Courtesy: Brady Smith, Associate Director of Athletic Communications
Release: 02/11/2006
PHILADELPHIA - The Quaker women's basketball team took seven-point
lead into the locker room at halftime, but Harvard simply shot
lights out in the second half (71.4 percent from the field) to
deal Penn its sixth straight defeat, 77-65, Saturday evening at
The Palestra.
Penn (3-17, 1-6 Ivy) jumped out to a 19-9 lead in the first eight
minutes on the game thanks in part to three treys off the hands of
junior Monica Naltner. The Quakers kept a steady lead for most of
the first half and claimed an 11-point advantage, their biggest
lead of the game, after Joey Rhoads hit a lay-up at the 2:41 mark.
The Crimson (8-12, 4-3 Ivy) cut the deficit to seven points after
Christiana Lackner's layup with just four seconds left in the half.
Harvard played like a different team in the second stanza, almost
immediately tying the game after three-pointers by Laura Robinson
and Shana Franklin and a foul shot by Lindsay Hallion, who would
hit another shot on the team's next possession to give the Crimson
the lead. A jumper by Robinson made the score 37-33, capping off
an 11-0 run in the first four minutes of the half.
Penn was plagued by 12 second half turnovers and found itself
trailing by 13 with six minutes remaining in the game. The Quakers
cut the deficit down to nine and then to six points after Rhoads
nailed a three-pointer with 1:50 left.
But it seemed as if Harvard just couldn't miss down the stretch,
as they consistently beat Penn to the basket, racking up most of
their points via layups and high-percentage shots. They were also
tough from the charity stripe, hitting 9-of-11 free throws to
seal the victory.
The Crimson shot an astounding 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the
field and made 16-of-21 foul shots in the second half. Harvard
had four players in double figures in scoring for the game, led
by Franklin's 16 points.
Senior Jennifer Fleischer had another strong night on the boards
for the Quakers, pulling in 15 rebounds while adding six points.
Naltner led all scorers with 18 points, including 5-of-8 from
three-point range. Rhoads scored 14 points and added five
assists for Penn.
The Quakers return to action on Friday, Feb. 17, as they host
Ivy foe Columbia at 7 p.m., at The Palestra.
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