Athlete of the Week: Sarah Johnson '03

Probably the biggest reason for the Harvard women's basketball team's three-game win streak and improved 6-3 record this season is the addition of the Johnson sisters, Sarah and Melissa, to the team.

In the past week, Sarah Johnson has stepped up her play, coming off the bench to lead the team in scoring against Rhode Island and Mount St. Mary's last week.

And unlike Melissa, who spent her first two years of NCAA eligibility playing for the Tar Heels, Sarah will be spending a full four years in a Crimson uniform.

"I think [Sarah] will be a dominant, dominant center," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. "I think the more experience she gets, the better she'll get."

Against Rhode Island on Wednesday, the 6'4 freshman center led Harvard to an easy 83-59 victory after the Crimson struggled to break the game open in the first half against the winless Rams.

Despite playing only 19 minutes, Sarah Johnson had a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. She had an excellent day shooting the ball, going 7-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line.

Playing on the home court of Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, the Crimson faced a considerably tougher opponent. The Mountaineers, the class of the Northeast conference, were riding a three-game win streak going into the game.

But like the Rams, who had no player taller than 6'1, the Mountaineers had no one that could match the skill and height of Johnson. She was unstoppable in leading the Crimson to the 78-62 victory.

She again shot 7-of-9 from the floor and made 2-of-3 from the line to rack up a team-high 16 points in 23 minutes of playing time.

Johnson led the Harvard offense that was dominant in the paint. The team shot an amazing 60.7 percent from the floor in the first half.

Meanwhile, she played a big role in the Crimson defense which held the Mountaineers shooting to a mere 26.5 percent in the opening half.

With such great success so early in her career, Sarah Johnson is bound to give the Crimson the advantage in the front court for years to come.