W. Basketball's Seniors Come Up One Win Short

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—There will be no Madness for Harvard seniors Reka Cserny and Katie Murphy, but that’s not for lack of magic.

After guiding a young Crimson team to a share of the Ivy Title, Murphy and Cserny finished their final forty minutes the same way they always did.

They took charges. They scrapped for loose balls. They contested rebounds, deflected passes, and sprinted up the court to challenge Dartmouth’s transition offense.

When Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith told her team the second half of the season would require tireless defense, Cserny and Murphy spear-headed an effort that led to the Crimson’s 12-2 record in its last 14 games.

And down double-digits against Dartmouth, the clock winding down on their collegiate careers, the senior duo showed no signs of relenting.

Frustrated into a scoreless night from the field, Murphy contributed in other ways—swiping two steals and tallying three assists. It was a performance typical of the gritty floor leader who has been overlooked in the stat column and on All-Ivy teams for years.

“You just love coaching a kid like Katie Murphy,” Delaney-Smith said. “[She] is the kind of player who brings all the intangibles to your program without every getting credit for them. The steals, the take the charges, the strip from behind, the pump the team up—she has done that all year.”

Murphy, who finished the season third in the league in steals at 2.31 per game and fifth in assists with 3.74 a contest, proved on Saturday to be the feisty, unrelenting spark-plug who came to Harvard four years ago as a walk-on and without a varsity spot.

“I wanted to put her on JV her first year,” Delaney-Smith said. “I let her take part in preseason, and she blew me away in the tryout. There was no way I couldn’t take her.”

Four years later, Delaney-Smith’s observation still rings true.

“She is the heart and soul of this team,” Delaney-Smith said of Murphy earlier in the season. “And she never has a bad game.”

Murphy finished the game 0-of-7 from the field, but she took a charge and sprinted after countless long rebounds. Her defensive effort kept the Crimson within shouting distance even as they shot an uncharacteristic 6-of-30 from beyond the arc.

“She did a lot of things on the court today and every single day this year,” captain Cserny said, “even if it doesn’t show up in the stats.”

Cserny, however, never found statistical anonymity during her four years in a Crimson uniform. The Ivy Rookie of the Year in 2001-2002, Cserny added a final bookend to her career with the Ivy League Player of the Year honor she received last week.

She finished her Harvard career a four-time first team All-Ivy selection and the conference’s leading scorer at 20.9 points per game, her name at the top of almost every statistical category.

“She’s the kind of player that you coach for,” Delaney-Smith. “She has surpassed anything any school in this country could ever want out of a student athlete. She is the epitome of a leader.”

And she is beloved more than most.

“I don’t know if I’ve had a superstar who’s more worshipped than she is,” Delaney-Smith added.

On Saturday, Cserny struggled offensively in the first half. Two quick fouls put her on the bench with just under 12 minutes remaining in the frame.

But Cserny—whose late surge against Dartmouth on Tuesday sent the two teams into Saturday’s playoff—returned just before halftime with characteristic brilliance. She capped off the final five minutes of the half with six points to bring the Crimson to within 12.

The stat column was kind to Cserny: she finished with 15 points, nine rebounds—four of them on the offensive glass—and three steals.

Like Murphy, however, Cserny’s worth extended beyond the box score.

“She never thinks about herself,” Delaney-Smith said. “The last thing on her mind is her own stats. It’s really very refreshing to be around someone like that for four years.”

Cserny endured the physical contact she met each time she went to the basket, greeted by Dartmouth center Elise Morrison and forward Krista Perry. She hit the floor several times while going for a layup or an offensive rebound. And despite battling foul trouble in the first half, Cserny continued to play aggressive defense.

“We have enormous respect for Reka,” Dartmouth coach Chris Wielgus said. “She’s done a wonderful job for Harvard. She’s done a wonderful job for the Ivy League. She has played her heart out.”

And when Delaney-Smith substituted for Cserny with less than a minute remaining and the Crimson down 73-61, the Harvard faithful erupted, chanting her name.

Seconds earlier, when Murphy fouled out during Harvard’s attempt to stop the clock, a rousing chorus of “Katie Murphy” similarly filled the Pizzitola Center.

The fans cheered the former walk-on and the international sensation in the same breath, two players who arrived as freshmen with little in common and who left as seniors and champions.

“This is a team that had peaks and valleys,” Delaney-Smith said. “I honestly feel that the seniors’ leadership allowed us to be co-champions. I just adore them for that.”

—Staff writer Aidan E. Tait can be reached at atait@fas.harvard.edu.