W. Basketball Splits, Stays Alive in Ivies

Offense, it seems, was both the sickness and the cure.

The Harvard women's basketball team (7-11, 4-3 Ivy) broke out of its post-exam slump this weekend, winning the back end of a pair of games against Ivy League rivals Princeton (11-8, 6-1) and Penn (7-12, 2-5) at Lavietes Pavilion. After continuing a disturbing trend of sparse scoring in a 55-42 loss to the Tigers on Friday night, the Crimson rebounded with a 70-68 thriller against the Quakers. PRINCETON  55 HARVARD  42 PENN  68 HARVARD  70

In Friday's loss, it seemed Harvard was battling not just first-place Princeton but also Lady Luck, who this season has been among the Crimson's most bitter foes. Despite generating good shots under and around the basket, Harvard was consistently unable to put the ball through the rim.

It took just one night for the Crimson's fortunes to change as it shot 48.4 percent from the floor against Penn, 20 percent higher than the evening before.

"We did everything we planned to do to stop Princeton, and we just could not put the ball in the basket," said Harvard

Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. "We got the same shotsagainst Penn, but they went in better [on Saturday]."

The loss to Princeton represents the first homeIvy loss for any current Harvard player, a span of23 games dating back to a March 1995 loss toDartmouth. The Crimson now sits in third place inthe Ivies, one game behind the Tiers and the BigGreen (14-7, 6-1).

Freshman point guard Jennifer Monti shined allweekend long. She displayed the "full Monti,"combining for 23 points, 13 assists and 12rebounds on the weekend, and was the driving forcebehind strong second-half runs in both games.

Senior Rose Janowski added 13 and 12 points,respectively, and corralled 18 total rebounds onthe weekend. Junior Courtney Egelhoff paced herteam with 14 points against Penn, including 4-of-7from three-point range.

Harvard 70, Penn 68

As De La Soul might say, three was the magicnumber.

Four straight three-pointers-two by Egelhoffand one apiece from co-captain Suzie Miller andMonti-helped turn a five-point Harvard deficitinto a five-point lead with 1:34 to go in the game.Penn led for most of the see-saw contest, but the fourtreys capped a 12-2 Harvard run that put theCrimson up for good.

One possession after an Egelhoff three broughtHarvard within two, 62-60, Miller rode thenewfound wave of momentum, taking the ball upcourtand launching an NBA-distance trifecta from beyondthe top of the key. The gutsy shot gave theCrimson--down by as many as eight points severaltimes in the second half--its first lead since39-38, at the 16:00 mark.

Quaker sophomore Elisabeth Alexander put herteam ahead briefly with a jumper at the other end,but on the Crimson's ensuing possession, Egelhoffbarked for the ball at one o'clock, took a dishfrom Monti and flung a screaming liner through therim. After a Penn miss, Monti pushed the stake ineven further, hitting a wide open three from theright corner after Janowski astutely passed out ofa triple team in the high post.

"When [Monti] hit that shot, I think that wassort of the clincher for us." co-captain SarahRussell said. "I think the key for us was goingafter the ball and being a little more patient. Weknew the double was coming; we all just went afterit a little harder. Plus it helped that peoplewere reading the defense, and with the triangleoffense, that's the only way it's ever going towork and flow."

Monti's three did not prevent some anxiousmoments in the game's final minute. As big as theQuakers in the fight were--two Penn starters stand6'2 or taller--the fight in the Quakers was ofstill greater size.

Sophomore forward Diana Caramanico, who ledboth teams with 23 points and 12 rebounds, broughtPenn within three with a baby jumper from belowthe foul line. Harvard then lost possession whenRussell could not handle a sloppy inbounds pass,and sophomore center Jessica Allen trimmed thedeficit to one on a floater from the right blockswith 13 seconds remaining.

Penn had to commit three fouls on the inboundsbefore putting Harvard in the bonus, and Millerwas sent to the line for a one-and-one with eightseconds left. Miller missed the front end,igniting a wild scramble for the ball. Caramanicoappeared to haul it down, but Russell flicked itout of her hands, secured possession and drew afoul.

"I got luck in terms of where I was," Russellsaid. "I was feeling aggressive the whole game. Alot of times the ball would bounce my way or Iwould sit on a rebound or a box-out way too longbefore getting the ball, and that was one opportunitywhere I really had to go get it, and that felt good."

Russell hit the first free throw to put the Crimsonup two. She missed the second and Penn guard ErinLadley pushed the ball upcourt, but Monti blockedher midcourt heave to preserve the win. Theblock--the second in Monti's career--was riskyconsidering Ladley would have gotten three freethrow attempts had a foul been called, but theplay was emblematic of the emotional gusto withwhich Monti played the entire game.

"She shot from so low, the ball was barely outof her hands," said Monti, whose stat lineincluded nine points, 11 assists, six rebounds andtwo steals along with the block. "She wasn'tterribly in control and she wasn't really fallingeither, so I just kept my hand at a distance andshe came into me. I wouldn't have taken such arisk if I thought I might foul. My body wasn'tthere, it was really just my hand, and she cameinto me."

Harvard's late-game heroics rescued the Crimsonfrom a loss that would have effectively knockedit out of the league championship race. Aftertaking a 35-33 advantage into halftime, theQuakers padded their lead throughout the firsthalf of the second. A foul-line jumper by junior guardMandy West gave Penn its largest lead, 57-49, with 8:37 to go.

Although Harvard was prepared defensively forWest--who had 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting--andCaramanico, last season's Ivy League Rookie of theYear, it was the play of Ladley and Allen thatperhaps made the difference.

Ladley, who poured in 13 points and grabbed sixrebounds, was a Viking from beyond the arc,hitting 3-of-5 from distance. Allen, a giant at6'3, scored 10 points largely by floatingfoul-line jumpers over her defenders.

"I was impressed with the way the other [Penn]players stepped up," Russell said. "We were reallyexpecting just to have to guard [West and Caramanico]."

Harvard's defense made the adjustment in thesecond, holding Ladley and Allen to seven pointsafter the break. Meanwhile, Janowski began toassert herself on the offensive end.

The 6'2 senior scored eight of Harvard's 10points over a stretch of 3:15 midway through thesecond on a variety of shots--transition lay-up,dribble-drive move from the foul line, rebound andput back. Harvard narrowed the deficit onlyslightly during Janowski's scoring binge, butthe need to focus on the blocks freed up Harvard'sshooters and presented the Quakers with a classichigh-low dilemma that ultimately sealed Penn'sfate.

"When we run in transition, we're hard to beat,especially if we're hitting from the outside,"Monti said. "It really forces them to come out[defensively], which opens up the inside for Rose[Janowski] and Sarah [Russell]. We didn't hit asmuch as we should have today, but when we did theygot great looks."

Princeton 55, Harvard 42

Like their maddeningly deliberate brethren, thePrinceton women might be described as theM-E-T-H-O-D team. The Tigers run the mostcomplicated offense Delaney-Smith's team has facedthis season, but the Crimson seemed up to the taskof defending it.

Harvard held Princeton to 35.1 percent shootingfrom the floor, including a truly embarrassing2-of-21 from three. The Tigers did not hit theirfirst shot from distance until senior forwardJulie Angell nailed the first of her game-sealingBack-to-back threes with 3:38 to go.

"To stop Princeton's offence is entirelyopposite your instincts," Delaney-Smith said. "Ifyou are on the weak side and you jump to the balllow, that's when they hit you with back screens orcut backdoor on you. You have to work a lotdefensively to jump at the correct angles, oryou're going to get screwed.

"We did a great job, with just three or fourbreakdowns, but we just didn't shut the drive ontop of that in the second half," she added.

Indeed, it is Harvard's offense that mustshoulder the blame for its first home loss to anIvy opponent in recent memory. The Crimson shotjust 28.3 percent from the field and hit only2-of-16 three point attempts.

Harvard has plenty of company. After leadingthe nation in scoring defense a year ago,Princeton ranks seventh in that category thisseason. The Tigers entered the weekend allowingonly 56.6 points per game and is the sole Ivy teamin the top 25.

But it was not for lack of chances that Harvardsuffered. The Crimson took 60 shots in thegame--atypically high for Princeton's defense--andhad numerous clean looks at the basket.

"We got absolutely every shot we wanted,"Delaney-Smith said. "We rushed a couple, we madean adjustment, and then we got gimmes that didn'tgo in."

In the first half, Janowski was the only Cantabwho could get into the scoring column with anyconsistency. She notched six straight points forthe Crimson midway through the period on a 10-footjumper, a lay-up from the right post and anoffensive rebound and putback.

Janowski had 10 points in the half before thePrinceton defense sealed the middle in the game'slater stages. She scored just three in the second.

"They didn't really decide to defend us in thepost until they realized we were scoring so much,"Janowski said. "We didn't take as much advantageof it as we could have. In the second half theydoubled the post, and that frazzled us."

Princeton did not need much offense to takea 25-19 halftime lead, but when it did score, itutilized unmolested drives initiated by the quickfirst steps of Angell, who had 18, and juniorpoint guard Maggie Langlas, who scored 12. Bothplayers seemed to own the baseline throughout thegame, and Harvard was too slow on its rotations tostop them.

"Our first job was to stop the threes, so theonly thing they could go to was the drive,"Janowski said. "We were warned about the drive. Weshould have had a lot better help defense. We didwell in the first half, but in the second half wehad a couple of breakdowns."

The Tigers held a nine-point lead, 34-25, with11:12 left before Harvard-or, more accurately,Monti--started to make things interesting. Firstshe ignited the crowd and her team with a paralyzingcrossover and a jumper from the foul line extendedto bring Harvard within seven.

Two possessions later, Monti looted juniorguard Kate Thirolf in the backcourt, ducked underthe basket, flipped in the lay-up and drew a fouland roars from the 1,500-strong Lavietes Pavilionfaithful. Her free throw made it a four-point gamewith over 10 minutes to play.

"I feel more comfortable with being theleader [than earlier in the season]," said Monti,who score all 14 of her points in the second half."It's hard to come in as a freshman and judge howto lead, whether by example or by talking, and nowthat I'm more comfortable with the system, itbecomes a leadership by example position. I feel alot more comfortable just letting it all go."

A cliche-infested sports article might remarkthat Monti's heroics were too little, too late. AMonti jumper with the shot clock winding downbrought Harvard within three, 41-38, at the 4:11mark, but Angell put the fannies back in theirseats for good with her team's first three of thegame, from the top of the key.

Angell hit her second 1:12 later to give theTigers an insurmountable nine-point advantage.Monti hit two baskets to bring Harvard withinfive, but the remainder of the game was aPrinceton free-throw fest.

Harvard's scoring woes against Princeton werein step with its first two games after the exambreak, a pair of losses to Yale and Brown. Harvardhas shot 35.4 percent in its three Ivy losses.

"The shots aren't going in." said Delaney-Smithafter the game. "Why don't they going in? Becausewe're tight, because we're young, because we'rescared, because we don't communicate on thefloor. That's more of our problem than the systembeing terrible wrong."

The Crimson faces an uphill battle in itsefforts to win a fourth straight Ivy League title,unprecedented since the league began doubleround-robin play in the 1982-83 season.Realistically, it must win the remainder of itsgames and hope for an additional loss by bothDartmouth and Princeton, which play each other andHarvard once more this season.

"We're going to try to remind ourselves everyday not to look ahead, not to look at other scoresin the league," Janowski said. "It's still ado-able goal to win the League."

HARVARD, 70-80 at Lavietes Pavilion

Penn  35  33  -  68Harvard  33  37  -  70

PENN: West 7-21 1-2 17; Caramanico 9-18 5-623; Ladley 5-13 0-0 13; Van Stone 0-0 1-2 1; Allen5-11 0-0 10; Cavanaugh 0-1 0-0 0; Alexander 1-20-0 2; Epton 0-2 2-2 2. TOTALS 27-68 9-12 68.HARVARD: Monti 4-7 0-0 9; Egelhoff 5-10 0-014; Russell 2-7 1-2 5; Miller 4-8 0-1 11; Janowski6-13 0-2 12; Ryba 6-9 0-0 12; Kowal 0-0 0; Gates1-5 0-0 3; Kinneen 2-3 0-0 4. TOTALS: 30-62 1-5 70.

PRINCETON, 55-42 at Lavietes Pavilion

Princeton  25  30  -  55Harvard  19  23  -  42

PRINCETON: Thirolf 2-11 3-4 7; Angell 8180-0 18; Drohan 3-5 1-2 7; Langlas 4-8 4-6 12;Munson 1-5 0-0 2; Reser 1-5 2-3 4; Rigney 1-3 3-45; Lockwood 0-2 0-0 0; Bowman 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 20-5713-19 55.HARVARD: Monti 6-13 1-1 14; Egelhoff 0-50-0 0; Miller 1-11 0-0 3; Russell 3-7 1-3 7;Janowski 5-12 3-6 13; Gates 1-3 0-0 2; Ryba 1-31-2 3; Kowal 0-1 0-0 0; Kinneen 0-3 0-0 0; Barnard0-2 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17-60 6-12 42.CrimsonSeth H. PerlmanEG-GING THEM ON Junior guard COURTNEYEGELHOFF goes up for a shot in Harvard's 55-42home loss to Princton. The next day, she scored 14points in Harvard's 70-68 win over Penn.

In Friday's loss, it seemed Harvard was battling not just first-place Princeton but also Lady Luck, who this season has been among the Crimson's most bitter foes. Despite generating good shots under and around the basket, Harvard was consistently unable to put the ball through the rim.

It took just one night for the Crimson's fortunes to change as it shot 48.4 percent from the floor against Penn, 20 percent higher than the evening before.

"We did everything we planned to do to stop Princeton, and we just could not put the ball in the basket," said Harvard

Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. "We got the same shotsagainst Penn, but they went in better [on Saturday]."

The loss to Princeton represents the first homeIvy loss for any current Harvard player, a span of23 games dating back to a March 1995 loss toDartmouth. The Crimson now sits in third place inthe Ivies, one game behind the Tiers and the BigGreen (14-7, 6-1).

Freshman point guard Jennifer Monti shined allweekend long. She displayed the "full Monti,"combining for 23 points, 13 assists and 12rebounds on the weekend, and was the driving forcebehind strong second-half runs in both games.

Senior Rose Janowski added 13 and 12 points,respectively, and corralled 18 total rebounds onthe weekend. Junior Courtney Egelhoff paced herteam with 14 points against Penn, including 4-of-7from three-point range.

Harvard 70, Penn 68

As De La Soul might say, three was the magicnumber.

Four straight three-pointers-two by Egelhoffand one apiece from co-captain Suzie Miller andMonti-helped turn a five-point Harvard deficitinto a five-point lead with 1:34 to go in the game.Penn led for most of the see-saw contest, but the fourtreys capped a 12-2 Harvard run that put theCrimson up for good.

One possession after an Egelhoff three broughtHarvard within two, 62-60, Miller rode thenewfound wave of momentum, taking the ball upcourtand launching an NBA-distance trifecta from beyondthe top of the key. The gutsy shot gave theCrimson--down by as many as eight points severaltimes in the second half--its first lead since39-38, at the 16:00 mark.

Quaker sophomore Elisabeth Alexander put herteam ahead briefly with a jumper at the other end,but on the Crimson's ensuing possession, Egelhoffbarked for the ball at one o'clock, took a dishfrom Monti and flung a screaming liner through therim. After a Penn miss, Monti pushed the stake ineven further, hitting a wide open three from theright corner after Janowski astutely passed out ofa triple team in the high post.

"When [Monti] hit that shot, I think that wassort of the clincher for us." co-captain SarahRussell said. "I think the key for us was goingafter the ball and being a little more patient. Weknew the double was coming; we all just went afterit a little harder. Plus it helped that peoplewere reading the defense, and with the triangleoffense, that's the only way it's ever going towork and flow."

Monti's three did not prevent some anxiousmoments in the game's final minute. As big as theQuakers in the fight were--two Penn starters stand6'2 or taller--the fight in the Quakers was ofstill greater size.

Sophomore forward Diana Caramanico, who ledboth teams with 23 points and 12 rebounds, broughtPenn within three with a baby jumper from belowthe foul line. Harvard then lost possession whenRussell could not handle a sloppy inbounds pass,and sophomore center Jessica Allen trimmed thedeficit to one on a floater from the right blockswith 13 seconds remaining.

Penn had to commit three fouls on the inboundsbefore putting Harvard in the bonus, and Millerwas sent to the line for a one-and-one with eightseconds left. Miller missed the front end,igniting a wild scramble for the ball. Caramanicoappeared to haul it down, but Russell flicked itout of her hands, secured possession and drew afoul.

"I got luck in terms of where I was," Russellsaid. "I was feeling aggressive the whole game. Alot of times the ball would bounce my way or Iwould sit on a rebound or a box-out way too longbefore getting the ball, and that was one opportunitywhere I really had to go get it, and that felt good."

Russell hit the first free throw to put the Crimsonup two. She missed the second and Penn guard ErinLadley pushed the ball upcourt, but Monti blockedher midcourt heave to preserve the win. Theblock--the second in Monti's career--was riskyconsidering Ladley would have gotten three freethrow attempts had a foul been called, but theplay was emblematic of the emotional gusto withwhich Monti played the entire game.

"She shot from so low, the ball was barely outof her hands," said Monti, whose stat lineincluded nine points, 11 assists, six rebounds andtwo steals along with the block. "She wasn'tterribly in control and she wasn't really fallingeither, so I just kept my hand at a distance andshe came into me. I wouldn't have taken such arisk if I thought I might foul. My body wasn'tthere, it was really just my hand, and she cameinto me."

Harvard's late-game heroics rescued the Crimsonfrom a loss that would have effectively knockedit out of the league championship race. Aftertaking a 35-33 advantage into halftime, theQuakers padded their lead throughout the firsthalf of the second. A foul-line jumper by junior guardMandy West gave Penn its largest lead, 57-49, with 8:37 to go.

Although Harvard was prepared defensively forWest--who had 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting--andCaramanico, last season's Ivy League Rookie of theYear, it was the play of Ladley and Allen thatperhaps made the difference.

Ladley, who poured in 13 points and grabbed sixrebounds, was a Viking from beyond the arc,hitting 3-of-5 from distance. Allen, a giant at6'3, scored 10 points largely by floatingfoul-line jumpers over her defenders.

"I was impressed with the way the other [Penn]players stepped up," Russell said. "We were reallyexpecting just to have to guard [West and Caramanico]."

Harvard's defense made the adjustment in thesecond, holding Ladley and Allen to seven pointsafter the break. Meanwhile, Janowski began toassert herself on the offensive end.

The 6'2 senior scored eight of Harvard's 10points over a stretch of 3:15 midway through thesecond on a variety of shots--transition lay-up,dribble-drive move from the foul line, rebound andput back. Harvard narrowed the deficit onlyslightly during Janowski's scoring binge, butthe need to focus on the blocks freed up Harvard'sshooters and presented the Quakers with a classichigh-low dilemma that ultimately sealed Penn'sfate.

"When we run in transition, we're hard to beat,especially if we're hitting from the outside,"Monti said. "It really forces them to come out[defensively], which opens up the inside for Rose[Janowski] and Sarah [Russell]. We didn't hit asmuch as we should have today, but when we did theygot great looks."

Princeton 55, Harvard 42

Like their maddeningly deliberate brethren, thePrinceton women might be described as theM-E-T-H-O-D team. The Tigers run the mostcomplicated offense Delaney-Smith's team has facedthis season, but the Crimson seemed up to the taskof defending it.

Harvard held Princeton to 35.1 percent shootingfrom the floor, including a truly embarrassing2-of-21 from three. The Tigers did not hit theirfirst shot from distance until senior forwardJulie Angell nailed the first of her game-sealingBack-to-back threes with 3:38 to go.

"To stop Princeton's offence is entirelyopposite your instincts," Delaney-Smith said. "Ifyou are on the weak side and you jump to the balllow, that's when they hit you with back screens orcut backdoor on you. You have to work a lotdefensively to jump at the correct angles, oryou're going to get screwed.

"We did a great job, with just three or fourbreakdowns, but we just didn't shut the drive ontop of that in the second half," she added.

Indeed, it is Harvard's offense that mustshoulder the blame for its first home loss to anIvy opponent in recent memory. The Crimson shotjust 28.3 percent from the field and hit only2-of-16 three point attempts.

Harvard has plenty of company. After leadingthe nation in scoring defense a year ago,Princeton ranks seventh in that category thisseason. The Tigers entered the weekend allowingonly 56.6 points per game and is the sole Ivy teamin the top 25.

But it was not for lack of chances that Harvardsuffered. The Crimson took 60 shots in thegame--atypically high for Princeton's defense--andhad numerous clean looks at the basket.

"We got absolutely every shot we wanted,"Delaney-Smith said. "We rushed a couple, we madean adjustment, and then we got gimmes that didn'tgo in."

In the first half, Janowski was the only Cantabwho could get into the scoring column with anyconsistency. She notched six straight points forthe Crimson midway through the period on a 10-footjumper, a lay-up from the right post and anoffensive rebound and putback.

Janowski had 10 points in the half before thePrinceton defense sealed the middle in the game'slater stages. She scored just three in the second.

"They didn't really decide to defend us in thepost until they realized we were scoring so much,"Janowski said. "We didn't take as much advantageof it as we could have. In the second half theydoubled the post, and that frazzled us."

Princeton did not need much offense to takea 25-19 halftime lead, but when it did score, itutilized unmolested drives initiated by the quickfirst steps of Angell, who had 18, and juniorpoint guard Maggie Langlas, who scored 12. Bothplayers seemed to own the baseline throughout thegame, and Harvard was too slow on its rotations tostop them.

"Our first job was to stop the threes, so theonly thing they could go to was the drive,"Janowski said. "We were warned about the drive. Weshould have had a lot better help defense. We didwell in the first half, but in the second half wehad a couple of breakdowns."

The Tigers held a nine-point lead, 34-25, with11:12 left before Harvard-or, more accurately,Monti--started to make things interesting. Firstshe ignited the crowd and her team with a paralyzingcrossover and a jumper from the foul line extendedto bring Harvard within seven.

Two possessions later, Monti looted juniorguard Kate Thirolf in the backcourt, ducked underthe basket, flipped in the lay-up and drew a fouland roars from the 1,500-strong Lavietes Pavilionfaithful. Her free throw made it a four-point gamewith over 10 minutes to play.

"I feel more comfortable with being theleader [than earlier in the season]," said Monti,who score all 14 of her points in the second half."It's hard to come in as a freshman and judge howto lead, whether by example or by talking, and nowthat I'm more comfortable with the system, itbecomes a leadership by example position. I feel alot more comfortable just letting it all go."

A cliche-infested sports article might remarkthat Monti's heroics were too little, too late. AMonti jumper with the shot clock winding downbrought Harvard within three, 41-38, at the 4:11mark, but Angell put the fannies back in theirseats for good with her team's first three of thegame, from the top of the key.

Angell hit her second 1:12 later to give theTigers an insurmountable nine-point advantage.Monti hit two baskets to bring Harvard withinfive, but the remainder of the game was aPrinceton free-throw fest.

Harvard's scoring woes against Princeton werein step with its first two games after the exambreak, a pair of losses to Yale and Brown. Harvardhas shot 35.4 percent in its three Ivy losses.

"The shots aren't going in." said Delaney-Smithafter the game. "Why don't they going in? Becausewe're tight, because we're young, because we'rescared, because we don't communicate on thefloor. That's more of our problem than the systembeing terrible wrong."

The Crimson faces an uphill battle in itsefforts to win a fourth straight Ivy League title,unprecedented since the league began doubleround-robin play in the 1982-83 season.Realistically, it must win the remainder of itsgames and hope for an additional loss by bothDartmouth and Princeton, which play each other andHarvard once more this season.

"We're going to try to remind ourselves everyday not to look ahead, not to look at other scoresin the league," Janowski said. "It's still ado-able goal to win the League."

HARVARD, 70-80 at Lavietes Pavilion

Penn  35  33  -  68Harvard  33  37  -  70

PENN: West 7-21 1-2 17; Caramanico 9-18 5-623; Ladley 5-13 0-0 13; Van Stone 0-0 1-2 1; Allen5-11 0-0 10; Cavanaugh 0-1 0-0 0; Alexander 1-20-0 2; Epton 0-2 2-2 2. TOTALS 27-68 9-12 68.HARVARD: Monti 4-7 0-0 9; Egelhoff 5-10 0-014; Russell 2-7 1-2 5; Miller 4-8 0-1 11; Janowski6-13 0-2 12; Ryba 6-9 0-0 12; Kowal 0-0 0; Gates1-5 0-0 3; Kinneen 2-3 0-0 4. TOTALS: 30-62 1-5 70.

PRINCETON, 55-42 at Lavietes Pavilion

Princeton  25  30  -  55Harvard  19  23  -  42

PRINCETON: Thirolf 2-11 3-4 7; Angell 8180-0 18; Drohan 3-5 1-2 7; Langlas 4-8 4-6 12;Munson 1-5 0-0 2; Reser 1-5 2-3 4; Rigney 1-3 3-45; Lockwood 0-2 0-0 0; Bowman 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 20-5713-19 55.HARVARD: Monti 6-13 1-1 14; Egelhoff 0-50-0 0; Miller 1-11 0-0 3; Russell 3-7 1-3 7;Janowski 5-12 3-6 13; Gates 1-3 0-0 2; Ryba 1-31-2 3; Kowal 0-1 0-0 0; Kinneen 0-3 0-0 0; Barnard0-2 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17-60 6-12 42.CrimsonSeth H. PerlmanEG-GING THEM ON Junior guard COURTNEYEGELHOFF goes up for a shot in Harvard's 55-42home loss to Princton. The next day, she scored 14points in Harvard's 70-68 win over Penn.

Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. "We got the same shotsagainst Penn, but they went in better [on Saturday]."

The loss to Princeton represents the first homeIvy loss for any current Harvard player, a span of23 games dating back to a March 1995 loss toDartmouth. The Crimson now sits in third place inthe Ivies, one game behind the Tiers and the BigGreen (14-7, 6-1).

Freshman point guard Jennifer Monti shined allweekend long. She displayed the "full Monti,"combining for 23 points, 13 assists and 12rebounds on the weekend, and was the driving forcebehind strong second-half runs in both games.

Senior Rose Janowski added 13 and 12 points,respectively, and corralled 18 total rebounds onthe weekend. Junior Courtney Egelhoff paced herteam with 14 points against Penn, including 4-of-7from three-point range.

Harvard 70, Penn 68

As De La Soul might say, three was the magicnumber.

Four straight three-pointers-two by Egelhoffand one apiece from co-captain Suzie Miller andMonti-helped turn a five-point Harvard deficitinto a five-point lead with 1:34 to go in the game.Penn led for most of the see-saw contest, but the fourtreys capped a 12-2 Harvard run that put theCrimson up for good.

One possession after an Egelhoff three broughtHarvard within two, 62-60, Miller rode thenewfound wave of momentum, taking the ball upcourtand launching an NBA-distance trifecta from beyondthe top of the key. The gutsy shot gave theCrimson--down by as many as eight points severaltimes in the second half--its first lead since39-38, at the 16:00 mark.

Quaker sophomore Elisabeth Alexander put herteam ahead briefly with a jumper at the other end,but on the Crimson's ensuing possession, Egelhoffbarked for the ball at one o'clock, took a dishfrom Monti and flung a screaming liner through therim. After a Penn miss, Monti pushed the stake ineven further, hitting a wide open three from theright corner after Janowski astutely passed out ofa triple team in the high post.

"When [Monti] hit that shot, I think that wassort of the clincher for us." co-captain SarahRussell said. "I think the key for us was goingafter the ball and being a little more patient. Weknew the double was coming; we all just went afterit a little harder. Plus it helped that peoplewere reading the defense, and with the triangleoffense, that's the only way it's ever going towork and flow."

Monti's three did not prevent some anxiousmoments in the game's final minute. As big as theQuakers in the fight were--two Penn starters stand6'2 or taller--the fight in the Quakers was ofstill greater size.

Sophomore forward Diana Caramanico, who ledboth teams with 23 points and 12 rebounds, broughtPenn within three with a baby jumper from belowthe foul line. Harvard then lost possession whenRussell could not handle a sloppy inbounds pass,and sophomore center Jessica Allen trimmed thedeficit to one on a floater from the right blockswith 13 seconds remaining.

Penn had to commit three fouls on the inboundsbefore putting Harvard in the bonus, and Millerwas sent to the line for a one-and-one with eightseconds left. Miller missed the front end,igniting a wild scramble for the ball. Caramanicoappeared to haul it down, but Russell flicked itout of her hands, secured possession and drew afoul.

"I got luck in terms of where I was," Russellsaid. "I was feeling aggressive the whole game. Alot of times the ball would bounce my way or Iwould sit on a rebound or a box-out way too longbefore getting the ball, and that was one opportunitywhere I really had to go get it, and that felt good."

Russell hit the first free throw to put the Crimsonup two. She missed the second and Penn guard ErinLadley pushed the ball upcourt, but Monti blockedher midcourt heave to preserve the win. Theblock--the second in Monti's career--was riskyconsidering Ladley would have gotten three freethrow attempts had a foul been called, but theplay was emblematic of the emotional gusto withwhich Monti played the entire game.

"She shot from so low, the ball was barely outof her hands," said Monti, whose stat lineincluded nine points, 11 assists, six rebounds andtwo steals along with the block. "She wasn'tterribly in control and she wasn't really fallingeither, so I just kept my hand at a distance andshe came into me. I wouldn't have taken such arisk if I thought I might foul. My body wasn'tthere, it was really just my hand, and she cameinto me."

Harvard's late-game heroics rescued the Crimsonfrom a loss that would have effectively knockedit out of the league championship race. Aftertaking a 35-33 advantage into halftime, theQuakers padded their lead throughout the firsthalf of the second. A foul-line jumper by junior guardMandy West gave Penn its largest lead, 57-49, with 8:37 to go.

Although Harvard was prepared defensively forWest--who had 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting--andCaramanico, last season's Ivy League Rookie of theYear, it was the play of Ladley and Allen thatperhaps made the difference.

Ladley, who poured in 13 points and grabbed sixrebounds, was a Viking from beyond the arc,hitting 3-of-5 from distance. Allen, a giant at6'3, scored 10 points largely by floatingfoul-line jumpers over her defenders.

"I was impressed with the way the other [Penn]players stepped up," Russell said. "We were reallyexpecting just to have to guard [West and Caramanico]."

Harvard's defense made the adjustment in thesecond, holding Ladley and Allen to seven pointsafter the break. Meanwhile, Janowski began toassert herself on the offensive end.

The 6'2 senior scored eight of Harvard's 10points over a stretch of 3:15 midway through thesecond on a variety of shots--transition lay-up,dribble-drive move from the foul line, rebound andput back. Harvard narrowed the deficit onlyslightly during Janowski's scoring binge, butthe need to focus on the blocks freed up Harvard'sshooters and presented the Quakers with a classichigh-low dilemma that ultimately sealed Penn'sfate.

"When we run in transition, we're hard to beat,especially if we're hitting from the outside,"Monti said. "It really forces them to come out[defensively], which opens up the inside for Rose[Janowski] and Sarah [Russell]. We didn't hit asmuch as we should have today, but when we did theygot great looks."

Princeton 55, Harvard 42

Like their maddeningly deliberate brethren, thePrinceton women might be described as theM-E-T-H-O-D team. The Tigers run the mostcomplicated offense Delaney-Smith's team has facedthis season, but the Crimson seemed up to the taskof defending it.

Harvard held Princeton to 35.1 percent shootingfrom the floor, including a truly embarrassing2-of-21 from three. The Tigers did not hit theirfirst shot from distance until senior forwardJulie Angell nailed the first of her game-sealingBack-to-back threes with 3:38 to go.

"To stop Princeton's offence is entirelyopposite your instincts," Delaney-Smith said. "Ifyou are on the weak side and you jump to the balllow, that's when they hit you with back screens orcut backdoor on you. You have to work a lotdefensively to jump at the correct angles, oryou're going to get screwed.

"We did a great job, with just three or fourbreakdowns, but we just didn't shut the drive ontop of that in the second half," she added.

Indeed, it is Harvard's offense that mustshoulder the blame for its first home loss to anIvy opponent in recent memory. The Crimson shotjust 28.3 percent from the field and hit only2-of-16 three point attempts.

Harvard has plenty of company. After leadingthe nation in scoring defense a year ago,Princeton ranks seventh in that category thisseason. The Tigers entered the weekend allowingonly 56.6 points per game and is the sole Ivy teamin the top 25.

But it was not for lack of chances that Harvardsuffered. The Crimson took 60 shots in thegame--atypically high for Princeton's defense--andhad numerous clean looks at the basket.

"We got absolutely every shot we wanted,"Delaney-Smith said. "We rushed a couple, we madean adjustment, and then we got gimmes that didn'tgo in."

In the first half, Janowski was the only Cantabwho could get into the scoring column with anyconsistency. She notched six straight points forthe Crimson midway through the period on a 10-footjumper, a lay-up from the right post and anoffensive rebound and putback.

Janowski had 10 points in the half before thePrinceton defense sealed the middle in the game'slater stages. She scored just three in the second.

"They didn't really decide to defend us in thepost until they realized we were scoring so much,"Janowski said. "We didn't take as much advantageof it as we could have. In the second half theydoubled the post, and that frazzled us."

Princeton did not need much offense to takea 25-19 halftime lead, but when it did score, itutilized unmolested drives initiated by the quickfirst steps of Angell, who had 18, and juniorpoint guard Maggie Langlas, who scored 12. Bothplayers seemed to own the baseline throughout thegame, and Harvard was too slow on its rotations tostop them.

"Our first job was to stop the threes, so theonly thing they could go to was the drive,"Janowski said. "We were warned about the drive. Weshould have had a lot better help defense. We didwell in the first half, but in the second half wehad a couple of breakdowns."

The Tigers held a nine-point lead, 34-25, with11:12 left before Harvard-or, more accurately,Monti--started to make things interesting. Firstshe ignited the crowd and her team with a paralyzingcrossover and a jumper from the foul line extendedto bring Harvard within seven.

Two possessions later, Monti looted juniorguard Kate Thirolf in the backcourt, ducked underthe basket, flipped in the lay-up and drew a fouland roars from the 1,500-strong Lavietes Pavilionfaithful. Her free throw made it a four-point gamewith over 10 minutes to play.

"I feel more comfortable with being theleader [than earlier in the season]," said Monti,who score all 14 of her points in the second half."It's hard to come in as a freshman and judge howto lead, whether by example or by talking, and nowthat I'm more comfortable with the system, itbecomes a leadership by example position. I feel alot more comfortable just letting it all go."

A cliche-infested sports article might remarkthat Monti's heroics were too little, too late. AMonti jumper with the shot clock winding downbrought Harvard within three, 41-38, at the 4:11mark, but Angell put the fannies back in theirseats for good with her team's first three of thegame, from the top of the key.

Angell hit her second 1:12 later to give theTigers an insurmountable nine-point advantage.Monti hit two baskets to bring Harvard withinfive, but the remainder of the game was aPrinceton free-throw fest.

Harvard's scoring woes against Princeton werein step with its first two games after the exambreak, a pair of losses to Yale and Brown. Harvardhas shot 35.4 percent in its three Ivy losses.

"The shots aren't going in." said Delaney-Smithafter the game. "Why don't they going in? Becausewe're tight, because we're young, because we'rescared, because we don't communicate on thefloor. That's more of our problem than the systembeing terrible wrong."

The Crimson faces an uphill battle in itsefforts to win a fourth straight Ivy League title,unprecedented since the league began doubleround-robin play in the 1982-83 season.Realistically, it must win the remainder of itsgames and hope for an additional loss by bothDartmouth and Princeton, which play each other andHarvard once more this season.

"We're going to try to remind ourselves everyday not to look ahead, not to look at other scoresin the league," Janowski said. "It's still ado-able goal to win the League."

HARVARD, 70-80 at Lavietes Pavilion

Penn  35  33  -  68Harvard  33  37  -  70

PENN: West 7-21 1-2 17; Caramanico 9-18 5-623; Ladley 5-13 0-0 13; Van Stone 0-0 1-2 1; Allen5-11 0-0 10; Cavanaugh 0-1 0-0 0; Alexander 1-20-0 2; Epton 0-2 2-2 2. TOTALS 27-68 9-12 68.HARVARD: Monti 4-7 0-0 9; Egelhoff 5-10 0-014; Russell 2-7 1-2 5; Miller 4-8 0-1 11; Janowski6-13 0-2 12; Ryba 6-9 0-0 12; Kowal 0-0 0; Gates1-5 0-0 3; Kinneen 2-3 0-0 4. TOTALS: 30-62 1-5 70.

PRINCETON, 55-42 at Lavietes Pavilion

Princeton  25  30  -  55Harvard  19  23  -  42

PRINCETON: Thirolf 2-11 3-4 7; Angell 8180-0 18; Drohan 3-5 1-2 7; Langlas 4-8 4-6 12;Munson 1-5 0-0 2; Reser 1-5 2-3 4; Rigney 1-3 3-45; Lockwood 0-2 0-0 0; Bowman 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 20-5713-19 55.HARVARD: Monti 6-13 1-1 14; Egelhoff 0-50-0 0; Miller 1-11 0-0 3; Russell 3-7 1-3 7;Janowski 5-12 3-6 13; Gates 1-3 0-0 2; Ryba 1-31-2 3; Kowal 0-1 0-0 0; Kinneen 0-3 0-0 0; Barnard0-2 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17-60 6-12 42.CrimsonSeth H. PerlmanEG-GING THEM ON Junior guard COURTNEYEGELHOFF goes up for a shot in Harvard's 55-42home loss to Princton. The next day, she scored 14points in Harvard's 70-68 win over Penn.

PRINCETON, 55-42 at Lavietes Pavilion

Princeton  25  30  -  55Harvard  19  23  -  42

PRINCETON: Thirolf 2-11 3-4 7; Angell 8180-0 18; Drohan 3-5 1-2 7; Langlas 4-8 4-6 12;Munson 1-5 0-0 2; Reser 1-5 2-3 4; Rigney 1-3 3-45; Lockwood 0-2 0-0 0; Bowman 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 20-5713-19 55.HARVARD: Monti 6-13 1-1 14; Egelhoff 0-50-0 0; Miller 1-11 0-0 3; Russell 3-7 1-3 7;Janowski 5-12 3-6 13; Gates 1-3 0-0 2; Ryba 1-31-2 3; Kowal 0-1 0-0 0; Kinneen 0-3 0-0 0; Barnard0-2 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17-60 6-12 42.CrimsonSeth H. PerlmanEG-GING THEM ON Junior guard COURTNEYEGELHOFF goes up for a shot in Harvard's 55-42home loss to Princton. The next day, she scored 14points in Harvard's 70-68 win over Penn.