Junior shooting guard Erin Maher was on from the very beginning of last Saturday's contest against the University of Massachusetts.

"I was ready to come out and play tonight," she said.

That's precisely what she did. Maher scored a game-high 24 points, collected a team-high nine rebounds and set a new Harvard record for three-pointers in a single game with six, as she spurred the Crimson (3-4) to a 55-51 victory over the Minutewomen (3-5) at Briggs Cage.

The Crimson's first trip down the floor was a presage of things to come.

Junior center Debbie Flandermeyer's shot bounced off the right side of the rim but Maher gathered the rebound and buried a short baseline jumper.

On Harvard's next possession, Maher spotted up from just inside the three-point are on the right side and canned another shot to give Harvard the early 4-0 lead.

It was a good thing Maher was on a roll, too. By all rights, the Crimson should not have had to barely squeeze by an opponent that shot a dreadful .293 from the field.

But playing against weaker teams has been a problem for Harvard this season and UMass surprised the Crimson with its scrappy, hustling full-court press and physical man-to-man defense. The Crimson turned the ball over 18 times on the night and was out-rebounded, 39-32.

"We didn't know much about them except their record," Flandermeyer said.

"They out-hustled us in the first half," Maher said. "We didn't have their intensity."

Harvard shot a paltry .400 (10-25) from the floor during the first half. Maher contributed six of those field goals. She was 6-7 from the field and a phenomenal 4-5 from three-point range. Harvard entered intermission with a slim 27-25 advantage.

After the break, the Crimson came out strong and went on a 14-4 run that was capped by baskets from freshman forward Tammy Butler, Flandermeyer and Maher.

Six minutes into the second half Maher drilled her sixth trey, giving Harvard a 39-29 lead. Twenty-two of Harvard's 39 points had come from Maher.

"I felt great," Maher said. "I'd been tired the last couple of games, but tonight my legs were very loose and I was ready to run."

The Crimson could not hold its 10-point lead, however. The Minutewomen came storming back and tied the game, 43-43, at the 7:37 mark, on a Shawna Pemberton jumper.