W. Cagers Luckier Than the Irish In First Exhibition Contest, 70-62

The luck of the Irish was not enough last night, as Harvard's women's basketball team beat the Irish Senior women's team, 70-62, in an exhibition game at Briggs Cage.

Quick and aggressive, the Irish team tested the Crimson with a pressing defense throughout the game.

But Harvard was able to use its height advantage and crisp passing to break the Irish press.

"We hustled them and played the physical game we needed to," said sophomore forward Tammy Butler, who pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Harvard.

Confronted by the full-court press in the first half, Harvard struggled offensively at times, turning the ball over 17 times. But the Harvard offense eventually settled down and took control of the game.

"When we were really struggling, Cara Frey took control under pressure," said Assistant Coach Cindy Stewart.

Sharp-shooting Captains Erin Maher (5-for-7 from the field) and Debbie Flandermeyer (4-for-4) helped the Crimson convert most of its shots, and the team took a nine-point lead into halftime, 41-32.

In the half, Harvard shot a blazing 64 percent from the field, while the Irish sank a meager 38 percent of their shots.

"My shot was on in the first half, and that always gets you going," said Maher, who finished with 21 points.

Success in Second Half

The Irish fought back in the second half, drawing within three points, 54-51, after guard June Blount nailed a three-point shot with 8:47 left on the clock.

But Harvard's sophomore guard Nicole Crank responded within seconds with another triple to preserve the Crimson's lead.

The solid victory against a strong Irish team demonstrated that the Crimson are prepared to challenge again for an Ivy League title. Earlier this week, the Irish women crushed Yale, 71-48.

"I don't believe that any team in the League can play us up that tight," said Assistant Coach Cindy Stewart '79. "I think we have a good shot at beating Brown, and the team believes they can do it."

Last year, Brown defeated Harvard in the last weekend of the season to win the Ivy title. The Crimson finished second, but Harvard players are hoping to write a different ending in the 1992-93 season.

"We're really deep this year, the freshmen are great, and that's going to help us a lot in the Ivies," said Maher.

"We're gonna beat Brown twice," Butler said with a smile.

THE NOTEBOOK: After her torrid first half, Flandermeyer finished the game with 12 points...The Irish were led by forward Jillian Hayes, who had 13 points and ten rebounds...The Crimson held the Irish to 35 percent shooting from the field for the game...Stewart and Assistant Trisha Brown handled the coaching duties when a death in the family forced Head Coach Kathy Delaney Smith to miss the game...Harvard finished with 28 turnovers in the contest, but compensated by adding 22 assists.