Junior point guard Jenn Monti produced a steal with a minute to go, but she put up an awkward shot with 40 seconds left. Tubridy committed the Crimson's 10th team foul at 0:39. Kopecko made both free throws, and Harvard took a timeout with 34.3 seconds remaining.

When play resumed, Lee found Tubridy under the bucket for a lay-up to make it 67-65. After the subsequent Harvard foul, the Blue Devils' Nikki Flocco hit one free throw for a three-point lead.

Each team adding a free throw, the Crimson found itself down 70-67 with nine seconds to play. Monti's game-tying three-point shot hit the far side of the rim and fell away, along with the Crimson's hopes of stealing the game.

The Crimson shot 45.5 percent from the floor, compared with the Blue Devils' 47.3 percent. But many Central Connecticut State shots were wide-open as Harvard players failed to fight through screens, sometimes losing their assigned opponent in the middle of the play.

Most of the Crimson's shots came under the basket, where Harvard could not buy a bucket. While Ides, Lee and Tubridy combined to shoot 17-for-21, or 81 percent, the rest of the Crimson team shot 8-for-34, or 23.5 percent.

"You cannot get easier shots than we get," Delaney-Smith said, adding that if the Crimson cannot begin converting these shots, then "we are in for a very long season."

Preparation for Saturday's road game against Bucknell was already underway last night as Delaney-Smith sought a way to show how disappointed she was in her team.

"We start by staying tonight and watching the film," Delaney-Smith said.