The curse is finally broken. The women hoopsters tallied their first win of the season last night, outlasting Southeastern Massachusetts University, 59-50, at the IAB.

The two-hour contest was a test of endurance, plagued by frustrating calls by the referees, countless turnovers, poor shooting and hectic, fast-paced play.

"It was a bad game, but a good win," Crimson coach Carole Kleinfelder said after the game. "It will give us a lot of confidence."

Kleinfelder attributed the game's sloppiness--39 turnovers for Harvard, 32 for SMU--to both squads' aggressive man-to-man defense. "We're used to playing teams who use the zone defense, so we use the zone in practice, too. Our plays just weren't as effective against the man-to-man," Kleinfelder said.

At times, the contest looked more like a football scrimmage than a basketball game. Repeated fast breaks left players breathless and the score unchanged, while long passes sailed into opposing team hands like backfield interceptions.

SMU, despite its lack of finesse, jumped the gun with two successive scoring drives and held its narrow lead through the first half.

The nervous hoopsters played sloppy ball but had moderate success with a new offensive play designed to move the point guard inside for closer shots. Freshman guards Frenesa Hall and Nancy Boutillier made the play work and moved the Crimson within two points of SMU at the half, 26-24.

In the second half, Kleinfelder's troops regained their poise and turned the game around. Clutch foul shooting by Boutillier and veteran center Elaine Holpuch catapulted Harvard into the lead after five minutes of play, a lead the squad never relinquished.

Threat

Midway through the second half, Kleinfelder switched to a zone defense after two calls against the Crimson and numerous turnovers threatened to give SMU the momentum.

With a plea to "work the ball around more," Kleinfelder sat back to watch her team play inspired ball. Junior Stacia McMahon, in her first start of the season, rose to the occasion, leading the Crimson attack with good, aggressive scoring drives and a game-high 12 points. Freshman Marget Long, meanwhile, grabbed nine rebounds.

Hall, a talented freshman who turned in a solid performance, said it all in her smiles: "In the other games we always died at the end, but this time we really got psyched and pulled it out. We really needed this one."