Although Rocky Balboa never hit the hardwood, he would have admired the element of surprise use by the Harvard women's basketball team. It has begun to knock down Ivy League opponents.
The dominance that the Crimson displayed in its two weekend victories at Pennsylvania and Princeton has raised fears around the Ivy League, and the women's successful 10-3 record (2-0 Ivy) keeps fans waiting for sequels.
The road trip began with a game Friday night in Philadelphia and an inspirational stop at the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, where Rocky ran into movie fame and fictional boxing lore.
The Crimson's game against Pennsylvania proved much less of a challenge than Apollo Creed was for the Italian Stallion. Leading by 20 points at halftime, the cagers never trailed on their way to a 71-59 victory.
The game's leading scorer was senior captain Tammy Butler, who racked up 19 points, followed by junior Amy Reinhard's 12 points. Butler led the team with 12 rebounds, followed by freshman Allison Feaster's eight.
When the potent forward tandem of Butler and Feaster was tightly guarded, the rest of the squad increased its intensity and offered scoring help.
"Everyone was contributing," Reinhard said. "[The Quakers] were denying passes to our forwards, but then our perimeter players stepped it up."
The Crimson out-rebounded the Quakers 50-42 while shooting 39 percent from the field. Sophomore Jessica Gelman said that the win was never in doubt: "We kicked ass and took names."
Before the ink had a chance to dry on both the list of names and the Crimson's mounting achievements, the team was in a new town with another game to play.
Saturday night's game against the Princeton Tigers in Jadwin Gym was won even more convincingly than the team's triumph over Pennsylvania. Sparked by a 19-2 run in the second half and a 40-point outburst in the last 15 minutes, the Crimson secured win number 10 by an 86-68 count.
"We did a gut check, and everyone stepped up their level of play accordingly," Gelman said, referring to the decisive final 15 minutes.
Feaster led the team with 18 points and 17 rebounds, followed by Butler with 16 points and eight rebounds. The Crimson out-rebounded the Tigers 49-34, shot 47 percent from the floor, and the defense held Princeton to 38 percent shooting from the floor.
Despite facing an exhausting twinbill, the Crimson's style continued to be up tempo, giving the team an opportunity to take advantage of its players' speed by pushing the ball up court. The resulting fast breaks and easy baskets broke open the game against the Tigers.
In addition to speed, unremitting defense proved a crucial element in the two wins.
"I think we were consistent with our defense and rebounding," Liz Gettelman said. "Your offense isn't always going to be there, but you can always pressure the other team and play good defense. We did that against both Penn and Princeton this weekend."
Beyond defensive intensity and the ability to score in up tempo games, teamwork, depth and intensity remain the Crimson's most valuable assets.
"The best thing we had going was our emotions and knowing that we had to win." Reinhard said.
Butler summed up the weekend. "It was a total team effort. Everyone has such great confidence in themselves and in each other. We're having a lot of fun playing together and that's been showing in our results."
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