Women’s Basketball Falls at Harvard, 98-55

Friday, February 22

Cambridge, Mass.

7:00 PM

Brown University

9-16, 1-8Ivy

Harvard

13-9, 6-3Ivy

Brown

Harvard

Women’s Basketball Falls at Harvard, 98-55

2/22/2019 9:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior guard Justine Gaziano scored a team-high 16 points, but Brown University women's basketball fell at Harvard University, 98-55, on Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion.

Starting the second half of Ivy League play, the Bears (9-16, 1-8 Ivy) fell behind the Crimson (13-9, 6-3 Ivy) midway through the second quarter, 40-10, and could pull no closer than 25 points the rest of the way.

"We need to have a short memory and turn our attention to tomorrow's game against Dartmouth," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We know that we need to play much better in order to compete."

Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) netted her 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while hitting 2-of-5 3-pointers. She now has 466 points on the season – the ninth-most in a single season in school history – and scored in double figures for the 21^st time this year and 65^th time in her career.

Making her 100^th career start and becoming the sixth player in program history with 100 or more starts, senior guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) finished with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. She now ranks second at Brown in single-season steals (90) and sixth at Brown in career assists (289). Mehta scored in double figures for the 22^nd time this season and 89^th time in her career.

Freshman forward Alana Kelley (Phoenix, Ariz.) tallied career highs in points (seven), rebounds (seven), and steals (four), posting team highs in points and steals. Sophomore guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) scored a season-high seven points, and senior forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) dished out a team-high four assists.

For Harvard, Katie Benzan led five players in double figures with a game-high 19 points, making 5-of-7 3-pointers. Jadyn Bush netted 16 points on 7-of-8 field goals, Nani Redford scored 13 points, and Jeannie Boehm finished with 12 points. Madeline Raster approached a triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.

For the game, Harvard held advantages in rebounds (54-22), points in the paint (44-14), and second-chance points (24-7). The Crimson shot 55.4 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3-point distance.

Steeves hit a 3-pointer just over two minutes into the game, but the Bears trailed Harvard 22-3 at the 3:14 mark of the first quarter. A baseline jumper from Mehta stopped a 15-0 Crimson run before Gaziano made two free throws, and Leonidas hit a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 24-10 with 1:26 left in the quarter. Harvard took a 28-10 lead at the end of one.

After Harvard extended its edge to 40-10 with 5:14 remaining in the first half behind 16 straight points, Kelley converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to stem the run. A layup from sophomore forward Morgan Clausen (Algonquin, Ill.), long 2-pointer from Kelley, and layup from Gaziano brought Brown within 44-19 at the break.

In the first half, Harvard gained leads in rebounds (30-12), points in the paint (26-4), and second-chance points (17-5). In the first quarter, Harvard held advantages in rebounds (17-5) and points in the paint (18-0), while making 13-of-22 field goals (59.1 percent).

Gaziano and Mehta each connected on 3-pointers inside of the first three minutes of the third quarter to bring the score to 54-29. After the Crimson pulled ahead 70-33, Clausen hit a wing 3-pointer to stop a 12-2 run. A jumper from Gaziano and triple from Mehta brought Brown within 77-41 heading to the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, freshman guard Maddie Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) and Gaziano each scored five points with each connecting on a 3-pointer.

Next, Brown plays at Dartmouth tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 23, at 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+/NESNplus).

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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.