It Couldn't Have Been a Better Finish

If ever there was a "feel-good" game, this was definitely it.

After a demoralizing loss to Brown on Saturday, the Harvard women's basketball team bounced back last night at Briggs Cage to steamroll the Big Green of Dartmouth.

And hasn't that been the story of the season? After each set-back, this squad has bounced back with a vengeance.

Picked at the start of the season to repeat as Ivy League champions, the Crimson suffered several key losses early on.

Season-ending injuries to Co-Captain Heather Harris and sophomore guard Katie Phillips put title dreams on hold.

Never Any Doubt

But Harvard never doubted itself. And with Coach Kathy Delaney Smith's revamped line-up, the Crimson overcame early losing streaks and nearly snatched the title away from Brown.

"For us to have been playing for the title on Saturday, despite our obstacles, means to me that we had a successful season." Delaney Smith said.

Last night, the Crimson seemed to follow some well-written script. Each player offered her trademark contribution to the outcome.

Like always, junior Debbie Flandermeyer crashed the boards and muscled her way inside for tough buckets.

And after a quiet first half offensively, Junior Erin Maher nailed three straight treys in the final minutes of the contest.

The squad as a whole came together well. It was a nice sight to see, indeed.

Perhaps the greatest sight was of the co-captains together on the court for one last hurrah.

Harris, despite her torn anterior cruciate ligament, surprised all by suiting up and starting for the Crimson.

The center played long enough to score two points on her patented jumper--a shot that could have carried the team to the Ivy title.

"Just to wear the uniform again was enough-but to be able to play was great," Harris said.

And this season's floor leader, senior Maura Healy, scored her final points and dished out the last assists of her collegiate career last night.

It was fitting that her final points were off a nifty lay-up coming after slicing through the lane. That's what Healy has done each time out for the past four years.

"I'll miss the kids--I'll miss my teammates a lot," Healy said. "But it's a great way to go out."

Next season's Crimson will definitely miss the leadership provided by Healy and Harris.

"Maura's a veteran player. She really leads by example," Maher said. "And Heather Harris is phenomenal. She's been an inspiration for me to play hard and to go for the title, since she couldn't do it herself."

Future Even Brighter

But despite the loss of the co-captains, Harvard will field an impressive squad next season.

"We have a phenomenal class of recruits," Delaney Smith said. "And the injuries have forced our freshmen and sophomores to improve their game."

Add to this youth the return of Flandermeyer and Maher and you've got yourself a powerhouse squad.

Both Flandermeyer and Maher are strong candidates for this year's Ivy League Player of the Year.

"If the Player of the Year isn't on my team, then I don't know how I'll handle it," Delaney Smith muttered.

This year was a sensational season that fell just short of the improbable. Next year-just imagine.