Yale Athletics

On Saturday, Jan. 25, the Yale women’s basketball (2–16, 1–4 Ivy) team traveled to Cambridge, Mass. to face the Harvard Crimson (15–2, 4–1 Ivy).

The prior matchup between Yale and Harvard this season, which took place on Jan. 4, saw the Crimson excel over the Bulldogs 61–43 in a rather slow duel that gradually came to life. This Saturday, the Bulldogs fell to Crimson once again in a 91–35 game. 

Both teams had won their prior conference matchup, with Yale stealing a close win from Dartmouth (8–10, 2–3 Ivy) and Harvard trouncing the University of Pennsylvania (10–8, 1–4 Ivy) 73–44.

Harvard, hosting the contest, has yet to lose at home. Harmoni Turner, the Crimson standout and a frontrunner for Ivy League Player of the Year, proved a difficult foe for the Bulldogs to tackle.

Avery Lee ’25 told the News that the team focused on making “every shot she takes a tough one.”

The first period granted the first seven points to Harvard, who seemed determined to come out hotter than they had the matchup before. Every point for the Bulldogs came off the fingertips of a senior, a testament to the leadership of Lee, Grace Thybulle ’25 and Mackenzie Egger ’25. Yet in less than eight minutes, the Crimson had doubled Yale’s points and led the game 10–25 at the end of the ten-minute period. 

The second began with a three-pointer by Marisa Chapman ’28 but was quickly minimized by a 12–0 run by Harvard. Yale scored 11 total points in the second, led by Egger’s six. Comparatively, Turner for the Crimson had 10 points alone.

At the end of the clock, Harvard led 21–55, a bleak forecast for the remainder of the game. 

Over the course of the third period, first years Chapman and Ciniya Moore ’28 accounted for seven of Yale’s 10 points. Nonetheless, Harvard continued to push back. Six different players for the Crimson contributed to the 24 points added to the scoreboard. The deficit continued to grow as the game progressed into the fourth period.

The final quarter began with a 10–0 Harvard run, increasing the point deficit to 58. Great defense from one of the best teams in the Ivy League held Yale to only four points total in the fourth, credited to layups from Chapman and Kiley Capstraw ’26. 

The game’s final score burned into the board that hung inside Lavietes Pavilion: a 35–91 loss.

Looking ahead to their next game, Lee said her team is “really excited.”

We’re excited to go out there and compete every play and play as one unit and execute our game plan,” she told the News.

The Bulldogs take on Princeton University (13–5, 4–1 Ivy) at home on Friday, Jan. 31. Princeton is tied for second with Harvard in the Ivy League. 

MEREDITH HENDERSON
Meredith Henderson covers a variety of sports for the YDN. She is a sophomore in Saybrook College from Keller, Texas. She plays varsity softball and is double-majoring in Psychology and English with a concentration in creative writing.