Wildcats tame Crimson at Big Dance, 79-69:

Andrew Brooks

Gazette Staff

April 3, 2003 2 min read

Fourth-quarter surge fails to lift Harvard in NCAAs

Harvard’s Hana Peljto ’04 flies past KSU defender Kendra Wecker in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Manhattan, Kan., on March 22. Peljto scored 15 points in the losing effort, as the Wildcats curbed the Crimson’s second-half rally to pull ahead, 79-69. (Staff photo by Justin Ide)

“To the stars through difficulties” – the state motto of Kansas – took on some real meaning for the Kansas State women’s basketball team this past Friday (March 22) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Up by 19 points in the second half, the No. 3 Wildcats were forced to hold off a defiant Crimson team in the final four minutes, before taking a 79-69 win in front of nearly 11,000 anxious fans in Manhattan, Kan.

Sophomore center Reka Czerny – who led all scores with 25 points – sparked the Harvard run with eight-straight points before fouling out at 6:14. After a pair of back-to-back threes from team captain Kate Ides ’03, the No. 14-seeded Crimson cut the Kansas State advantage to 69-61 with 3:29 to play. That was as close as Harvard got, however, as the Ivy League Champs saw its 16-game winning streak come to an end.

Forward Hana Peljto ’04 tallied 15 points and eight boards, and was perfect from the charity stripe (6-6), while guard Beverly Moore ’04 scored 14 points.

The game marked the Crimson’s second-straight NCAA tourney appearance and the program’s fifth overall. Harvard closes out its season with a 22-5 overall record (14-0 Ivy).