Victory is sweetest when it is tasted in frequently.

Overcoming a 34-28 halftime Harvard women's basketball Princeton, 67-61. Saturday night at Briggs Athletic Center.

It was the squad's third victory of the year.

And it felt great.

"It feels 200 percent better than losing," said freshman Ann Geiger. "We played confidently tonight. We played like a winning team."

And the 3-18 cagers won in grand style mounting a second half rally as they eluded and more experienced Tiger defense.

The Crimson-plagued all season by inexperience as seven spots on its 12-man are filled by freshmen--demonstrated in the face of the six-point deficit by forcing the Tigers to commit a rash of personal fouls and turnovers that eventually gave Harvard the game.

"In the past, when it was right down to the pressure and tension of winning, we didn't have the experience," Crimson Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said of the squad's yardlings.

"Saturday night, they were playing old," senior Co-Captain Nancy Boutilier said. "That is not an easy thing to do."

Getting past the Tigers,' zone defense wasn't an easy thing to do either, but Harvard capitalized on its good outside shooting and junior Wendy Joseph's uncanny ability to score from beneath the basket during the second half.

"She was unbelievable," Delaney Smith said of the six-foot--forward's game-leading 27-point, 10-rebound performance.

By getting the ball to their big gun, the Harvard guard corps turned in a solid performance and demonstrated some promising depth as it chalked up several snazzy assists. What sophomore Anne Kelly had started, freshman Gia Barresi finished off. They manage to slow down the Harvard offense in the second stanza to avoid a fast break-induced fatigue which has troubled the team.

Baressi "did an absolutely phenomenal job--she was a big spark for us," the exuberant Crimson coach said.

"I'd like to just finish off the season this way," Boutilier added

The triumph proved to be an encouraging way to finish off an otherwise depressing weekend Harvard came out on the short end of a disappointing 59-57 come-from-behind Penn victory Friday night, and the hoopsters opened sloppily on Saturday. Although Princeton committed 30 turnovers. Harvard still looked a bit rag-bag as it coughed up the bell 21 times.