Playing in front of 3,348 fans, including 75 family and friends of Detroit-area native and Harvard coach Carrie Moore, the No. 13 Michigan Wolverines dominated both sides of the ball on their way to a comfortable 84-55 victory at the Crisler Center on Sunday afternoon.
The game was knotted at 7-7 three minutes into the contest before the Maize and Blue (2-0) went on a 17-0 run to end the first quarter up 24-8. Harvard (1-1) battled back in the second frame, twice cutting the deficit to 10 with less than two minutes to go in the half. But three layups over the final 61 seconds sent Michigan to the locker room with a 40-24 lead.
The Wolverines didn’t let up in the second half, extending their advantage to 20 late in the third quarter and 29, 84-55, by the time the final buzzer sounded.
Some reflections on a tough first road game of the season for the reigning Ivy League Tournament champions:
White, Wright and Jones lead the way on offense
For the second straight game, juniors Abigail Wright and Karlee White were the leading scorers for the Crimson. Wright, the guard from Newton, Mass., totaled 17 points, and, White, the guard from Burbank, Calif., added 15.
Olivia Jones, a heralded rookie from Harrisburg, Pa., notched the first double-double of her career with 11 points off the bench.
The three combined for 55% (12-for-22) from two with White hitting all three of her shots and Wright netting 7-of-14. They did even better from the line, shooting a combined 80% (16-for-20). Jones, who sank both her late free throws to pull away against St. John’s on Friday night, went a perfect 4-for-4, while White went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe.
Rebounding continues to be a plus
Harvard was plus-11 on the boards on Friday night and grabbed 19 rebounds versus the Red Storm. Going up against a nationally ranked Big Ten opponent on Sunday, the Crimson battled to a draw on the glass and collected 16 on the offensive side. Wright led all players with nine rebounds (six offensive), and senior guard Gabby Anderson grabbed eight (five offensive), while White and Jones each had six.
Wolverines win the turnover battle
Typically, it’s the Crimson’s defense that racks up turnovers and turns them into buckets. On Sunday, Harvard got a taste of its own medicine.
The visitors did manage to force Michigan to cough the ball up 20 times but only scored 10 points off those miscues. Meanwhile, the hosts had 26 takeaways and converted those into 27 points.
Clicking at the line, but still searching for three-point success
While Harvard sits at No. 29 in the nation in free throw percentage (81%) and its opponents collectively have the 71st-lowest rate (59%) from the charity stripe, the same success has not been seen from the three-point line.
At home on opening night, Harvard shot 18% (3-for-16) from beyond the arc, while St. John’s made 36% (5-for-14). At the Crisler Center, the Wolverines went 8-for-20 (40%), but the Crimson could only connect on 16% (3-for-19).
It’s early in the season, so there’s plenty of time for Harvard’s roster to improve on its present No. 341 three-ball offensive and No. 329 defensive national rankings. The Crimson must hope that turnaround starts on Tuesday night at the Mullins Center, where the Crimson take on Massachusetts at 6 p.m.