Five points separated the Crimson from victory on Friday night in its season opener against the Saint Peter's Peahens. In a back and forth game in which neither team could establish a significant lead, Harvard (0-1) was unable to withstand a late 12-point run by St. Peter's (1-0) and fell, 73-68.

The Crimson was short five players for the season opener, filling only 10 of its 15 roster spots. Notable by their absence were the co-captains, center Melissa Johnson and guard Kristen Boike, as well as sophomore center Sarah Johnson and junior center Lindsay Ryba. Harvard certainly felt the loss of its three centers, forcing it to play sophomore forward Kate Ides away from her normal position.

The lack of a captain in uniform may also have hurt the Crimson during St. Peter's decisive run, in which the Crimson looked confused on offense and lacked some intensity at the defensive end.

"The defense was better than last week [in practice],"Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. "During that run [by St. Peter's in the second half] we needed to step up and stop them, and we didn't."

Freshman forward Hana Peljto posted a double-double for the Crimson, scoring 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting with 10 rebounds and two assists. Peljto lead the Crimson in minutes, points, and rebounds. Sophomore guard Bree Kelley added 15 points and senior guard Lisa Kowal contributed 10.

If the Crimson can take anything positive away from their loss, it is the play of Peljto.

"I saw some really bright moments on offense," Delaney-Smith said. "I think that our future is very bright with Hana."

St. Peter's decisive 12-point run started with 11 minutes to play in the second half. At that point, the Crimson led 44-42. The scoring drive started when 6'3 St. Peter's senior forward Leah Cromer was fouled underneath the basket but scored two points anyway. She missed her free throw, but the game was now tied, 44-44.