W. Cagers Cool Cats, 73-70

The Harvard women's basketball team extended its winning streak to three games with a 73-70 victory over Vermont Saturday at Briggs Cage.

"We played very well. The game was not as close as the score might indicate," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "We consistently outplayed them although they came back at various stages in the contest."

All five starters scored in double figures for the second game in a row as the Crimson weathered a late surge by the Cats en route to the victory. Harvard started the game with an 8-0 run in the first two minutes, setting the tempo for the rest of the half. The Crimson extended its lead to 13-2, but a furious Vermont comeback put the Cats on top, 20-17.

"Our new defensive system wasn't working as well as usual," said Co-Captain Jody Fink, who led the team in scoring with 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting.

But sophomore guard Maura Healey's bomb from three-point range pulled the Crimson back even, 20-20. Carried by strong rebounding and excellent movement off missed Vermont shots, the Crimson went into the locker room at halftime with a slim 32-30 advantage.

"Our transition game was effective," Co-Captain Beth Wambach said. "[Vermont] played tight man-to-man defense, especially on the perimeter, but we were able to get the ball inside to our forwards Jody and Sandy [Springer]."

The Crimson's effective inside play was complemented by excellent passing by the trio of Jen Mazanec, Wambach and Healey, who dished out a combined 18 assists.

"We have been focusing on making good decisions in executing the offense in general and in transition in particular," Wambach said.

Despite subpar shooting, the Crimson played excellent defense, boxed out and held Vermont to only one shot on most possessions. The Cats mounted a series of surges in the second half but sophomore guard Erin Maher's three-point bomb and a key bucket by Springer in the waning minutes slammed the door on the Cats.

The combinations of balanced scoring and a strong contribution from the bench helped Harvard outlast Vermont, despite a UVM bucket with four seconds remaining in the game.

"It was a good win for us, even though several of Vermont's starters were injured," Springer said. "Teamwork is key to out game, and today we showed a continuity that I haven't seen before."

"We turned the ball over less than we usually do [23 turnovers]," Delaney Smith added, "and we took some good shots that just wouldn't fall. But we shot very well from three-point range."

The Crimson made a torrid 45 percent of its three-point attempts and outmuscled Vermont, 43-39, on the boards.

Crimson, 73-70 at Briggs Cage Vermont  30-40--70 HARVARD  32-41--73

VERMONT (70): Krista Jewett 1-0--2; Kristen Shaeffer 10-4--24; Lisa Cote 4-4--12; Missy Kelson 9-2--21; Jennifer Niebling 1-0--2; Sue Marsland 1-0--2; Bridgett Conry 0-2--2; Maureen McCarthy 2-0--4; Cindy Czerniakowski 0-1--1.

Totals: 28-68 13-19 70

HARVARD (73): Jody Fink 6-1--13; Jen Mazanec 4-2--10; Sandy Springer 5-0--10; Maura Healey 5-0--12; Beth Wambach 4-3--12; Dina Hadrick 3-0--6; Heather Harris 0-0--0; Erin Maher 3-0--8; Betsy Odita 0-0--0; Debbie Flandermeyer 1-0--2.

Totals: 31-66 6-9 73

Three-pointers: Kelson; Healey 2, Maher 2, Wambach. Rebounds: Vermont 39 (Cote 10); Harvard 43 (Springer 13). Assists: Vermont 16 (Kelson, Marsland 4); Harvard 22 (Healey 7). Steals: Vermont 11 (Kelson 5); Harvard 6 (Wambach, Hadrick 2). Blocked Shots: Vermont 0; Harvard 2 (Mazanec, Springer). Total fouls: Vermont 10, Harvard 16. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: Vermont 13, Harvard 23.

Attendance: 230.