Pioneers Cool Off Harvard’s Hot Start to Season

After an impressive 2-0 start to the season, the Harvard women’s basketball team (2-1) suffered its first loss, 92-77, at the hands of Sacred Heart (1-2) on Saturday in Fairfield, Conn. Sophomore Brogan Berry led the Crimson with a team- and season-high 20 points, but the Pioneers’ dominant three-point shooting and rebounding were too much to overcome.

“We went into the game thinking we could win it,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said, “so we’re a little disappointed that we didn’t.”

The Crimson began with a 5-0 run and extended its lead to double digits four minutes into the game. But Harvard’s defense—a weak spot throughout the game—was unable to hold off Sacred Heart’s offensive onslaught. Following a timeout, the Pioneers pulled back within one of the Crimson off of three-straight three-point shots in just over a minute.

“Obviously it was a tough loss,” Berry said. “I think we just had a mental lapse on defense, but I also think we learned a lot from the game.”

Harvard’s struggles are rooted in a continued search for a definitive style of play, a crucial step for the young squad.

“With a young team, we’re still struggling with our identity,” Delaney-Smith said. “We want defense and rebounding to be our identity, and we fell short on that during the game.”

“We still need to improve on communication and making game adjustments,” Berry added. “We do have a lot of young players, and we’re still learning about one another, as well as the offense and the system of college basketball.”

In the last two games, it seemed as if Harvard had been playing together for years, as the team toppled Boston College and Maine. But against Sacred Heart, which had opened its season 0-2, the Crimson’s inexperience finally came to light.

“Sacred Heart played one heck of a game,” Delaney-Smith said. “They shot the lights out and played really hard. We went against a team that was red hot, and we just didn’t put our best game on the floor.”

The statistic that best defined Sacred Heart’s torrid offensive output was its three-point shooting percentage—an astounding 62.5 percent.

On top of the Pioneers’ deft touch from beyond the arc, Sacred Heart’s aggressive rebounders also plagued Harvard. Although the Crimson dominated the boards in the first half, grabbing 21 rebounds in comparison to its opponents’ 11, Sacred Heart reversed the roles in the second half, pulling down 25 off the glass, compared to the Crimson’s 14. Overall, the Pioneers held an edge in rebounds, 36-35, at the end of regulation.

Behind Berry, the Crimson relied on junior co-captain Christine Matera, who recorded a season-high 12 points, junior Emma Markley, who contributed 10 points, and sophomore Caitlin Rowland, who added a career-high 11.

Despite the loss, Harvard is still optimistic about its remaining schedule.

“We’re lucky the game came early in the season,” Delaney-Smith said. “It was a good wake-up call and reminded us of what we need to work on once we get in to conference play.”

“We’re going to take one game at a time,” Berry added. “We have a tough non-conference and conference schedule, so we’re going to have to work on our weaknesses in each game we play.”

Next up for Harvard is a road game against New Hampshire on Nov. 24. The Wildcats are 2-2 on the season and will likely give the Crimson a good opportunity to both develop its identity as a team and improve on its early-season weaknesses.

“Every game, every practice is a learning experience,” Berry said. “It’s our chance to make ourselves and our teammates better.”