Vengeance.

That seems to be the theme in Harvard women's athletics this week. The soccer team avenged its 2-1 loss to UMass in last year's first round of the NCAA Tournament with Sunday's thorough 2-0 defeat of the Minutewomen on the same stage.

Tonight the Harvard women's basketball team is looking for some revenge of its own. The Crimson (1-0) will host Boston University at Lavietes Pavilion in a rematch of last year's 56-54 season-opening loss to the Terriers.

"Revenge is a factor," said co-captain Megan Basil. "I think it's on the minds of a lot of our players."

The loss to B.U. last season started Harvard on a rocky pre-Ivy season that ended up costing the Crimson a respectable seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Despite the first ever undefeated Ivy League season, Harvard earned a No. 16 seed and had the daunting task of facing fourth-ranked North Carolina in the first round of the postseason.

The Crimson came up short in that game, and the loss could be traced back to the contest against Boston University. Struggling to finalize its starting lineup, Harvard fell to a vastly inferior Terrier team.

This season, however, is a different story. Harvard has already played one game, and, despite some very sloppy offensive play, came away with a 75-47 win against Army on Saturday.

The 28-point victory in a contest where the Crimson did not play its best basketball bodes well, but it also resembles the early-season struggles of a year ago.

Harvard, however, is confident that its offensive troubles will be remedied before the Terriers come to Cambridge.

"We've been working in practice on running the offense better than we did against Army," Basil said.

Proper execution of the offense should be a priority for the players and coaches, but Harvard has shown it can win--and win convincingly--despite its errors. If Harvard can hone its offensive prowess, B.U. might be in for a very unpleasant visit.

The Crimson's success must start with its featured attraction, co-captain Allison Feaster. Feaster, a Kodak All-American, scored 19 points and hauled in 17 rebounds against the Terriers when the two teams met last season.

She will look for a repeat performance tonight, especially on the boards, where her team turned in a disappointing performance against Army. The Lady Knights outrebounded the Crimson on Saturday, and improving that area of its game has been another top priority for Harvard this week.

"The keys to victory [against B.U.] will be rebounding and executing our offense," Basil said.

In case Harvard needed any more incentive for tonight's game, reliable sources have informed The Crimson that a B.U. player was overheard saying that the Terriers would easily defeat the Crimson when the teams met.

Harvard, though, has too much confidence of its own to concern itself with rumors concerning derogatory comments made by the Terriers.

"They can say all they want, but we will let our play speak for itself," Basil said.

Thus, the trash talking has already begun between these two cross-river rivals.

The Crimson, though, clearly knows that its performance on the court will determine whether or not the Terriers are sent home with their tails between their legs.

With the smell of revenge still lingering across the Charles River after the women's soccer team's victory, the women's basketball team now hopes to follow suit and get a little payback of its own.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAME PREVIEW

HARVARD

Record: 1-0 Overall

Head Coach: Kathy Delaney-Smith

Captains: Megan Basil, Allison Feaster

Site: Lavietes Pavillion

Game Time: 7 p.m.

Radio: none

Tickets: Free admission.

Last Meeting: B.U., 56-54

Series History: B.U. leads series, 7-5

B.U.

Record: N/A

Head Coach: Christine Basile

Captain: N/A