Women’s Basketball Falls to Harvard in Ivy Tournament Semifinal

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Harmoni Turner, Harvard’s star point guard, scored 44 points — the most in a game in Ivy League Tournament history, men or women — and the Crimson’s aggressive defense held Princeton in check as the Tigers fell 70-67 in the tournament semifinals Friday night.

“They were on us,” said Princeton head coach Carla Berube after the game. “I think there were a couple just tough no-calls inside … . Harvard made a decision that they didn't want us to get the ball inside, so they made it more difficult. And Harvard's a great defensive team.”

On the other end of the court, Princeton had few answers in defending Turner, the Ivy player of the year. No other Harvard player scored in double digits. In her first two games against Princeton, the Tigers allowed Turner just 15 per game. 

“It means a lot,” Turner said at the postgame press conference. “This is what March is about.”

With just over a minute to play in the third quarter, Skye Belker ’27 drove toward the basket and completed a layup, colliding with a Crimson defender and falling to the ground. Belker was called for an offensive foul, so the basket didn’t count and Harvard got the ball — a Tiger turnover. 

The momentum never swung back toward the Tigers after that. Berube became more and more visibly frustrated as the game wore on, stomping her feet and issuing protestations to the officiating crew. 

As the Tigers tried to stymie Turner’s spark, they missed rebounds — Harvard out-rebounded Princeton 41–27 (17–8 on the offensive end). 

In the first half, the Tigers picked up multiple three-point plays off the Crimson’s eight fouls. But a relatively clean first quarter by Princeton — featuring no Crimson trips to the stripe — faded into a less-polished second. The Crimson went to the line four times in the last five minutes of the half. 

The Tigers came into the second half strong, but after they were whistled for three fouls in the first two minutes, they began to look flustered, unable to break the Crimson’s press for the first time all game and incurring a 10-second violation. 

Just minutes later, Ashley Chea ’27 had a breakaway layup off a steal, and Turner had to be held back from yelling at the referee by teammates when she picked up her second personal foul. 

Belker led the Tigers with 20 points, and Chea picked up 15 — but it wasn’t enough to match Turner, who will lead Harvard into the Ivy Tournament final against Columbia on Saturday.

Looking ahead, the Tigers still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid — but it’s far from guaranteed. The Ivy League has sent at-large teams to the women’s tournament twice (Princeton in 2016, Columbia in 2024), but the league has never had three bids in one year. Fans will have to wait until the Selection Show Sunday night at 8 p.m. to find out if the Tigers are going dancing.

“We’ll think about next year when the season’s over,” said Belker. “And the season’s not over yet.”