Louisiana Tech Bests Women's Basketball, 83-64, in Atlanta

Harvard guard Kaitlyn Dinkins was heating up.

On the Crimson’s last possession, Dinkins had answered a Louisiana Tech three-pointer with a trey of her own. Now, with 15 minutes left in the second half, the senior guard watched as another of her long-distance heaves fell through the net.

The Harvard bench erupted. After facing a 17-point deficit earlier in the half, the team had clawed back to trail, 50-41. The corresponding shift in momentum was large enough to cause the Lady Techsters to motion for a timeout.

“It felt good to be able to help my team climb back in the game,” Dinkins said. “I was set up very well by my teammates for all of my shots.”

But Harvard’s celebration ended when play resumed. Over the next two minutes, Louisiana Tech (5-5) rebuilt the lead with a 9-0 run that ultimately doomed the Crimson (5-5) to an 83-64 loss in the first round of the Georgia Tech Holiday Classic in Atlanta.

Louisiana Tech first took control by holding Harvard scoreless for an eight-minute period that spanned the end of the first half and the beginning of the second.

“We didn’t execute our offense,” Dinkins said. “I think it was less about their defense and more about us. They crashed the boards hard, and we didn’t match their intensity.”

With 5:29 left in the first half, Harvard forward Erin McDonnell converted a free throw to tie the score at 26 apiece. The Crimson would not score again until three minutes into the second half. By that point, the Lady Techsters owned a 17-point advantage.

Louisiana Tech relied on strong box-outs to keep Harvard at bay. On the game, the Lady Techsters outrebounded Harvard, 53-39, and six players grabbed five or more boards.

“Going into this game, we knew that rebounding was one of Louisiana Tech’s strengths,” junior forward AnnMarie Healy said. “Unfortunately, we were not able to control this part of the game due to an inconsistent effort and mental commitment.”

The Lady Techsters rode bench contributions to victory. Louisiana Tech’s second unit racked up 51 points, including a gritty 19 from Tiara Davenport. The freshman guard repeatedly attacked the basket despite contact and finished with seven points from the charity stripe.

“They pushed it very well in transition,” Dinkins said. “We didn’t get back quick enough or make the adjustment.”

Meanwhile, the Crimson’s bench accounted for 15 points on a combined 4-for-20 performance.

After parrying Dinkins’ three-pointers with a convincing run, the Lady Techsters never gave Harvard much of a chance of getting back into the game. For the rest of the second half, the Crimson never got closer than 13.

Senior forward Temi Fagbenle led the Harvard attack with 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting and seven rebounds. The performance furthered a yearlong campaign in which Fagbenle is averaging a double-double, putting up 14.4 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.

“[Fagbenle] is not only a vocal leader, but also leads the team by doing,” Healy said. “Her success comes from her dedication to this team, commitment to consistency, and ability to lead by example, not just words.”

Forward Erin McDonnell finished with 15 points, and Dinkins contributed 12 by shooting 4-for-5 from three-point land.

Although the Crimson had not played in nine days, the team showed little rust in the early going. After Dinkins sank a three-pointer in the first 10 seconds, Harvard intermittently held the lead until the 14-minute mark of the first half, when the Crimson’s scoreless stretch began.

Harvard’s defeat denied the team an appearance in the final of the Georgia Tech Holiday Classic. Instead, the Crimson will face Lipscomb University, which lost by 18 to Georgia Tech later on Monday, in Tuesday’s consolation game.

“It comes back to inconsistency,” Healy said. “I love playing for this team and have so much faith in our success…. [It’s] disappointing after how hard we all worked in preparation for the game.”

—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sdanello@college.harvard.edu.