Moretzsohn Bolts Crimson Up Ivies

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines efficient as “productive of desired effect, especially productive without waste.”

Following Saturday’s game against Ivy-rival Cornell (8-11, 4-2 Ivy), sophomore forward Emma Moretzsohn singlehandedly redefined the word with an impressive performance.

Moretzsohn needed only twelve minutes on the floor to record the first double-double of her young career.

She notched 18 points to lead all players and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to pace the Crimson’s Ivy road win.

And to top it off, Moretzsohn also dropped eight of her 18 points over the final three minutes of the second period.

Her singular performance stood in stark contrast to the player who stepped onto the court only one day earlier.

Against Columbia, Moretzsohn, put up only six points but managed to lead the team with two blocks and added one steal to finish the night with only 14 minutes of action.

Defensively, the sophomore set a formidable presence in the post, but Moretzsohn was not as active offensively.

However, that all changed in 24 hours.

Somewhere on the road between New York City and Ithaca, the latent potential that her teammates always knew existed finally emerged.

Using her height to grab rebounds, provide key defensive stops, and reject many a shot had always come easy for Moretzsohn.

It was not until her double-double on Saturday night against Cornell in which the offensive factor finally kicked into gear.

“She was very impressive Saturday night,” sophomore Katie Rollins said. “She displayed confidence and poise that we knew she always had.”

The Harvard women’s basketball team cruised to a 71-57 victory thanks to Moretzsohn’s 8 for 11 shooting from the field.

Moretzsohn’s post play opened up the opportunities for her to find these baskets.

It is a skill Moretzsohn has worked to enhance during her time at Harvard. The hard work finally paid off on Saturday.

In addition. Moretzsohn’s singular performance combined with strong team play lifted the Crimson to its third straight victory and fourth triumph in the Ivies.

During Saturday’s tilt against the Big Red, the Crimson (6-12, 4-1 Ivy) never relinquished the lead after breaking out on a 6-0 advantage early on.

After going down by 12 after a Niki Finelli jumper in the first half, Cornell cut the lead down to nine to make the score 29-20 going into the locker rooms.

After the break, Moretzsohn was not only efficient, but effective. Moretzsohn provided the offense for the Crimson, scoring twelve of her eighteen points in the second half.

Her effort helped Harvard go up by as much as 16 in the second frame, the Crimson’s largest lead of the match. The 6’7’’ forward added a single block to put the icing on her tremendous night.

“She has a great hook shot and she attacked the boards,” Rollins said. “She had a lot of clutch rebounds that gave confidence to herself and to the team.”

That confidence helped three other Crimson players join the double digit club as fellow sophomores Emily Tay and Niki Finelli and junior Lindsay Hallion scored 14, 11, and 10 points respectively.

Her 13 rebounds also inspired Harvard to grab 40 total rebounds compared to the Big Red’s 23.

Combined with her play against Columbia (4-15, 0-5 Ivy) on Friday, the 6’7” forward tallied a total of 24 points and 15 rebounds over the two games to make Moretzsohn’s weekend effort even more impressive,

“She displayed what Emma Moretzsohn basketball is all about,” Rollins said. “I’m glad she’s playing for our team and not someone else.”

And with Harvard tied with Princeton for first in the Ivies, Moretzsohn will be a definite asset on the road to a possible Ivy League title for this upstart Crimson squad.

—Staff Writer Vincent R. Oletu can be reached at voletu@fas.harvard.edu