W. Cagers Look for a Share of Ivy Lead

These days, the Harvard women's basketball team couldn't be happier.

Second only to the Brown Bears in Ancient Eight standings, the Crimson (10-11, 7-2 Ivy) travels to New York this weekend to take on league doormats. Columbia (4-18, 1-9 Ivy) and Cornell (7-15, 3-7 Ivy).

And if everything goes Harvard's way, the squad could return to Cambridge with a share of first place.

Two events must occur for this to become reality.

First, the Crimson must defeat both the Lions and the Big Red--two relatively simple tasks, seeing that Harvard easily bested both teams earlier in the season.

Second, Brown must lose to either Princeton or Pennsylvania, which is extremely plausible since the Tigers and the Quakers are both talented teams, hungry to knock off the first-place Bears.

The one thing that Harvard must guard against is a letdown coming off an exhilarating two-point overtime victory over Princeton last Saturday.

But Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith isn't thinking about that possibility.

"There's no way--that's not possible with his group of people," Delaney Smith said. "We've gotten this far entirely on attitude--everyone has a great attitude."

Lowly Lions, Struggling Big Red

Harvard successfully muzzled the Lions in their previous encounter at Briggs Cage, but Columbia did manage to deliver a respectable performance during that contest, capitalizing on the Crimson's poor defense and lack of offensive flow.

That game provided the stage for Kerry Lunz to burn Harvard with her surprising red-shot shooting.

Tonight, the Crimson must stay focused on its game plan--strong defense, consistent rebounding and intelligent offense.

"We just have to play our game," Delaney Smith said. "We get into trouble when we get away from our offense or if we play lousy defense."

During the second half of the season, Lunz has developed into one of Columbia's best players, leading her squad in scoring with 10.2 ppg. Freshman Daria Brown continues to be the team's high rebounder with 8.3 rpg.

Harvard will be more than confident when it faces Cornell tomorrow evening at the Alberding Field House.

In their previous contest, the Crimson led the whole way, walking all over the Big Red 81-69.

Junior Marie Watson dominates Cornell's game, leading the squad in both scoring and rebounding (104 ppg, 7 rpg). Co-Captain Liz Caracciolo has also contributed heftily in the Big Red effort.

But their presence will not be enough to pull off the upset.

Crimson Power

With each succeeding game, the Crimson has improved remarkably, both individually and as a collective unit. Player of the Week Erin Maher continues to lead the league in points scored with 18.0 ppg, while junior Debbie Flandermeyer is second in the Ivies in both scoring and rebounding (16.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg).

And freshman Nikole Cronk was named to the Rookie of the Week honor roll for her contributions in last weekend's triumphs over Penn and Princeton.

With plenty of weapons in her armory, Delaney Smith is confident of her team's ability to win. But she stresses the need to "expect the unexpected."

"Teams usually play at a higher level when they come against us because we're near the top of the league, and we have been at the top for six or seven years now," Delaney Smith said. "We have to watch out for these athletic teams that have nothing to lose."