That advantage was erased when senior guard Amy Reinhard (six pts., two ass.) drained the first of her shots from downtown to give the Crimson a lead they held until the 10:39 mark of the first half. Eight minutes later another Proudfit three gave Harvard the edge once again after Feaster had tied the game at 31.
Feaster, as she has throughout the season, led the way for Harvard. Despite playing with an injured ankle, she had 22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists on the night, making her presence felt on the defensive boards especially. She and senior forward Katy Davis played excellently underneath; Davis chipped in 12 points, as did Gelman.
"I was really impressed with [Feaster] tonight because she was in a lot of pain in the second half," Gelman said. "But she was grabbing boards and she wasn't letting it affect her at all. That girl's got heart."
Harvard held a 40-35 halftime advantage but saw that lead erased early in the second period. The Crimson recovered, though, and pulled ahead on a Davis layup with just over 15 minutes to play. Sparked by the aggressive play of freshman forward Rose Janowski (five pts., four rebs.), Harvard slowly increased that lead to as many as 11 before UNH made its final run.
"[Janowski] was a total spark....We really needed her tonight," Gelman said. "She did a great job."
The Crimson hopes to carry the momentum from this thrilling victory into the upcoming weekend against Yale and Brown. The remainder of Harvard's contests are all Ivy League games, and the players know they are now starting a championship run.
"I'm psyched," Proudfit said. "We're in good shape, and we're ready for the Ivy League."