W. Cagers Sweep Harvard Invite

The story of Kevin Costner's field of dreams in the movie of the same title was, "If you build it, they will come."

This weekend at the Harvard Invitational proved that the story of the Harvard women's basketball team's new and at-times befuddling offense is, "If you run it, and you have Allison Feaster, it will work."

Harvard rode Feaster to victory in winning its own tournament for the first time in 10 years, avenging last season's loss to Loyola (2-3) with a 69-57 win in yesterday's championship game. Harvard earned a trip to the finale by topping Norfolk State (0-7) by the same score on Saturday.

Feaster, who was named Tournament MVP, turned in a performance for the ages against Loyola, scoring a school-record 39 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. That scoring outburst came on the heels of Feaster's 30-point, 14-rebound effort against the Spartanettes.

"I wanted this really badly," Feaster said. "The fact that we lost to Maryland, that they beat Maryland, that they beat us last year and that they were very, very sure of a win all came into play."

Harvard 69, Loyola (Md.) 57

Although the Crimson's two weekend contests had identical final scores, Harvard played a much cleaner game against Loyola, the team after whom Harvard NORFOLK STATE  57 HARVARD  69

LOYOLA  57 HARVARD  69

Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith models her offense.

The Crimson jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game by doing what it had not done well yet this season--playing disciplined basketball, making the extra pass and running Delaney-Smith's new offense.

Feaster opened the game's scoring with a strong lay-in from the right side. Then, after a free throw by junior Rose Janowski put the Crimson up 3-0 and Harvard stopped Loyola on the other end, Janowski set up in the lane. When the defense collapsed on Janowski, it freed up Feaster, who set up at the top of the key and hit the first of her six three-pointers.

On the next offensive play, Feaster passed out of the post to Megan Basil on the weak side, and the point guard and co-captain canned the first of her three treys.

Harvard was 11-of-25 from beyond the arc, a remarkably high percentage this early in the season.

Defensively, Harvard's man defense was solid early on and forced the Greyhounds into some poor decisions. But Loyola Coach Pat Coyle called a timeout after the 9-0 run, and the Greyhounds settled down considerably to the tune of seven straight points.

Loyola's highly disciplined offense consists of running screens for shooters and playing a classic high-low game. When things break down, Coyle falls back on a triple-post offense that is similar to Harvard's.

The Greyhounds slowly clawed their way back into the game and finally took the lead at 16-14 on a three-pointer by Jennifer Bongard at 8:44 of the first half. The three was part of a 10-0 run by Loyola that put the Greyhounds up 21-14 with just over nine minutes to go.

"There were more defensive breakdowns than there should have been, given that we knew absolutely everything they were doing offensively," Delaney-Smith said.

But Feaster and her teammates were not going to let this game slip away as last year's matchup against Loyola did. With the Greyhound's up 23-16, Feaster hit two free throws to start an 11-0 run for the Crimson.

Junior Suzie Miller--who was named to the All-Tournament team--and senior Alison Seanor followed up the free throws by nailing a pair of three-pointers.

Seanor's trey came on a pass from sophomore forward Laela Sturdy, who's work in the high post is what freed up the perimeter. When Harvard runs its offense as it is designed, threes rain down in buckets as they did yesterday.

And when the outside shots are falling, it feeds back into the post game and helps Feaster and Janowski, who chipped in eight points.

"It's all about ball movement and not taking the quick shots," Delaney-Smith said.

The Crimson held a 32-29 lead at halftime, and the Greyhounds got as close as one point, 34-33 early in the second, before Harvard put them away.

Feaster got the party started when her three-pointer at 7:46 put Harvard up six, 47-41. The All-American's demonstrative reaction to the shot falling suggests that emotions were running high for Harvard and its co-captain.

The three began a 21-8 Harvard run in which Feaster hit four three pointers and scored 16 points. The last three gave Harvard a 65-49 lead with just over three minutes to go, and it was all she wrote for the Greyhounds.

Feaster's 39 points tops her previous career best by four and marks the fifth highest single-game scoring total in Ivy history.

Harvard 69, Norfolk State 57

In stark contrast to the Loyola matchup, Harvard's opening game against Norfolk State ain't got no alibi--it was ugly.

Harvard committed 21 turnovers, including five in the first six minutes, and the two teams shot a combined 44-of-131 (.336), but the Crimson settled down in the second half for a 69-57 victory over the Spartanettes.

Harvard opened the game with an uncharacteristic up-tempo style. The Crimson's first score came when Seanor jarred the ball loose on defense, leading to a fast-break bucket and a 2-0 Harvard lead. When Feaster extended the lead to 4-0 on a baseline lay-up, it looked like the Crimson would have its way.

But Norfolk State was not quite ready to die two minutes into the game. Although the Spartanettes' full-court press--which they employed from the opening minute--led to fast-break opportunities for the Crimson, it also led to indecision in the Crimson backcourt and disrupted Harvard's triple-post offense.

"We expected them to be really athletic, and we were disappointed with how we handled their pressure in the beginning," said Miller, who poured in a career-high 16 points. "We tried to beat them with 'run and gun,' which is their own game."

"I was not pleased with out play in the first half," Feaster said. "We were trying to win the easy way by playing a transition game more than running our offense."

Like most of the Crimson's opponents this year, the Spartanettes are an athletic bunch. They repeatedly beat Harvard players to loose balls, beat Harvard defenders on baseline moves and beat Harvard down court on fast breaks. Close to one quarter of the Spartanettes' points came off Harvard turnovers.

"I think we didn't respect them at all," Delaney-Smith said. "They beat us to deflected balls, to deflected rebounds, to blocked shots. When the ball was up in the air, they came up with it."

The Spartanettes' peskiness paid off, as they went to the locker room at halftime trailing by just one point, 32-31.

That was as close as it would get the rest of the way, however. The Crimson opened the second half on fire, mounting a 16-3 run after the intermission.

Once again Feaster was the arsonist. Norfolk State senior center Selena Edward blocked Miller's shot to open the half, but Feaster grabbed the loose ball and powered her way inside for an easy lay-in.

Edward responded with a jumper in the lane on the other end, but Feaster scored Harvard's next bucket on a lob from Miller to put the Crimson up three, 36-33. On Harvard's next trip down-court, Feaster hit a three-pointer from the right corner.

One minute later, with Harvard leading 39-34, the co-captain rebounded her own missed shot and laid it in, oblivious to a hack from Norfolk State's Ramona Jackson. After the made free throw, the second-half tally was Feaster 10, Norfolk State 3.

The Spartanettes hung around until the end, partly because Harvard's reserves were unaccustomed to the Spartanettes' style of play, but Harvard maintained a comfortable lead for most of the second half.

Despite the win, Harvard's players cannot be nearly as pleased with Saturday's opener as with their victory over Loyola yesterday.

"We have to play more confidently," Feaster said. "That's going to come from within. We have to want to win, and we have to want to win by playing the way we know how to play."

Notes

In the consolation match, Central Connecticut (1-2) topped Norfolk State, 81-62. The Blue Devils held a 37-36 lead at halftime, but they pulled away in the second, paced by the scoring efforts of All-Tournament junior Vicki Guarneri (22 points) and sophomore Dianne Warner (20 points).

Loyola took the opener of the Invitational, 67-44 over Central Connecticut. The sloppy game was over before it started, as the Greyhounds opened with a 14-2 run to put the game away. The Blue Devils scored just 16 points in the first half.

Feaster was presented with two sets of flowers before Harvard's opening game Saturday to honor her setting the team's all-time scoring mark. The first was from her parents, and the other was from Tammy Butler '95, whose record Feaster broke.

A scout from the WNBA's New York office was on hand to witness Feaster's 39-point performance in yesterday's win over Loyola.

HARVARD, 69-57 at Lavietes Pavilion.Norfolk St.  31  26  --  57Harvard  32  37  --  6

LOYOLA  57 HARVARD  69

Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith models her offense.

The Crimson jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game by doing what it had not done well yet this season--playing disciplined basketball, making the extra pass and running Delaney-Smith's new offense.

Feaster opened the game's scoring with a strong lay-in from the right side. Then, after a free throw by junior Rose Janowski put the Crimson up 3-0 and Harvard stopped Loyola on the other end, Janowski set up in the lane. When the defense collapsed on Janowski, it freed up Feaster, who set up at the top of the key and hit the first of her six three-pointers.

On the next offensive play, Feaster passed out of the post to Megan Basil on the weak side, and the point guard and co-captain canned the first of her three treys.

Harvard was 11-of-25 from beyond the arc, a remarkably high percentage this early in the season.

Defensively, Harvard's man defense was solid early on and forced the Greyhounds into some poor decisions. But Loyola Coach Pat Coyle called a timeout after the 9-0 run, and the Greyhounds settled down considerably to the tune of seven straight points.

Loyola's highly disciplined offense consists of running screens for shooters and playing a classic high-low game. When things break down, Coyle falls back on a triple-post offense that is similar to Harvard's.

The Greyhounds slowly clawed their way back into the game and finally took the lead at 16-14 on a three-pointer by Jennifer Bongard at 8:44 of the first half. The three was part of a 10-0 run by Loyola that put the Greyhounds up 21-14 with just over nine minutes to go.

"There were more defensive breakdowns than there should have been, given that we knew absolutely everything they were doing offensively," Delaney-Smith said.

But Feaster and her teammates were not going to let this game slip away as last year's matchup against Loyola did. With the Greyhound's up 23-16, Feaster hit two free throws to start an 11-0 run for the Crimson.

Junior Suzie Miller--who was named to the All-Tournament team--and senior Alison Seanor followed up the free throws by nailing a pair of three-pointers.

Seanor's trey came on a pass from sophomore forward Laela Sturdy, who's work in the high post is what freed up the perimeter. When Harvard runs its offense as it is designed, threes rain down in buckets as they did yesterday.

And when the outside shots are falling, it feeds back into the post game and helps Feaster and Janowski, who chipped in eight points.

"It's all about ball movement and not taking the quick shots," Delaney-Smith said.

The Crimson held a 32-29 lead at halftime, and the Greyhounds got as close as one point, 34-33 early in the second, before Harvard put them away.

Feaster got the party started when her three-pointer at 7:46 put Harvard up six, 47-41. The All-American's demonstrative reaction to the shot falling suggests that emotions were running high for Harvard and its co-captain.

The three began a 21-8 Harvard run in which Feaster hit four three pointers and scored 16 points. The last three gave Harvard a 65-49 lead with just over three minutes to go, and it was all she wrote for the Greyhounds.

Feaster's 39 points tops her previous career best by four and marks the fifth highest single-game scoring total in Ivy history.

Harvard 69, Norfolk State 57

In stark contrast to the Loyola matchup, Harvard's opening game against Norfolk State ain't got no alibi--it was ugly.

Harvard committed 21 turnovers, including five in the first six minutes, and the two teams shot a combined 44-of-131 (.336), but the Crimson settled down in the second half for a 69-57 victory over the Spartanettes.

Harvard opened the game with an uncharacteristic up-tempo style. The Crimson's first score came when Seanor jarred the ball loose on defense, leading to a fast-break bucket and a 2-0 Harvard lead. When Feaster extended the lead to 4-0 on a baseline lay-up, it looked like the Crimson would have its way.

But Norfolk State was not quite ready to die two minutes into the game. Although the Spartanettes' full-court press--which they employed from the opening minute--led to fast-break opportunities for the Crimson, it also led to indecision in the Crimson backcourt and disrupted Harvard's triple-post offense.

"We expected them to be really athletic, and we were disappointed with how we handled their pressure in the beginning," said Miller, who poured in a career-high 16 points. "We tried to beat them with 'run and gun,' which is their own game."

"I was not pleased with out play in the first half," Feaster said. "We were trying to win the easy way by playing a transition game more than running our offense."

Like most of the Crimson's opponents this year, the Spartanettes are an athletic bunch. They repeatedly beat Harvard players to loose balls, beat Harvard defenders on baseline moves and beat Harvard down court on fast breaks. Close to one quarter of the Spartanettes' points came off Harvard turnovers.

"I think we didn't respect them at all," Delaney-Smith said. "They beat us to deflected balls, to deflected rebounds, to blocked shots. When the ball was up in the air, they came up with it."

The Spartanettes' peskiness paid off, as they went to the locker room at halftime trailing by just one point, 32-31.

That was as close as it would get the rest of the way, however. The Crimson opened the second half on fire, mounting a 16-3 run after the intermission.

Once again Feaster was the arsonist. Norfolk State senior center Selena Edward blocked Miller's shot to open the half, but Feaster grabbed the loose ball and powered her way inside for an easy lay-in.

Edward responded with a jumper in the lane on the other end, but Feaster scored Harvard's next bucket on a lob from Miller to put the Crimson up three, 36-33. On Harvard's next trip down-court, Feaster hit a three-pointer from the right corner.

One minute later, with Harvard leading 39-34, the co-captain rebounded her own missed shot and laid it in, oblivious to a hack from Norfolk State's Ramona Jackson. After the made free throw, the second-half tally was Feaster 10, Norfolk State 3.

The Spartanettes hung around until the end, partly because Harvard's reserves were unaccustomed to the Spartanettes' style of play, but Harvard maintained a comfortable lead for most of the second half.

Despite the win, Harvard's players cannot be nearly as pleased with Saturday's opener as with their victory over Loyola yesterday.

"We have to play more confidently," Feaster said. "That's going to come from within. We have to want to win, and we have to want to win by playing the way we know how to play."

Notes

In the consolation match, Central Connecticut (1-2) topped Norfolk State, 81-62. The Blue Devils held a 37-36 lead at halftime, but they pulled away in the second, paced by the scoring efforts of All-Tournament junior Vicki Guarneri (22 points) and sophomore Dianne Warner (20 points).

Loyola took the opener of the Invitational, 67-44 over Central Connecticut. The sloppy game was over before it started, as the Greyhounds opened with a 14-2 run to put the game away. The Blue Devils scored just 16 points in the first half.

Feaster was presented with two sets of flowers before Harvard's opening game Saturday to honor her setting the team's all-time scoring mark. The first was from her parents, and the other was from Tammy Butler '95, whose record Feaster broke.

A scout from the WNBA's New York office was on hand to witness Feaster's 39-point performance in yesterday's win over Loyola.

HARVARD, 69-57 at Lavietes Pavilion.Norfolk St.  31  26  --  57Harvard  32  37  --  6

Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith models her offense.

The Crimson jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game by doing what it had not done well yet this season--playing disciplined basketball, making the extra pass and running Delaney-Smith's new offense.

Feaster opened the game's scoring with a strong lay-in from the right side. Then, after a free throw by junior Rose Janowski put the Crimson up 3-0 and Harvard stopped Loyola on the other end, Janowski set up in the lane. When the defense collapsed on Janowski, it freed up Feaster, who set up at the top of the key and hit the first of her six three-pointers.

On the next offensive play, Feaster passed out of the post to Megan Basil on the weak side, and the point guard and co-captain canned the first of her three treys.

Harvard was 11-of-25 from beyond the arc, a remarkably high percentage this early in the season.

Defensively, Harvard's man defense was solid early on and forced the Greyhounds into some poor decisions. But Loyola Coach Pat Coyle called a timeout after the 9-0 run, and the Greyhounds settled down considerably to the tune of seven straight points.

Loyola's highly disciplined offense consists of running screens for shooters and playing a classic high-low game. When things break down, Coyle falls back on a triple-post offense that is similar to Harvard's.

The Greyhounds slowly clawed their way back into the game and finally took the lead at 16-14 on a three-pointer by Jennifer Bongard at 8:44 of the first half. The three was part of a 10-0 run by Loyola that put the Greyhounds up 21-14 with just over nine minutes to go.

"There were more defensive breakdowns than there should have been, given that we knew absolutely everything they were doing offensively," Delaney-Smith said.

But Feaster and her teammates were not going to let this game slip away as last year's matchup against Loyola did. With the Greyhound's up 23-16, Feaster hit two free throws to start an 11-0 run for the Crimson.

Junior Suzie Miller--who was named to the All-Tournament team--and senior Alison Seanor followed up the free throws by nailing a pair of three-pointers.

Seanor's trey came on a pass from sophomore forward Laela Sturdy, who's work in the high post is what freed up the perimeter. When Harvard runs its offense as it is designed, threes rain down in buckets as they did yesterday.

And when the outside shots are falling, it feeds back into the post game and helps Feaster and Janowski, who chipped in eight points.

"It's all about ball movement and not taking the quick shots," Delaney-Smith said.

The Crimson held a 32-29 lead at halftime, and the Greyhounds got as close as one point, 34-33 early in the second, before Harvard put them away.

Feaster got the party started when her three-pointer at 7:46 put Harvard up six, 47-41. The All-American's demonstrative reaction to the shot falling suggests that emotions were running high for Harvard and its co-captain.

The three began a 21-8 Harvard run in which Feaster hit four three pointers and scored 16 points. The last three gave Harvard a 65-49 lead with just over three minutes to go, and it was all she wrote for the Greyhounds.

Feaster's 39 points tops her previous career best by four and marks the fifth highest single-game scoring total in Ivy history.

Harvard 69, Norfolk State 57

In stark contrast to the Loyola matchup, Harvard's opening game against Norfolk State ain't got no alibi--it was ugly.

Harvard committed 21 turnovers, including five in the first six minutes, and the two teams shot a combined 44-of-131 (.336), but the Crimson settled down in the second half for a 69-57 victory over the Spartanettes.

Harvard opened the game with an uncharacteristic up-tempo style. The Crimson's first score came when Seanor jarred the ball loose on defense, leading to a fast-break bucket and a 2-0 Harvard lead. When Feaster extended the lead to 4-0 on a baseline lay-up, it looked like the Crimson would have its way.

But Norfolk State was not quite ready to die two minutes into the game. Although the Spartanettes' full-court press--which they employed from the opening minute--led to fast-break opportunities for the Crimson, it also led to indecision in the Crimson backcourt and disrupted Harvard's triple-post offense.

"We expected them to be really athletic, and we were disappointed with how we handled their pressure in the beginning," said Miller, who poured in a career-high 16 points. "We tried to beat them with 'run and gun,' which is their own game."

"I was not pleased with out play in the first half," Feaster said. "We were trying to win the easy way by playing a transition game more than running our offense."

Like most of the Crimson's opponents this year, the Spartanettes are an athletic bunch. They repeatedly beat Harvard players to loose balls, beat Harvard defenders on baseline moves and beat Harvard down court on fast breaks. Close to one quarter of the Spartanettes' points came off Harvard turnovers.

"I think we didn't respect them at all," Delaney-Smith said. "They beat us to deflected balls, to deflected rebounds, to blocked shots. When the ball was up in the air, they came up with it."

The Spartanettes' peskiness paid off, as they went to the locker room at halftime trailing by just one point, 32-31.

That was as close as it would get the rest of the way, however. The Crimson opened the second half on fire, mounting a 16-3 run after the intermission.

Once again Feaster was the arsonist. Norfolk State senior center Selena Edward blocked Miller's shot to open the half, but Feaster grabbed the loose ball and powered her way inside for an easy lay-in.

Edward responded with a jumper in the lane on the other end, but Feaster scored Harvard's next bucket on a lob from Miller to put the Crimson up three, 36-33. On Harvard's next trip down-court, Feaster hit a three-pointer from the right corner.

One minute later, with Harvard leading 39-34, the co-captain rebounded her own missed shot and laid it in, oblivious to a hack from Norfolk State's Ramona Jackson. After the made free throw, the second-half tally was Feaster 10, Norfolk State 3.

The Spartanettes hung around until the end, partly because Harvard's reserves were unaccustomed to the Spartanettes' style of play, but Harvard maintained a comfortable lead for most of the second half.

Despite the win, Harvard's players cannot be nearly as pleased with Saturday's opener as with their victory over Loyola yesterday.

"We have to play more confidently," Feaster said. "That's going to come from within. We have to want to win, and we have to want to win by playing the way we know how to play."

Notes

In the consolation match, Central Connecticut (1-2) topped Norfolk State, 81-62. The Blue Devils held a 37-36 lead at halftime, but they pulled away in the second, paced by the scoring efforts of All-Tournament junior Vicki Guarneri (22 points) and sophomore Dianne Warner (20 points).

Loyola took the opener of the Invitational, 67-44 over Central Connecticut. The sloppy game was over before it started, as the Greyhounds opened with a 14-2 run to put the game away. The Blue Devils scored just 16 points in the first half.

Feaster was presented with two sets of flowers before Harvard's opening game Saturday to honor her setting the team's all-time scoring mark. The first was from her parents, and the other was from Tammy Butler '95, whose record Feaster broke.

A scout from the WNBA's New York office was on hand to witness Feaster's 39-point performance in yesterday's win over Loyola.

HARVARD, 69-57 at Lavietes Pavilion.Norfolk St.  31  26  --  57Harvard  32  37  --  6

The Crimson jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game by doing what it had not done well yet this season--playing disciplined basketball, making the extra pass and running Delaney-Smith's new offense.

Feaster opened the game's scoring with a strong lay-in from the right side. Then, after a free throw by junior Rose Janowski put the Crimson up 3-0 and Harvard stopped Loyola on the other end, Janowski set up in the lane. When the defense collapsed on Janowski, it freed up Feaster, who set up at the top of the key and hit the first of her six three-pointers.

On the next offensive play, Feaster passed out of the post to Megan Basil on the weak side, and the point guard and co-captain canned the first of her three treys.

Harvard was 11-of-25 from beyond the arc, a remarkably high percentage this early in the season.

Defensively, Harvard's man defense was solid early on and forced the Greyhounds into some poor decisions. But Loyola Coach Pat Coyle called a timeout after the 9-0 run, and the Greyhounds settled down considerably to the tune of seven straight points.

Loyola's highly disciplined offense consists of running screens for shooters and playing a classic high-low game. When things break down, Coyle falls back on a triple-post offense that is similar to Harvard's.

The Greyhounds slowly clawed their way back into the game and finally took the lead at 16-14 on a three-pointer by Jennifer Bongard at 8:44 of the first half. The three was part of a 10-0 run by Loyola that put the Greyhounds up 21-14 with just over nine minutes to go.

"There were more defensive breakdowns than there should have been, given that we knew absolutely everything they were doing offensively," Delaney-Smith said.

But Feaster and her teammates were not going to let this game slip away as last year's matchup against Loyola did. With the Greyhound's up 23-16, Feaster hit two free throws to start an 11-0 run for the Crimson.

Junior Suzie Miller--who was named to the All-Tournament team--and senior Alison Seanor followed up the free throws by nailing a pair of three-pointers.

Seanor's trey came on a pass from sophomore forward Laela Sturdy, who's work in the high post is what freed up the perimeter. When Harvard runs its offense as it is designed, threes rain down in buckets as they did yesterday.

And when the outside shots are falling, it feeds back into the post game and helps Feaster and Janowski, who chipped in eight points.

"It's all about ball movement and not taking the quick shots," Delaney-Smith said.

The Crimson held a 32-29 lead at halftime, and the Greyhounds got as close as one point, 34-33 early in the second, before Harvard put them away.

Feaster got the party started when her three-pointer at 7:46 put Harvard up six, 47-41. The All-American's demonstrative reaction to the shot falling suggests that emotions were running high for Harvard and its co-captain.

The three began a 21-8 Harvard run in which Feaster hit four three pointers and scored 16 points. The last three gave Harvard a 65-49 lead with just over three minutes to go, and it was all she wrote for the Greyhounds.

Feaster's 39 points tops her previous career best by four and marks the fifth highest single-game scoring total in Ivy history.

Harvard 69, Norfolk State 57

In stark contrast to the Loyola matchup, Harvard's opening game against Norfolk State ain't got no alibi--it was ugly.

Harvard committed 21 turnovers, including five in the first six minutes, and the two teams shot a combined 44-of-131 (.336), but the Crimson settled down in the second half for a 69-57 victory over the Spartanettes.

Harvard opened the game with an uncharacteristic up-tempo style. The Crimson's first score came when Seanor jarred the ball loose on defense, leading to a fast-break bucket and a 2-0 Harvard lead. When Feaster extended the lead to 4-0 on a baseline lay-up, it looked like the Crimson would have its way.

But Norfolk State was not quite ready to die two minutes into the game. Although the Spartanettes' full-court press--which they employed from the opening minute--led to fast-break opportunities for the Crimson, it also led to indecision in the Crimson backcourt and disrupted Harvard's triple-post offense.

"We expected them to be really athletic, and we were disappointed with how we handled their pressure in the beginning," said Miller, who poured in a career-high 16 points. "We tried to beat them with 'run and gun,' which is their own game."

"I was not pleased with out play in the first half," Feaster said. "We were trying to win the easy way by playing a transition game more than running our offense."

Like most of the Crimson's opponents this year, the Spartanettes are an athletic bunch. They repeatedly beat Harvard players to loose balls, beat Harvard defenders on baseline moves and beat Harvard down court on fast breaks. Close to one quarter of the Spartanettes' points came off Harvard turnovers.

"I think we didn't respect them at all," Delaney-Smith said. "They beat us to deflected balls, to deflected rebounds, to blocked shots. When the ball was up in the air, they came up with it."

The Spartanettes' peskiness paid off, as they went to the locker room at halftime trailing by just one point, 32-31.

That was as close as it would get the rest of the way, however. The Crimson opened the second half on fire, mounting a 16-3 run after the intermission.

Once again Feaster was the arsonist. Norfolk State senior center Selena Edward blocked Miller's shot to open the half, but Feaster grabbed the loose ball and powered her way inside for an easy lay-in.

Edward responded with a jumper in the lane on the other end, but Feaster scored Harvard's next bucket on a lob from Miller to put the Crimson up three, 36-33. On Harvard's next trip down-court, Feaster hit a three-pointer from the right corner.

One minute later, with Harvard leading 39-34, the co-captain rebounded her own missed shot and laid it in, oblivious to a hack from Norfolk State's Ramona Jackson. After the made free throw, the second-half tally was Feaster 10, Norfolk State 3.

The Spartanettes hung around until the end, partly because Harvard's reserves were unaccustomed to the Spartanettes' style of play, but Harvard maintained a comfortable lead for most of the second half.

Despite the win, Harvard's players cannot be nearly as pleased with Saturday's opener as with their victory over Loyola yesterday.

"We have to play more confidently," Feaster said. "That's going to come from within. We have to want to win, and we have to want to win by playing the way we know how to play."

Notes

In the consolation match, Central Connecticut (1-2) topped Norfolk State, 81-62. The Blue Devils held a 37-36 lead at halftime, but they pulled away in the second, paced by the scoring efforts of All-Tournament junior Vicki Guarneri (22 points) and sophomore Dianne Warner (20 points).

Loyola took the opener of the Invitational, 67-44 over Central Connecticut. The sloppy game was over before it started, as the Greyhounds opened with a 14-2 run to put the game away. The Blue Devils scored just 16 points in the first half.

Feaster was presented with two sets of flowers before Harvard's opening game Saturday to honor her setting the team's all-time scoring mark. The first was from her parents, and the other was from Tammy Butler '95, whose record Feaster broke.

A scout from the WNBA's New York office was on hand to witness Feaster's 39-point performance in yesterday's win over Loyola.

HARVARD, 69-57 at Lavietes Pavilion.Norfolk St.  31  26  --  57Harvard  32  37  --  6