After finishing the 1985-'86 season with a school-record 20 wins and a first-ever Ivy League title, what does the Harvard women's basketball team hope to do this year for an encore?

Garner a bid to the NCAA tournament.

Only one Ivy team has snagged a spot in the national women's post-season play-down since the NCAA began sanctioning women's sports in 1982. But with a beefed-up non-league schedule and four of five starters back from last year's championship squad, Crimson Coach Kathy Delaney Smith is shooting for the honor this year.

It's an ambitious plan for a team which went 3-22 three seasons ago and 8-18 just two years ago, but Delaney Smith believes her players are up to the challenge.

"I think we are a better team," Delaney Smith said. "The team has played together before and consequently [it's] now playing with more poise."

The Crimson is already off to a good start, opening with a repeat championship in the Harvard Invitational Tournament by defeating Fordham and Hofstra, and then downing Smith for its first road victory.

Nine letter-winners overall return, and the quartet of returning starters includes star point guard Barbarann Keffer.

Keffer, Harvard's first All-Ivy selection last year as a sophomore, is once again piloting the Crimson from the backcourt. The team's high scorer with an 11.7 average last season, the 5-ft., 6-in., Broomall, Pa., native also led the team in assists (108) and steals (54).

Returning in the shooting guard position is senior Co-Captain Trisha Brown. A 5-ft., 9-in. player out of Norwood, Mass., Brown has been consistent for the Crimson over her first three seasons, and currently ranks 11th on the all-time scoring list.

Brown shares her captain's duties with junior forward Sharon Hayes, the team's number two scorer (10.9 average) and free throw shooter (75.7 percent) a year ago. Hayes, already Harvard's eighth all-time scorer, is playing "better offense than ever this year" according to Delaney Smith.

Center Nancy Cibotti, a 6-ft. junior from Walpole, Mass., has improved her offensive play and has become a scoring threat as well as a strong rebounder and defensive player. Last season Cibotti started in 20 of 27 games and paced the team in rebounding with a 5.5 average.

Rounding out the first five is a newcomer to the starting lineup, 6-ft. sophomore forward Sarah Duncan. Although she didn't start in her freshman year, Duncan saw action in each of the team's games, and led the hoopsters in free throw percentage (88.6) and blocked shots.

Off the bench, Mary Baldauf and Hanya Bluestone are playing "extremely well" according to Delaney Smith, and have been "instrumental" in Harvard's early-season success. Both players are backup guards, with the 5-ft., 7-in. Baldauf and 5-ft., 8-in. Bluestone giving an added dimension of speed to the squad.

Other returning letterwinners include 5-ft., 10-in. sophomore forward Nicole Anderson, and sophomore guard Andrea Eror (5-ft., 9-in.).

Despite the large number of veterans on the squad, a number of key additions and some strategy changes have given the team a new look.