Harvard Continues Road Trip, Faces NJIT on Tuesday
Photo of Lindsay Louie courtesy of Gil Talbot.
Particulars
Harvard travels to Newark, N.J., to take on the Highlanders of New
Jersey Institute of Technology.
Last Time Out
Brogan Berry led three Crimson players in double figures as
Harvard beat the UMass Minutewomen, 72-60, Wednesday night in
Amherst.
Berry had 16 points and seven assists while Emma Markley and
Christine Matera added 14 points each. Markley grabbed nine
rebounds and had four blocks while
The Crimson trailed just one time in the game and used a 21-2 run
early in the first half. Harvard connected on their first seven
shots, including five from beyond the arc.
The Minutewomen used a 21-4 spurt in the second half to cut the
Harvard lead to as little as five, but an 11-0 Crimson run put the
game out of reach.
Way to Start
Harvard’s 8-4 record through 12 games is its best start
since the 2002-03 season when the Crimson finished 22-5 overall and
a perfect 14-0 in Ivy League play.
Harvard Runs This Town...
The Crimson won all three of its games against Boston area schools
this season. Harvard defeated Boston College (82-81), Boston
University (85-68) and Northeastern (90-85) all on its home court.
The Crimson averaged 85.6 points per game against its Beantown
neighbors.
...Make That This State
For just the third time in program history, the Crimson played all
five other Division I programs in the Bay State.
In addition to the teams in Boston, Harvard defeated Holy Cross,
74-57, last month and beat UMass, 72-60, Jan. 6. The sweep of the
in-state teams gives Harvard its first unofficial state title.
Scouting the Highlanders
NJIT fell to Yale, 68-58, Saturday afternoon at the Fleisher
Athletic Center. Taiwo Oyelola led the Highlanders with 14 points
and five rebounds.
The Highlanders trailed 36-28 at halftime following a 6-4 Yale run
to end the opening stanza. After the break, the Highlanders kept
the game close, and used an 11-0 run to cut the Bulldog lead to
just one, but was unable to keep the game in reach as Yale went on
a run of their own, outscoring NJIT 10-1.
Kehinde Oyelola added 12 points and five rebounds for the
Highlanders, while Jessica Gerald scored 12 points and had two
blocks.
The Series
This is the first time the Crimson and the Highlanders will meet
on the hardwood.
Starting Hot
Against the UMass Minutewomen on Jan. 6, the Crimson made their
first seven shot attempts to start the game, including five from
behind the arc. Harvard did not miss a shot in the first seven
minutes of the game.
Block That Shot
Junior Emma Markley has 25 blocks this season for an average of
2.1 per game (first in the Ivy League). She set a Colorado
Tournament record for blocks in a game with six against New Orleans
(Nov. 27), while Harvard’s 10 blocks against the Privateers
was also a tournament record.
Home Sweet Home
The Crimson is off to its best start at home since the 1997-98
season with a 6-0 record at Lavietes Pavilion this season.
Harvard has had the scoring touch at Lavietes Pavilion averaging
79 points per game at home this season.
League Leaders (as of Jan. 11)
Brogan Berry leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.5),
assists (6.4) and free throw percentage (.862).
The Offense
Harvard ranks first the Ivy League in scoring offense with 73.6
points per game. The Crimson also leads the Ancient Eight in free
throw percentage (.777) and blocked shots (4.8 per game).
Scoring Threats
Harvard has four players who average 10.0 points per game or more.
Emma Markley leads the team with 16.0 ppg, followed by Brogan Berry
with 14.3 ppg, Victoria Lippert with 12.6 ppg and Christine Matera
with 10.4 ppg.
First Time for Everything
Harvard made its first trip to Colorado in program history over
Thanksgiving. It also played New Orleans and Navy for the first
time on the hardwood. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is
the final first time opponent for the Crimson of the season.
Harvard is 2-0 against first time opponents in 2009-10.
On the Bench
Kathy Delaney-Smith, the winningest coach in program history, is
in her 28th season on the bench for the Crimson. Delaney-Smith, who
has led the Crimson to 11 Ivy League titles, recorded her 400th
career victory with a 68-47 win over Brown on March 7, 2008. She
sports a 427-303 record 12 games into her 28th season.
Assistant Coach Bri Fecteau is back for her seventh season, while
Kelly Finley returns for her second. She served as a volunteer
assistant in 2008-09. Todd Earl, another Colorado State graduate,
joins the staff as a volunteer coach this season.
