With proven players like Melissa Johnson re-gaining her groove, Peljto showing flashes of brilliance and guards like junior Jenn Monti and senior Lisa Kowal displaying the ability to step up and hit key shots, there are at least as many positives as negatives.

And what negatives Harvard has been plagued by--too many turnovers--may not be all that bad. Nearly half of the Crimson's turnovers on Saturday were the results of poor entry passes into the paint. While the execution may have faltered, the strategy was sound. By trying to pound the ball inside, Harvard correctly sought to capitalize on its considerable height advantage.

"If we continue to see growth, then all [the struggles] get put behind us," said Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. "I'm proud [the players] are sticking to it and keeping their chins up."

She should be proud, and she should continue to display and demand the same level of confidence that she has up to this point. Her players are playing with guts and they are not hanging their heads when they lose.

Melissa Johnson emerged from the locker room with traces of a smile written all over her face. She knows what so many outsiders don't seem willing to acknowledge--the season is just beginning, both for the team and for herself.

"Personally, I'm fired up and I'm ready to go," Johnson said, carefully trying to walk the tightrope between being too disappointed with the loss and too exuberant with her return to action.

Tubridy had a similar and equally commendable reaction to the loss. Hailing from New York City high school powerhouse Christ the King, Tubridy knows all about what it takes to win. A few hard-luck losses won't keep her from having fun and believing that things will turn around.

Let's commend the players who refuse to let a few close losses put a premature damper on their season. Let's applaud the coaching staff that has kept the players' faith alive. And let's remember that Ivy League play hasn't even begun yet--the real season is yet to come.