The Harvard women's basketball team did not go gentle into its good night.

Last Saturday evening the Crimson raged and raged, but came up short in the end.

Brown defeated Harvard, 81-70, and left Briggs Cage with sole possession of the Ivy League title.

With the victory, the Bears ended the best season in their history, finishing an impressive 22-4 overall, 13-1 in the Ancient Eight.

Harvard, meanwhile, fell to 13-12 (10-3 Ivy) and was forced to settle for a disappointing second place.

The Crimson, however, has nothing to be ashamed of.

As always, the team played 40 minutes of hard-nosed basketball--diving for loose balls and struggling for rebounds.

For a while, it even looked like the Crimson might win. Down 31-25 at the break, Harvard stormed back to take the lead in the second half.

Sophomore guard Kelly Morrison hit key three-pointers in the opening minutes of the second frame and junior guard Debbie Flandermeyer nailed a one-handed baseline jumper at the 14:33 mark to give the Crimson a slim 41-38 advantage.

But Brown was determined to win it all.

Despite the Crimson's repeated challenges, the Bears maintained the cool veneer of a team that had already wrapped up the title.

"They were relaxed and confident," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "It's a great combination. You can't lose."

The night before Brown had guaranteed itself at least a share of the championship by beating Dartmouth. Ousting Harvard was simply a matter of pride.

"We didn't want to share the title with anyone," Brown's sophomore guard Michelle Pagliaro said. "We'd worked too hard for it."

Brown successfully controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Crimson 38-22. The Bears held Flandermeyer, one of top rebounders in the Ivy League, to only four rebounds.