After losing four straight games, including a disheartening 74-63 debacle at the hands of lowly Hartford Wednesday night, the Harvard women's basketball team desperately needed a win last night.

It got just that, rolling over a weaker Farleigh Dickinson squad, 87-61, in the opening game of the Fairfield Tournament in Fairfield, Conn.

"It was a great win for us," sophomore center Debbie Flandermeyer said. "Wednesday night was a low for us. It was important to get back on track."

The game got off to a fast start, with FDU (1-3) taking the early lead. But Harvard (2-4) stayed within a field goal through the first six minutes of play and then went on a 14-2 tear for the next six minutes to pull away. By halftime, the Crimson held a commanding 48-27 lead.

Harvard refused to let that lead slip away.

The Crimson came out uncharacteristically strong after intermission, going on an 8-0 run before FDU scored its first bucket nearly four minutes into the half. Harvard did cool down a bit from its 58 percent first-half shooting clip, but still shot a very solid 48 percent from the field in the second half. FDU, on the other hand, shot an anemic 28 percent in the second half and 33 percent for the game.

"Before the game, we worked on some options we haven't been running," Flandermeyer said. "We ran the Stanford offense--we send a guard through three screens, trying to get the ball to the guard on the weak side or to the player posting."

Harvard was plagued by a motionless offense against the Hawks Wednesday, but the switch to the Stanford offense opened things up for the Crimson. Senior guard Heidi Kosh ran the show, scoring a game-high 19 points and dishing out seven assists. Sophomore guard Erin Maher continued her strong shooting, tallying 18, including 4-for-8 from three-point range.

Harvard was also strong in the paint. Flandermeyer scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds and senior forward Jen Mazanec added 7 points and nine boards. Harvard outrebounded FDU, 48-36.

Harvard will play the winner of last night's game between Fairfield and Northeastern in the championship game tonight.

Crimson, 87-61 in Fairfield, Conn. Fairleigh Dickinson  27-34--61 HARVARD  48-39--87

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (79): Culkin 2-8 0-0 4; Clark 0-3 0-0 0; Ricketts 2-9 0-0 4; Griffin 5-11 2-4 12; Schules 3-10 3-4 9; Loughney 0-0 0-0 0; Conroy 1-7 0-0 2; Bernert 6-12 0-0 15; Shabazz 2-9 1-7 5; Steele 4-7 0-0 10.

Totals: 25-76 6-10 61

HARVARD (87): Maura Healey 0-2 0-0 0; Heidi Kosh 7-9 4-4 19; Beth Wambach 4-9 0-2 9; Jen Mazanec 3-7 1-4 7; Debbie Flandermeyer 6-7 1-2 13; Catherine Crisera 0-2 0-0 0; Heather Harris 2-4 2-2 6; Erin Maher 6-10 2-2 18; Dina Hadrick 1-5 3-3 5; Kelly Morrison 2-2 2-2 6; Katie Phillips 0-0 0-0 0; Kimberley Seidel 1-2 0-0 2; Cara Frey 1-3 0-0 2.

Totals: 33-62 15-21 87

Three-pointers: Bernert 3, Steele 2; Maher 4, Kosh, Wambach. Fouled Out: None. Rebounds: Fairleigh Dickinson 36 (Ricketts 9); Harvard 48 (Flandermeyer, Mazanec 9). Assists: Fairleigh Dickinson 9 (Culkin); Harvard 19 (Kosh 7). Steals: Fairleigh Dickinson 13 (Griffin 4); Harvard 5 (Kosh, Harris 2). Blocks: Fairleigh Dickinson 2 (Ricketts); Harvard 2 (Wambach, Flandermeyer). Total Fouls: Fairleigh Dickinson 14; Harvard 13. Turnovers: Fairleigh Dickinson 18; Harvard 24.