Harvard Hits the Road for First of Four Contests Away from Lavietes

Photo of freshman Elle Hagedorn courtesy of Gil Talbot.

Harvard Downs Maine, 72-56, Behind Lipperts 24 Points

Particulars
Harvard heads out on the road to face Sacred Heart for the first time in 10 years and looks to improve to 3-0 in for the first time since 2004-05.

Long Road Ahead
The Crimson plays the first of four straight games on the road Saturday. After Harvard’s game at Sacred Heart, the Crimson travels to New Hampshire (Nov. 24) and Colorado for a two contests (Nov. 27 and 28).

Last Time Out
Freshman Victoria Lippert led the Crimson with a game-high 24 points as Harvard downed Maine, 72-56 Tuesday night. Claire Wheeler scored a career-high 15 points in the winning effort. Jackie Alemany pulled down a game- and career-high eight rebounds as well.

The Crimson moved out to a double-digit lead early and maintained the advantage throughout the game. Harvard led by as many as 23 and never let the Black Bears get closer than 14 in the second half.

Harvard shot 45.9 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from three and was perfect from the free throw line.

Not Bad for a Freshman
Victoria Lippert’s 24 points against Maine were the most by a freshman since Emily Tay ’09 put up 24 against Columbia on March 4, 2006.

Conference Honors
Emma Markley was named the Ivy League’s first Player of the Week for the 2009-10 season. She earned the honor for her 23 points, five rebounds and two blocks against Boston College. It was the fourth player of the week honor and fifth weekly honor of her career. Victoria Lippert earned a spot on the honor roll.

The Crimson From Three
Harvard is averaging 10.5 three-pointers per game after two contests. The Crimson hit 11 threes against Boston College and added another 10 against Maine. Harvard is shooting 52.5 percent from beyond the arc this season.

Crash Those Boards
Jackie Alemany grabbed a career-high eight rebounds against Maine. She is tied with Emma Markley for the team lead in rebounds with 4.5 per game.

Accuracy
Harvard shot 52.8 percent from the field against Boston College. The Crimson shot better than that only four times in 2008-09.

Welcome to the 80s
Harvard amassed 82 points in its win over Boston College. It’s the first time the Crimson scored 80 points in a season opener since 2003. Harvard went 4-0 in 2008-09 when scoring 80 or more points.

Five for Fighting
Harvard’s starting line-up against Boston College featured two juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. Victoria Lippert is just the second freshman in the last five years to start the first game of the season. Brogan Berry was the other.

A Helping Hand
Brogan Berry handed out a career-high nine assists against Boston College and Maine. She was second on the team and fifth in the league in helpers last winter (3.45 per game).

Pass the Rock
Harvard had 22 assists in its win over Boston College. The last time the Crimson handed out 22 or more assists was March 6, 2009 against Brown (23).

A Glance at the Pioneers
Sacred Heart has had a full seven days off after a tough 50-49 loss to Villanova, Nov. 16. The Pioneers enter Saturday’s game with a 0-2 record.

The Pioneers have already faced one Ivy League team this winter, falling to Columbia, 79-55, in the season opener.

Two players average double figures after two games. Callan Taylor leads the team with 16.0 points per game after scoring 21 against Columbia and 11 against the Wildcats. Alisa Apo averages 10.0 points in two games.

Last Meeting
Harvard turned a 39-22 halftime lead over the Pioneers into an 83-50 victory Nov. 28, 1999 at Lavietes Pavilion. Laela Sturdy ’00 and Melissa Johnson ’01 led the Crimson with 20 and 16 points, respectively. Brooke Rutnik put up 16 for Sacred Heart.

The Series
Harvard and Sacred Heart have met just twice on the basketball court, both time in 1999. The Crimson won both contests.

The Crimson and the Northeast Conference
Harvard owns a 17-10 record against teams from the Northeast Conference. Central Connecticut State is the last team from that conference to face the Crimson - Harvard beat the Blue Devils, 70-68, last November at the USF Shootout.