar sentiments.

"We played pretty well," said Joseph. "But those mistakes really did hurt us."

"We didn't play awful," added Collins. "We just could have played better."

The Crimson trailed by only 10 at the half (38-28) and remained very much in the game until a dismal five-minute stretch midway in the second hall when Harvard failed to score and committed costly fouls and turnovers.

From that point, Umass took control of the ballgame.

The Crimson's Barb Ketter, Sharon Hayes and Beth Chandler all freshmen--fouled out late in the second half.

Harvard once again had trouble shooting, hitting only 38.6 percent from the field and 52 percent from the line, compared to the Minutemen's 39.0 and 66.7 marks, respectively.

Keffer was the Crimson's high scorer with 14 points. She was followed by Hanya Bluestone (10 points). Joseph (eight), and Chandler (six).

Juanita Matthews of Massachusetts was the game's high scorer with 20 points.

Despite the loss, the team remains optimistic. "We definitely went into this game as the underdog," said Joseph. "I don't think the loss will affect us."

The Crimson's next opportunity to end its six-game slump comes this Saturday night at Briggs Athletic Center, when Harvard plays host to Tufts.

"We're looking forward to it," said Joseph. "We'll be ready for Tufts."

The club will have an opportunity to improve upon its league record the next weekend, when it visits Yale and defending Ivy champion Brown on successive nights.

The Crimson might have the talent to beat the Elis and Bruins, but the bigger question is whether it has the experience.