Crimson Clamps Down: Harvard’s Defense Shines in Ivy Wins

Harvard women’s basketball (19-3, 8-2 Ivy) secured a pair of crucial conference wins over New York foes, dominating Cornell (7-16, 3-7 Ivy) with a 66-29 rout before edging out top-ranked Columbia (18-5, 9-1) in a hard-fought 60-54 victory.

The pair of victories extends Harvard’s win streak to four games, as the team has entered its most dominant stretch of the season, conceding a remarkable 43.5 points-per-game in the month of February.

Harvard 66, Cornell 29

In its finest defensive performance of the Ivy League season, the Crimson held the Big Red to an abysmally low offensive output, a stark contrast to the 72-60 outing the two squads had at the start of February.

The senior tandem of Harmoni Turner and Elena Rodriguez shined in this matchup, leading the way with 21 and 18 points, respectively.

Harvard opened the game with a dominant 8-0 run, punctuated by a steal and fast-break layup and-one from Rodriguez, causing Cornell to call timeout. The reset helped the Big Red find its first basket, but the Crimson quickly countered with another 8-0 surge, fueled by seven points from Rodriguez in the period.

The Crimson defense hounded the Big Red throughout the period, keeping it scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Though Cornell managed a late surge to cut the deficit to single digits, a jumper from junior captain Katie Krupa ensured Harvard ended the period with an 18-7 lead.

Harvard’s defensive dominance carried into the second quarter, keeping Cornell off the scoreboard until the 5:34 mark. Remarkably, the Crimson didn’t allow a single field goal in the period, as the Big Red struggled to a dismal 0-for-12 shooting and 3-for-23 in the first half. While Harvard generated quality looks from beyond the arc, only Turner capitalized, draining two treys to stretch the lead to 24-7.

Cornell ended its scoring drought at the charity stripe, but Rodriguez quickly took control. Showcasing her finesse in the paint, she used her masterful footwork to shake her defender, drawing a foul while sinking a smooth hook shot. After converting the and-one, she followed with another post hook, helping Harvard head into halftime with a commanding 29-12 lead.

Turner quickly established her presence to start the second half, generating turnovers and igniting a personal 7-0 run. Drawing multiple defenders with her paint presence, Rodriguez found junior Saniyah Glenn-Bello for another triple, extending Harvard’s lead to 39-14 and forcing a Cornell timeout.

This time, the timeout provided no relief for the Big Red, who succumbed to Harvard’s relentless full court press. Consecutive turnovers led to easy layups for Turner and Glenn-Bello. Harvard stretched its lead to as much as 30 points, but a late Cornell three-pointer narrowed the gap to 50-22 heading into the final quarter.

Though the final period presented merely a formality, Rodriguez and Turner continued to dominate, combining for a 9-2 run. Both of their days were over halfway through the period, but the Crimson continued its perimeter assault with Karlee White and Krupa knocking down triples. Harvard’s defense did not surrender a point for the final four minutes, as Harvard topped Cornell 66-29.

Harvard 60, Columbia 54

The Crimson’s defensive masterclass carried into its rematch with the Lions, prevailing 60-54 and avenging its previous 80-71 loss. Turner delivered an all-around performance, tallying 22-8-7 points-rebounds-assists including 10-for-16 free throw shooting. Glenn-Bello and sophomore Abigail Wright each contributed 12 points including timely baskets down the stretch.

Unlike the previous matchup against Columbia, Harvard’s defense set the tone early, holding the Ivy League’s top offense to a dismal 0-for-8 shooting to start the match. Despite the defensive success, Harvard struggled to break through Columbia’s man-to-man strategy, leading only 4-3 halfway through the period.

After junior Gabby Anderston stripped Columbia standout Riley Weiss, she delivered a precise cross court pass to Glenn-Bello for a triple. Weiss lost possession again, this time to Turner, who capitalized by drawing a foul and sinking a pair of free throws. Columbia finally converted a field goal, but Turner quickly responded, going right down the floor and threading a bounce pass between two defenders for a Wright layup.

Columbia struggled from the field, shooting just 1-for-13 in the first quarter. However, the Lions made up for it at the free throw line, going 7-for-8 to cut the Crimson lead to 14-9 by the end of the period.

Scoring slowed in the second quarter, but the Lions edged the Crimson 7-5 in the period, chipping away at the deficit. Weiss finally connected on her first field goal of the night, but Turner answered immediately with a deep three-pointer.

Harvard endured a seven minute scoreless stretch while also coughing up possession seven times. The Lions failed to capitalize, shooting just 2-for-6, committing five turnovers of their own, and never pulling closer than 17-16. Turner eventually snapped the dry spell, driving inside before stepping back for a smooth jumper and sending Harvard into halftime with a 19-16 lead.

Columbia found its offensive groove in the third quarter, outscoring Harvard 27-18 in the period. Weiss ignited the Lions’ surge, knocking down a corner three to tie the game at 19-19 to start the quarter. Columbia methodically passed its way out of the Harvard press, eventually finding another corner triple to gain its first lead of the game.

The Lions maintained the momentum as Kitty Henderson finished a backdoor cut for an and-one and Weiss knocked down another triple to complete a commanding 12-0 run. Freshman Karlee White ended Harvard’s drought by securing an offensive board and converting it into second-chance points.

Turner earned trips to the charity stripe, making just 3-of-6 attempts in the third quarter. Wright provided a spark with six points, helping Harvard close the gap to 37-35. However, back-to-back late three-pointers extended the Lions to 43-37 with one more quarter to go.

With its back against the wall, the Crimson rattled off a massive 9-0 run, including two three-pointers from Turner and Glenn-Bello to regain the lead at the start of the fourth quarter. After giving up a layup, Harvard’s defense regrouped with poise, holding the Lions scoreless for over three minutes, much to the chagrin of the Levien crowd.

However, Harvard’s offense struggled to capitalize, managing only two layups from Wright during this stretch. After Columbia broke its scoring drought, the Crimson only led 50-47.

Turner closed the game strong, crossing her defender and knocking down a left-handed floater. After missing another floater, she gathered her own offensive rebound, dishing it to Glenn-Bello for a triple from the top of the key, pushing Harvard’s lead to 56-49.

The Crimson closed the game from the free throw line, not ceding any ground to the Lions, and arriving at the final score of 60-54.

The pair of victories kept Harvard in third place in the Ivy League, but the team made significant progress in its quest for first place, now just a game behind joint leaders Columbia and Princeton. The Crimson’s dominant defensive performances also propelled it back to the No. 1 scoring defense in the country.

Next, Harvard travels to Providence, RI for a showdown against Brown on Saturday at 2:00PM.

—Staff writer Oscar E. Mercado can be reached at oscar.mercado@thecrimson.com.