Ivy Title on the Line for W. Hoopsters

Sorry, old Eli, but the ten thousand women of Harvard women's basketball have found a new classic rivalry.

And even though the Crimson's history with the Brown Bears started to get interesting just a few years ago, it has the potential to turn into something legendary.

This weekend marks the latest installment of both old and new rivalries, as Harvard travels to Yale and Brown.

While Yale (10-8 overall, 3-3 Ivy) has turned out a respectable but mediocre performance this season, Harvard (9-6, 5-0) and Brown (12-6, 6-0)--preseason favorites for the Ivy title--will meet to determine who really owns the league this year.

The scenario is exactly the same as last year, when Harvard and Brown, both undefeated, faced off in the Pizzitola Sports Center in early February.

Harvard lost, 76-71, in a "very close and very exciting game," Delaney Smith said.

But much to the delight of Ivy basketball fans, the Bears lost to a scrappy Dartmouth squad in its next contest, while the Crimson easily defeated Yale the same weekend. The race was on again, with Harvard and Brown still sharing the front running position.

The two teams met for the second time in the last game of the Ivy season with only one league loss each.

Brown won, 81-70, and clinched the 1991-92 Ivy League Championship.

But other than the consistently dominant performances of senior Co-Captains Debbie Flandermeyer (1992 First-team All Ivy honoree) and Erin Maher (1992 Ivy Player of the Year), things aren't exactly the same as last year. For instance:

February 1992--Elizabeth Proudfit is breaking records in Washington High School in Washington, Penn., Cara Frey is taking a year off, and Crimson forward Tammy Butler is having an impressive freshman season (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg).

February 1993--Harvard point guard "Buzz" Proudfit is wooing Crimson fans with her defensive moves and her fail-safe jump shot, Frey is back at Harvard, majoring in sociology and compiling a three-point percentage (.467) that's good enough to rank her 10th in the country, and Butler is having a truly amazing, ultra-astounding, cosmically blessed sophomore season, leading the Ivy League in scoring (16.4 ppg) and rebounding (12.4 rpg) and boasting the 8th highest rebounding average in the nation (12.2 rpg).

"This year's team would beat last year's by 25 points easily," Delaney Smith said.

While the Crimson is watering at the mouth at the thought of their dethroning the Bears, Harvard still has to focus on tonight's contest in New Haven.

"Yale runs a simple system--no surprises. They're very predictable," Delaney Smith said.

Pacing the Bulldogs are freshman point guard Kathleen Offer (a two-time Ivy Rookie of the Week) and sophomore Mary Kallch, who tied the school's single-game scoring mark of 33 points against Princeton.

"Right now I'm very happy and very confident," said Delaney Smith. "Hopefully, I'll be able to say the same thing Sunday afternoon."