A strong defensive performance helped the women's basketball team sink their first victory of the season, running past Boston College, 58-42, Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill.

Starting out in a 1-2-2 zone and later switching to an aggressive player-to-player defense, the Crimson women limited the Eagles to low percentage, outside shots. "They just couldn't crack the player-to-player," Harvard coach Carole Kleinfelder said.

The Crimson women never had problems handling the B.C. attack, keeping at least a six-point cushion throughout the contest. Captain Katherine Fulton, workig her way out of early season doldrums, registered a strong performance in Chestnut Hill, pumping in ten points and taking charge at the guard position.

"We really needed the victory to get on track," Fulton said. "Our offense was pretty poor still, but the defense was steady and the win should help us break the first-win jitters. Player for player, we were just better than B.C."

After a dismal showing in the opener last Wednesday night against UMass, Caryn Curry, Harvard's talented floor general, found the touch, putting in 13 points and adding her usual impressive total of assists and rebounds. Forward Hildy Meyers also chipped in ten points from her forward slot.

Offensive Attack

With Fulton and Curry directing the offensive attack, Harvard jumped out to a 32-26 halftime lead, the smallest lead of the game for the Crimson women.

But foul trouble and an inability to get the offense moving smoothly again plagued the women Saturday afternoon. Kleinfelder's free-wheeling, motion offense has not yet found a successful pattern of movement, and much of the women's scoring came on solo efforts.

With a tough week ahead against powerful Northeastern and Bentley, the women will have to find their offense if they are to stay in the upcoming games.

The women, 1-1 this season, face Northeastern tonight at 7 p.m. in the IAB.