Harvard set for critical Ivy match ups in NY

As it sits atop the Ivy League standings, the Harvard women’s basketball team appears to be firing on all cylinders. The Crimson (12-8, 5-1 Ivy), the current leaders of the Ivy league and the defending champs, will have to endure a serious threat this weekend as the team begins a crucial stretch of four consecutive league games away from the comforts of Lavietes Pavilion.

After opening league play with a tough five-point defeat at the hands of the Big Green of Dartmouth in early January, Harvard has reeled off five straight victories, including a 10-point defeat of a rival Yale team and a 24-point drubbing of Ivy League bottom-dweller Brown last weekend.

As it finishes up the first half of its Ivy League schedule this weekend the Crimson currently finds itself engaged in a three-way battle with Cornell and Dartmouth to be the lone team atop the standings.

The four-game stretch starts off with a bang tonight as Harvard travels to Ithaca for a match up with the Big Red. Harvard follows up that game with a contest against Columbia at Levien Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.

On the court Friday night, the Crimson will not be the only team that has played well as of late. Cornell enters the weekend on a four-game winning streak of its own and is coming off its greatest point total in a single Ivy League weekend in school history. The Big Red bucketed 157 points in wins against Princeton and Penn.

Cornell is led by 6’2 junior forward Jeomi Maduka, who is third in the Ivy League in scoring at 13.9 points per game and second in rebounding at 7.9 boards per contest. The Crimson expects a physical game down low, as the Big Red’s athletic forwards attempt to create mismatches with the Harvard personnel.

“[Tonight’s] game is a huge game for our team, not only because of the league standings, but also because it is another step in achieving our team goals,” junior guard Niki Finelli said. “Maduka is a very talented player and this week we’ve been focusing on playing strong and tough defense to limit her touches and the impact she can have on the game.”

No matter the outcome against the Cornell, the Crimson must ensure no sort of letdown takes place come tomorrow night in its contest against a very hot Columbia (7-13, 4-2 Ivy) squad. The Lions potential to play tough at home, and surprise top teams, was on display in a 76-59 thrashing of Cornell on January 26. What’s scarier is that Colombia has been playing its best recently.

Led by senior guard Michele Gage—who was named the Ivy League Player of the Week last week after averaging 22 points and 9.5 rebounds in wins against Penn and Princeton—Colombia complete its program’s first ever weekend road-sweep in program history. If the Crimson is going to leave New York City with another Ancient Eight victory it will need to find a way to stop the Lion’s talented shooters.

Harvard’s goal to finish the weekend with two more wins, means that it “cannot have a let down,” according to co-captain Lindsay Hallion. “We need to focus on Harvard. Our focus is always on how we play and not on what the other team may try to do.”

In the Ivy League format, with no conference tournament, every league game is critical to the Crimson’s hope of making the NCAA tournament come March. For Harvard, it doesn’t get much bigger than this weekend.