After capturing three wins during its recent stint on the road, the women's basketball team is flying with confidence.

And now its back in town for some good home cookin.'

Seven of the Crimson's final nine game will be in Cambridge--a fact that has the squad oozing with optimism.

Harvard (6-11 overall, 3-2 Ivy) returns to Briggs Care this weekend to balltel Columbia (4-14, 1-5 Ivy) and Cornell (7-11, 3-3 Ivy).

With first-place Brown and second-place Princeton going head-to-head tonight, there may be some shuffling in the standings by the end of the weekend.

Currently tied for third place in the Ivy League, Harvard would move into a tie for first place if it sweeps the weekend, and Brown drops one of its games.

Weak Lions

Tonight's arrival of a mediocre Columbia team certainly whets the Crimson's appetite.

Even though they have a firm hold on last place in the league, the Lions believe they are on the way up, citing a defeat of a quality Pennsylvania squad as evidence.

Columbia Coach Kerry Phayre anticipates a challenging game since "both teams are starting to turn it around."

The Lions boast a balanced scoring attack with Captain Kathleen Johnson, freshman Daria Brown and junior Rutkoske all netting 10 points-per-game. In addition, Brown's aggressive rebounding (9.3 rebounds-per-game) has her ranked third in the league.

The Loins are an extremely young squad; the team has no seniors and only three juniors on the roster. Harvard's experience will certainly work to its advantage if the game is close.

Better Match

Tomorrow's game against fourth-place Cornell should provide the Crimson with more of a challenge. Both teams are comparable in height and should match up quite well. It will be a definite battle of the boards, with each team carrying four six footers.

The Big Red attack is led by junior Marie Watson (11.3 ppg) and Co-Captain Angie Rodriguez (8.6 ppg). Watson also leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 rpg.

Cornell boasts three quality threepoint shooters in Co-Captain Liz-Caracciolo, sophomore Suzy Onze and Rodriguez.

They will look to challenge junior Erin Maher and the Harvard perimeter game.

Meanwhile, the Crimson has recently turned its game around and is now playing like a well-oiled machine.

"It's very difficult for me to pick out one or two people who stand out," Delaney Smith said. "It's been a tremendous team effort."

Maher still leads the league in scoring (19.6 ppg) and three-point shooting (40.5 percent), while junior Debbie Flandermeyer is among the leaders in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.

The emergence of freshman Tammy Butler is also encouraging.

"Tammy has been extrordinary," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "She really stepped in to help with Debbie in foul trouble."