Brown University
13-13, 1-11
Harvard
14-11, 9-3
Women's Basketball Rally Comes up Short at Harvard, 92-79
2/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior guard Jordin Alexander scored 21 points, scoring 20 or more points for the second straight night, but Brown University women's basketball fell at Harvard University, 92-79, on Saturday night at Lavietes Pavilion.
The Bears (13-13, 1-11 Ivy) pulled within four points midway through the fourth quarter, but the host Crimson (14-11, 9-3 Ivy) held on for the win in its home finale.
Alexander (Fishers, Ind.) netted her 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting on free throws along with four assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Last night at Dartmouth she finished with 20 points.
The 5-foot-10 captain eclipsed 20 points for the fifth time this season – and for the fourth time in Ivy play – and hit double figures for the 22nd time on the year. She now has 990 career points.
Freshman guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.), the reigning Ivy Rookie of the Week, registered 13 points and four rebounds while sophomore forward Janie White (Clarksville, Tenn.) contributed 11 points and three blocks.
Junior guard Rebecca Musgrove (Plainview, N.Y.) tallied nine points, a team-high seven rebounds, and three assists. Sophomore guard Megan Reilly (Norwood, N.J.) added eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, and freshman forward Mary Butler (Bangor, Maine) chipped in six points and four boards.
After Harvard took a 67-55 edge early in the fourth quarter, the Bears responded with a 10-2 run to cut their deficit to 69-65 with 5:35 to play. Mehta accounted for six straight points during the streak. A 17-foot jumper from White kept the margin at four points before Harvard grabbed a 76-67 lead.
A fast break layup from Alexander trimmed the score to 76-70 with 3:59 to play before the Crimson tallied six straight points to pull ahead 82-70. The Bears cut the margin to eight points on three occasions inside of the final two minutes but could get no closer.
Brown remained within 48-41 of Harvard just under three minutes into the third quarter after a corner 3-pointer from Mehta and a layup from Alexander. Two driving layups from Alexander and a conventional 3-point play from Reilly kept it at 53-46 at the 3:48 mark of the frame.
Reilly hit a corner 3-pointer, and sophomore Kennedy Martin (Los Angeles, Calif.) converted a turnaround jumper to help the Bears stay within 65-53 through three quarters.
Brown took a 12-10 lead with 1:35 to go in the first quarter behind seven points from White, which included a 17-foot jumper, layup, and wing 3-pointer. A pair of free throws from Alexander put the Bears up 14-13 before Harvard gained a 15-14 lead after the first frame.
A corner trey from Musgrove, and a pair of jump shots from Alexander kept the Bears within 22-21 of the Crimson at the 6:33 mark of the second quarter. Leading 24-23, Harvard then used a 12-3 run to pull ahead 36-26 with under 40 seconds to play in the half.
The two teams then combined to hit a trio of 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds of the half. Freshman Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) connected from the corner, and Mehta followed with a triple from the wing with 11 seconds on the clock before Harvard made a last-second trey to take a 39-32 lead into the intermission.
For Harvard, Shilpa Tummala paced six Crimson performers in double figures with 24 points, hitting 6-of-10 from behind the arc, and added 12 rebounds for the double-double. Destiny Nunley netted 15 points, and Kit Metoyer and AnnMarie Healy each posted 13 points. Sydney Skinner totaled 12 points and eight assists, and Madeline Raster had 11 points.
The Crimson took the season series after earning an 87-79 decision over the Bears in Providence on Feb. 12.
Next, Brown concludes its regular season next weekend when the Bears host Columbia on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. and Cornell on Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m.
Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
