Women’s basketball takes bite out of Bulldogs

In the final home appearance of their Harvard basketball careers, the four seniors honored before Saturday evening’s (March 7) game put on quite a show for the home crowd at Lavietes Pavilion.

After Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith greeted co-captains Niki Finelli and Emily Tay, along with Emma Moretzsohn and Katie Rollins, each athlete was escorted to center court by her parents. An enthusiastic crowd, of which President Drew Faust was a part, offered the seniors a standing ovation for their dedication to the Harvard basketball program.

Following photos and hugs, it was back to business for the Crimson cagers.

Harvard came out of the gate on fire, starting the game with a 12-0 run. They never looked back.

Offensively, senior guard Tay led the way for the Crimson with a career-high 34 points. Harvard controlled the ball at both ends of the court in the first half, holding Yale to just 17 points and 24 percent from the field. At the other end of the court, Harvard dominated, amassing an impressive 24-point lead by the end of the half.

If Yale was hoping to make its comeback in the second half, Harvard quickly ended that plan by scoring 5 points in the first minute. From then on, Harvard marched steadily along, building its lead to 32 midway through the second half.

Though Yale never gave up, battling hard throughout the game, it was Harvard’s night.

Freshman Brogan Berry scored 15 points in the contest, and six other players chipped in to add to the home team’s season-high 91 points as they downed the Bulldogs, 91-57, to improve to 19-8 overall and 11-2 in the Ivy League.

Tay’s performance earned her third Ivy Player of the Week honor this season and moved her up to eighth in career scoring at Harvard with 1,246 points.

The Crimson concluded the regular season with a 64-51 loss to Dartmouth on Tuesday (March 10), vying for a share of their third straight Ivy League championship. Although Harvard finished one win short of a league title this year, the Crimson look to do damage in the WNIT (Women’s National Invitation Tournament) against some of the nation’s most competitive teams not participating in the NCAA tournament. The Crimson’s first-round opponent will be announced on Monday (March 16).