PREVIEW: Women’s Basketball Returns Home to Host Princeton, Penn

For the past four years, Harvard has finished third in the Ivy League behind Princeton and Penn. This upcoming weekend, the Crimson will return to Lavietes Pavilion for a chance to usurp their Ancient Eight foes when they face the Tigers on Friday and the Quakers on Saturday.

Harvard (11-8, 4-2 Ivy League) is coming off its second consecutive road split, where it fell to Columbia before outlasting Cornell. The Crimson is currently second in the conference standings, with the chance to take over the first spot from Penn with a home sweep this weekend.

Earning that coveted first spot will be no easy feat for the Crimson, however. Penn (15-3, 5-0) is currently undefeated in conference play and have a scoring margin of over 14 points a game. Princeton (11-9, 3-2 Ivy) currently sits one spot below Harvard and has always proven to be a difficult matchup.

After a tough five-game road stint, playing at home will be a welcome sight for the Crimson. Junior guard Katie Benzan acknowledges the advantage that playing at home gives her group.

“We love playing at home,” said Benzan. “It will definitely boost our confidence and our drive to succeed.”

The home crowd should help the Harvard play to its two critical strengths: scoring and rebounding. The Crimson have four different double-digit scorers with Katie Benzan and senior guard Madeline Raster leading the team with 14.3 and 13.7 apiece. The team has also managed to score over 70 points a game against conference opponents.

While their offense is potent with an array of outside shooters, the Tigers and Quakers both boast respectable defenses capable of stifling the Harvard attack. Princeton has allowed 64 points a game while Penn has let up a mere 50. Co-captain Madeline Raster noted the importance of being able to score against Penn’s zone.

“Penn usually plays a tough zone, so we need to play our offense with poise, take advantage of the gaps in their defense, and hit our shots,” Raster said. “We just have to play at our pace and not let the other team’s momentum dictate how we play our game.”

The key to a Crimson victory will be its ability to control the tempo of the game. The team’s best asset is its capacity to score both inside and out. If it can get the offense going early, Harvard can make the Quakers uncomfortable in their vaunted zone defense.

Likewise, Harvard has to control tempo against the Tigers and prevent their scoring attack from getting too comfortable. Princeton scores over 70 points a game and has the ability to go toe to toe with the Crimson offense.

“Princeton has some 3-point shooters and a talented guard-forward, which means we have to know the scout and not allow those players to be comfortable against our defense,” Raster said.

To control the pace effectively on both the offensive and defensive end, Harvard will have to continue to excel at one of its strong suits: rebounding. The Crimson is out-rebounding opponents by over 5.3 boards per game and has one of the best offensive rebounders in the country in Jadyn Bush.

If Bush continues her rate of offensive rebounding, she could potentially finish top-five in the entire nation in this category. Being able to have second chance opportunities off offensive rebounds will be crucial against a team like Penn, whose defense has stymied opponents to shots at a 32.6% clip.

If Harvard can play to its strengths and control the tempo of the game, the team will be in a position to outlast its Ivy League competitors. This weekend’s games can have a significant impact on the conference standings and give the Crimson early momentum against its potential playoff adversaries.

“Both of these games this weekend is important,” Benzan said. “The championship is on the line. We have to come out hungry to sweep this weekend.”

Look for Harvard to try to avenge its semifinal playoff loss from last year and get one step closer to Ancient Eight glory.

—Staff writer Mahtab Shihab can be reached at mahtab.shihab@thecrimson.com.