Lavietes to Play Host to New York Ivies

Cornell and Columbia’s trips to Cambridge last year turned the Ivy League season on its head.

If this weekend’s games are anything like the ones in 2008, Friday and Saturday night will provide a whole lot of excitement for those who make it across the river to Lavietes.

Harvard (12-7, 4-1 Ivy) will face Cornell (7-11, 3-3) today and then Columbia (10-10, 3-3) tomorrow. The two teams are currently breathing down the Crimson’s neck in the league standings, and both games will be vital to the teams involved.

On February 29 last season, Harvard squeaked by a determined Columbia Lions team looking to play spoiler. The same night that the Crimson came away with the 71-70 victory, Dartmouth defeated then-league-leading Cornell, putting Harvard into a tie with the Big Red for first place in the Ivies.

The following night, the two teams met in a game that was essentially billed as the conference final. The Crimson pulled out another dramatic victory, winning 51-48 in front of a massive home crowd.

Harvard’s 2008 dreams of playing in the NCAA Tournament, however, were not to be, as the Crimson suffered a loss to Yale on the final day of the season, and were subsequently beaten by Dartmouth in the three-team playoff. Still, Harvard came out of the Columbia/Cornell weekend with two huge wins that seemed to set it up for an Ivy championship and a spot in the tournament.

In 2009, the rivals will come to Cambridge earlier in the season, but the games are just as important as those of last year.

The Crimson certainly has not forgotten the glory of 2008’s victories and the way it played in two games.

“We try to use the passion and emotion that we had from previous years’ games,” co-captain Niki Finelli said. “But it’s a new season and a new team, and you cannot rely on last year’s play for this years game.”

Harvard comes into the weekend riding a four-game win streak. Back-to-back weekend road trips did not trouble the Crimson, as the team responded positively after its opening home loss to Dartmouth.

In the latest victory, Harvard dominated Brown 71-46. Freshman point guard Brogan Berry led all scorers with 17 points the night after her 18-point performance against Yale. Her play in the two games earned her Ivy League Co-Player of the Week honors. Berry has also been named Ivy League Rookie of the week five times this season.

“She’s a really talented and poised point guard,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said of Berry. “She’s got a great court IQ, is able to penetrate, and is quite deceptive; she’s smart, strong, and quick, has a mid-range jumper, can shoot the three, and we often put her up against the toughest player on the other team.”

The Crimson will need her to be on her game against two very tough opponents.

One thing that remains the same from Harvard’s meeting with Cornell at the end of last season is that the Big Red will be playing without Jeomi Maduka. Maduka, perhaps the league’s best player in 2008, missed the March 1 matchup to participate in a track and field meet. This year, Maduka decided to give up her Big Red basketball career for good.

So far, Cornell has been able to cope without their star. But whether the team can continue to be the powerhouse that it has been in recent years remains to be seen.

The absence of Maduka might change the Crimson’s gameplan, but it certainly won’t change its attitude going into the contest. Harvard knows that the Big Red will still come prepared for a fight. Cornell leads the league in three-pointers made as well as three-point percentage, and also has some power down low with senior Shanna Scarselletta.

“It doesn’t change our mentality towards them,” Finelli said. “It’s going to be important to play to our strengths and use our inside game well.”

That inside game includes the team’s leading scorer, sophomore Emma Markley. Markley is averaging nearly 13 points and seven boards per game. And sophomore Claire Wheeler will look to help out her teammate on the glass down low.

Saturday night, the Crimson will face a much tougher Columbia team than it beat a year ago. The Lions have a very physical and athletic squad that loves to run. They could look to pressure Berry and co-captain Emily Tay in the backcourt, making it difficult for the Harvard guards when bringing the ball up the floor.

The Crimson will get their first look at Columbia’s Julie Lomax, who transferred from Oregon State this year. The sophomore forward leads her team in scoring, averaging over 14 points per game.

While Harvard comes into the weekend with some momentum, the team is still struggling to put together complete games.

“I’m happy with the four wins on the road, but I think we can play better, especially from the start of games,” Delaney-Smith said.

They will need to if they want to extend their unbeaten streak to eight.

“It’s a matter of putting 40 minutes together, starting strong from the tip and continuing our play until the final buzzer,” Finelli said.

—Staff writer Jay M. Cohen can be reached at jaycohen@fas.harvard.edu.