With 2:50 left in the contest, UMass held a remakable 51-46 advantage--remarkable in light of their dismal .275 (8-29) shooting from the field in the second half.

"We had a lot of open shots tonight," UMass coach Joanie O'Brien said. "If we could've put them down, we'd have been okay. But we didn't make them."

Harvard's 3-2 zone clamped down in the final minutes and did not yield another basket.

On offense, Harvard made some clutch shots. With 2:50 remaining, Erin Maher drew a foul while charging the baseline and converted her two free throws, closing the gap to 51-48.

One minute later, Co-Captain Maura Healey buried a three-pointer to tie the game, 51-51.

With 1:30 remaining in the game, Debbie Flandermeyer was poked in the eye and was forced to leave the game. Freshmen Nikole Cronk entered the game and sank both substitute free throws.

UMass still had a chance to win with a minute left, but Healey stole the ball and worked precious seconds off the clock.

Sophomore guard Kelly Morrison sealed the win with two foul shots.

"I'm very proud we ended this game with a win," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "I thought Erin Maher had a phenomenal game. She's doing a tremendous job offensively and defensively."

Coach Delaney Smith also praised her young players.

"We're a very young team and it's asking a lot of freshmen and sophomores to play in pressure situations," Delaney Smith said. "Tammy, Nikole and Kelly really rose to the occasion."

NOTEBOOK: Co-Captain Heather Harris, sidelined for much of this season with an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of her knee, saw 15 minutes of action...Maher's two free throws against UMass make her a perfect 18-18 from the charity stripe this season...Flandermeyer blocked six shots...Butler had 10 points and seven rebounds...Nikole Cronk tallied eight points in 17 minutes.