Women's Basketball Hosts Dartmouth in Final Regular Season Game
Jackie Alemany grabbed seven rebounds against Princeton (photo courtesy of Gil Talbot).
Game
Notes
The Particulars
Harvard closes out its Ivy League season against Dartmouth Tuesday
at Lavietes Pavilion. A win against the Big Green would give the
Crimson its ninth season with 20 or more wins and best record at
home since 2002-03.
Follow From Home
Greg Kadetsky will have the call for the Crimson Tuesday night
with Brian Maurer providing color commentary. Click on the audio
link above for more information on how to watch and listen to the
Harvard women's basketball team this weekend.
Scouting the Crimson
The Crimson sports a 19-8 overall mark and a 10-3 Ivy League
record and has won 10 of its last 12 games. Emma Markley continues
to lead the team with 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per
game. Victoria Lippert is second in scoring with 13.2 points per
game. Brogan Berry paces the team in assists with 5.7 per game and
is third in scoring with 12.0 ppg.
The Crimson is shooting 43 percent from the field, which is
second in the league. Harvard shoots a league-best 37.7 percent
from beyond the three-point line and a league-best 74.3 percent
from the charity stripe. The Crimson’s 68.9 points per game
is second best in the league.
Last Time Out
Emma Markley posted her seventh double-double of the season and
two other Crimson players scored in double figures but it
wasn’t enough to overcome Princeton as Harvard fell 78-66
Saturday night.
Markley led the Crimson with 21 points and 10 rebounds,
connecting on 10-of-18 shots from the field. The Yorktown Heights,
N.Y., native also had four blocks. Freshman Victoria Lippert added
15 points, while sophomore Brogan Berry had 13 points, seven
rebounds, seven assists and two steals on her 20th birthday. Junior
Jackie Alemany also had seven boards.
A Winning Season
Harvard has already secured its 24th winning season in program
history and 20th under head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. This is the
fourth season in a row with a record of .500 or better and eighth
since 2000.
Home Sweet Home
The Crimson returns to Lavietes Pavilion after four road contests.
Harvard is 11-1 at home this season and could have its best winning
percentage at Lavietes since going unbeaten in 1997-98. The Crimson
has already posted the most victories at home since 2002-03 with
11.
20 Win Plateau
Harvard is just one win away from its 20th victory of the season.
The Crimson has 20 or more wins in one season eight times in
program history. Harvard last accomplished that feat in the 2004-05
season.
Moving On Up
Brogan Berry has 156 assists entering the weekend which is second
on the Harvard single season assists list. She is also ninth on the
all-time career assists list with 256 handouts, she is six assists
away from moving into eighth
Harvard Single Season Assists List
1. Jennifer Monti 178
2. Brogan Berry
156
3. Heidi Kosh
152
4. Jess Gelman
152
5. Jennifer Monti 152
6. Emily Tay
151
7. Maura Jealy 150
8. Emily
Tay 147
9. Jess Gelman
144
10. Emily Tay
143
Postseason Action
The Crimson is headed to the postseason for the eighth time in
program history and to the Women’s National Invitation
Tournament (WNIT) for the second time in as many years. Harvard has
made it to postseason play seven times including six trips to the
NCAA tournament. The Crimson has played in the postseason four of
the last five years, including a trip to the WNIT last year.
Scouting the Big Green
Dartmouth enters its final game of the season with an 11-16
overall record and a 6-7 Ivy League record. The Big Green is 2-3 in
its last five games, having split with Penn and Princeton in its
final home weekend.
Brittney Smith, the 2009 Ivy League Player of the Year, paces
the team with 12.1 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Dartmouth has one of the stingiest defenses in the league, holding
its opponents to just 58.9 ppg.
The Dartmouth Series
Harvard and Dartmouth have met on the court 66 times over the past
34 years, with the Crimson leading the series, 35-31. The Big Green
has won eight of the past 11 meetings, including the last four. The
Big Green last won on Harvard’s home turf on Jan. 5, 2008, a
feat that has happened just nine times since 1976.
Last Meeting
Harvard fell to Dartmouth, 45-44, in the Ivy League opener for
both teams Jan. 16. Juniors Emma Markley and Christine Matera led
the Crimson in scoring with 11 points each. Markley grabbed 11
rebounds to lead the team along with Jackie Alemany. Harvard
trailed 25-18 at the break and used the season half to chip away at
the lead.
With under a minute to play, a layup by Alemany gave Harvard its
first lead of the game since the opening possession to put the
score at 44-43. But with five seconds left on the clock,
Dartmouth’s Margaret Smith was fouled and sealed the victory
for the Big Green as she made both of her free throws.
When Brogan Berry Has…
Nine assists in a game, the Crimson is 3-1.
Eight or more, the Crimson is 5-1.
Seven or more, the Crimson is 12-3.
League Leaders (as of March 7)
Brogan Berry leads the league in free throw shooting (.844) and
assists (5.7). Emma Markley paces the conference in blocks per game
(2.7) and Christine Matera leads the Ivies in three-point field
goals made (2.4).
The Offense
Harvard ranks second in the Ivy League in scoring offense with
68.9 points per game. The Crimson leads the Ancient Eight in free
throw percentage (.743), blocked shots (5.4 per game), three point
field goal percentage (.377) and three-point field goals (6.9 per
game).
Scoring Threats
Harvard has four players who average 10.0 points per game or more.
Emma Markley leads the team with 14.3 ppg, followed by Victoria
Lippert with 13.2 ppg., Brogan Berry with 12.0 ppg., and Christine
Matera with 10.0 ppg.
Down But Not Out
In 2005 and 2008, the Crimson lost its Ivy League opener to
Dartmouth and bounced back to win Ivy League titles. Harvard has
also won Ancient Eight crowns in 1996, 2002 and 2007 after losing
one of its first two conference games.
Block That Shot
Junior Emma Markley has 74 blocks this season for an average of
2.7 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.
Double-Doubles
Junior Emma Markley had recorded seven double-doubles through 27
games this season, including a stretch of four in a row. Victoria
Lippert posted her third collegiate double-double in
Harvard’s win over Yale. The Crimson is 6-3 when a Harvard
player notches a double-double.
Help Me, Help You
Sophomore Brogan Berry has 156 assists this season, averaging 5.7
per game. She has handed out nine, four times this season.
The Crimson From Three
Harvard is averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game after 275
contests. The Crimson hit 11 threes against Boston College and
Boston University and posted double-digit treys three times.
Harvard is shooting 38.0 percent from downtown, which stands 12th
in the nation.
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 438-307 record 27 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.
