Lippert Leads Harvard to Wins

Fans of the Harvard women’s basketball team held their breath Friday night as they witnessed Princeton pull ahead toward the end of the second half in a matchup between two Ivy League unbeatens.

With the Crimson trailing, 62-61, junior Brogan Berry got the ball at the top of the key and attacked the basket, opening up sophomore Victoria Lippert in the corner. Berry snapped the ball out, and Lippert drained the three with ease.

With the three, Harvard snatched the lead again, and went on to win, 73-67.

“That three was so crucial,” co-captain Jackie Alemany said. “But none of us were surprised she hit that shot.”

In fact, no one was surprised by Victoria Lippert’s game-changing shot.

“For her short career, she’s probably had the most ‘big’ shots of any of my teammates,” co-captain Christine Matera added.

But according to Lippert, the shot was more about her teammates than herself.

“I just have to give credit to my teammates for setting me up like that,” Lippert said.

Lippert finished with 14 points, including a number of key baskets down the stretch. Lippert shot 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc. In addition to sinking crucial shots, Lippert was also eager to dive into the team’s dirty work, as she led her team in rebounding, pulling down seven boards.

Lippert helped Harvard continue its undefeated streak in Ivy play the following day, as the Crimson toppled Penn before a home crowd Saturday night. The weekend wins place Harvard alone atop the Ivy League.

Against Penn, Lippert again led her team on the boards, finishing with 11 on the night.

From the start of the second half, the lead changed hands multiple times. Twice Lippert hit crucial three-point shots to keep Harvard from slipping behind, giving the team what it needed to send the game to overtime.

The first bonus round ended with another tie, but the Crimson finally wrapped it up in the second overtime, coming away with an 88-84 win.

“I love playing in games like that—the ones that really come down to the wire,” Lippert said. “We have a tremendous will to win the Ivy League title this year.”

The six-foot guard was picked up by Harvard out of California’s Cathedral Catholic High School two years ago and has proven her versatility.

“We had her as a three last season and moved her to a four,” explained coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. “I’m not surprised she had such a great weekend.”

Lippert has shot 57.9 percent from behind the arc thus far in Ivy League play, an impressive feat for someone who is as comfortable under the basket as her.

“[Her versatility] poses a problem for other teams,” Matera explained. “She’s great when she gets a post matchup because then she can pull [her defender] out and score from the outside.”

“She’s a matchup problem for a lot of teams,” Delaney-Smith echoed. “Victoria is at the top of my list in regards to work ethic and motivation.”

Lippert, a history of science concentrator who is a member of Athletes in Action, attributes her ultimate motivation from Jesus Christ.

“It doesn’t really matter what position I’m playing, just as long as I’m on the court, which is really a blessing anyways."