W. Cagers Drop 82-74 Decision to Host Bruins

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The Harvard women's basketball team knew it had to take each half, each game, one at a time.

But Saturday, at Marvel Gymnasium, both halves surrounded Harvard at once, and the Crimson fell to Brown, 82-74, suffering its first Ivy League loss of the season. Harvard fell to 12-6 overall, 6-1 Ivy, and Brown improved to 12-8, 5-3 Ivy.

The Bruins simply outplayed Harvard. They shot 45 percent from the field and the Crimson shot 38 percent Harvard was also outrebounded, 48-39.

The Crimson left its offense in New Haven.

"We did not feel fluid offensively," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "Was it tired legs, perhaps? I don't know."

Brown scorched the court with crisp jumpers and flying baskets. It played like a team with a special mission: to give its seniors a victory against Harvard. The Crimson had defeated Brown in the past six meetings.

"The coach told us at the half, `Let's do this one for the seniors,'" Brown forward Maia Baker said. "Having a big crowd kept us intense. Tonight we felt we had the advantage."

The score at the half was 36-33 in favor of Brown. And while the Bruins were receiving their words of motivation, Harvard came out from the locker room early and began to practice shooting. The Crimson didn't need to talk--it just needed to hit its shots.

"A lot of people didn't seem to be hitting," said Harvard guard Hanya Bluestone, who scored 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting. "We're really disappointed. It was a kind of humbling experience."

In the second half, the Crimson couldn't rediscover its game, and Brown eclipsed Harvard with consistency. The Bruins never trailed in the second half and when the Crimson tied the score, 43-43, three minutes into the half, Brown responded with seven straight points.

"We were able to maintain our composure," Brown coach Jean Marie Burr said. "We had our work cut out for us, but the team was very focused."

Brown received outstanding play from its entire team. Five players scored in double digits, and the bench provided some key assists.

The pure jumpers of guards Shonica Tunstall and Mary Sarigumba, who had 17 and 14 points respectively, fueled Brown.

With nine minutes to go in the half, Brown guard Krista Butterfield fired the ball from mid-court to Tunstall, who nabbed a basket from the baseline. This gave the Bruins a 10-point lead, 63-53.