Cagers Collide With Hungry Tigers

From now on, the games really matter.

For the Harvard women's basketball team (3-10, 0-1 Ivy), the only games that remain on their schedule are Ivy League contests.

And if the squad still holds any hopes to repeat as Ivy champs, they must forget about their current six game losing streak, not to mention the disturbing injury reports.

While tonight's return of sophomore forward Kim Seidel should give the Crimson an emotional lift, her presence definitely will not solve the team's substitution woes.

"We have no problem resting our inside players," Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "We really lack perimeter people. We have to find some way to rest our guards without taking them out of the game."

So with sophomore Katie Phillips and Co-Captain Heather Harris sitting out in civilian garb, the healthy players must overcome fatigue and carry the team until the injured return.

The test begins for Harvard this weekend as the team travels to Princeton to take on the Tigers (6-7, 1-0 Ivy) tonight at Jadwin Gym. Tomorrow evening, the road trip continues at the Palestra in Philadelphia, where the Crimson will battle Pennsylvania (3-9, 0-1 Ivy).

Tiger Tough

"Princeton will be incredibly tough," Delaney Smith said. "I think we have a natural rivalry. They're always out to get us."

The Tigers are a talented and experienced team. They have lost just one player from last season's Ivy League runner-up squad.

Princeton Co-Captain Corneille Burt, touted as one of the league's best forwards, leads the Tigers with 15.3 points and six rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Co-Captain Leah Sprargen is steady in her role as point guard, contributing 9.3 points per game.

The Young And the Restless

This year, Penn fields a young squad. The Quakers lost several players to graduation, including All-American Kirsten Brendel.

The attack is spearheaded by Co-Captain Dionne Anthon who led her team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals last season.

A notable addition to the Penn team is freshman Natasha Rezek, who snatched an impressive 17 rebounds in a recent game against Lafayette.

The results of this weekend's contests will be determined by the Crimson's ability to rest its key players. If Harvard can keep guards Maura Healy and Erin Maher fresh for the final minutes of both games, the team might come back to Cambridge with a couple of wins.

But if sophomore Kelly Morrison and freshman Nikole Cronk fail to produce, the number of minutes logged by Healy and Maher will rise considerably. Tired legs in a game's final moments lead to short shots, foolish fouls and disappointing losses.

Delaney Smith looks forward to both games, however, and has faith that she will soon discover the right rotation.

"I'm going in with an awful lot of confidence," Delaney Smith said.

Hopefully, confidence, grit and a little luck will bring the Crimson a much desired win.