W. Cagers Triumph

Just one, baby, one.

The Harvard women's basketball team reduced its magic number to clinch the 1988 Ivy League championship to one last night at Briggs Cage with a 68-56 conquest of Yale.

The victory over the Bulldogs combined with Dartmouth's 76-47 demolition of Brown kept the Crimson (20-4, 11-1 Ivy) one game up on the Big Green in the Ivy League standings with only two games left in the season. Tuesday night's matchup between the two top teams at Briggs Cage could decide whether the Crimson will win the title outright or share it with red-hot Dartmouth.

Harvard's junior forward Sarah Duncan was the engine behind the big Crimson machine last night--her aggressive play resulted in 14 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots.

However, it was the Crimson's balanced lineup which has to get credit for the hard-fought victory. The hesitancy which hurt the team last weekend against Princeton was nowhere to be found against the Bulldogs.

"We had great ball movement tonight," Harvard Tri-Captain Sharon Hayes said. "Everyone was hitting the open man consistently."

With her team leading, 21-18, in the first half, Duncan sparked Harvard's 10-0 run over a four minute span with a pair of steals, a couple of buckets and some excellent defense on Yale's leading scorer, Randi Meberg.

Meberg finished the game with 12 points (six below her season average) on six of 16 shooting from the field. However, the Bulldog junior forward contributed a fantastic defensive performance on Hayes, limiting Harvard's career scoring leader to only six points in the last 30 minutes of the game, and boxing out well enough to allow Hayes only four rebounds all night.

Tonya Lawrence was Yale's star last night, scoring 25 points--most on power moves inside and offensive rebounds--and snaring 14 rebounds.

"Lawrence is a tough, gutsy kid inside," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said.

Lawrence was almost good enough to single-handedly beat the Crimson last night, as she led the Bulldogs on a 12-4 run at the beginning of the second half which cut Harvard's nine point halftime lead to one with 14 minutes left in the contest.

But Hayes came to life just when the Crimson needed a lift, hitting three baskets to help extend Harvard's lead to 55-48, and the Bulldogs were too tired to make another comeback.

"We handled their pressure well tonight," Hayes said, "and they were too tired in the end to hit the important shots."

Senior Nancy Cibotti played an excellentdefensive game and also added six points and fourrebounds.

"Nancy played incredibly well tonight," DelaneySmith said. "She's simply a great defensiveplayer."

The Crimson needed every bit of Cibotti'sdefensive genius to hold off Yale last night, buta win is a win, and one more will result inanother Ivy League banner at Briggs Cage. Harvardwill try to clinch at least a share of the titletonight against Brown.

Crimson, 68-56 at Briggs Cage

Yale  30-26--56Harvard  39-29--68

Yale [56]: Mary Spolyar 2-0--4; RandiMeberg 6-0--12; Tonya Lawrence 12-1--25; AnnePeacock 1-0--2; Paula Kenefick 4-3--11; BonnieCoutu 0-0--0; Celia Schutz 0-0--0; Karen Canavan1-0--2; Jemine Shell 0-0--0. Totals: 26-64 4-8 56.

Harvard [68]: Sharon Hayes 7-0--14:Sarah Duncan 6-1--14; Beth Chandler 3-1--7; BarbKeffer 5-0--11; Heidi Kosh 2-6--10; Mary Baldauf2-2--6; Nancy Cibotti 3-0--6; Melinda Nelson0-0--0. Total 28-69 10-13 68.

Three-pointers: Duncan, Keffer. Rebounds: Yale42 (Lawrence 14); Harvard 41 (Duncan 12). Assists:Yale 21 (Spolyar, Peacock 6); Harvard 14 (Kosh 4).Fouled out: Kenefick. Total fouls: Yale 17,Harvard 11. Technical fouls: Yale Asst. Coach SueJohnson. Turnovers: A: 100