In the final minutes of the half, Penn had pulled within 31-24, but 6`2 junior center Kate Ides hit a hook shot to put Harvard up nine. Right before the half, she stunned the Quakers with a three-point dagger to give the Crimson a 38-24 edge.

Penn would never come close again, falling behind 60-35 by the 10-minute mark of the second half.

Harvard turned around its rebounding effort after a dismal game against Princeton. Against Penn, Harvard outrebounded the Quakers 42-36, led by sophomore Tricia Tubridy with nine. Peljto led the team with six offensive rebounds and 19 points.

Harvard also made huge strides defensively in forcing 26 Penn turnovers and earning eight steals, led by Peljto with three. Harvard converted several of those turnovers into easy points.

“Before the game we discussed a lot about what we needed to do as a team,” said sophomore guard Dirkje Dunham. “Against Princeton, we really didn’t show each other the intensity that we needed. And going after everything on defense is what starts everything on offense.”

Dunham was second on the team with 10 points, matching her career-high from the previous night against Princeton.

“[Dunham] played well, not just offensively, but defensively as well,” Peljto said. “It’s good for our team for her to be able contribute when others are down.”

Dunham had been in the starting lineup since co-captain Katie Gates sustained an injury. She had been struggling offensively, hitting just 20.8 percent from the floor and 2-of-20 behind the arc this year.

But she was a different player this weekend, hitting 8-of-12 shots and three treys on the weekend.

“I’ve been stepping into my role as a starter. I’m not sure day-to-day if I really belonged there, but I felt that, for everyone else to have confidence in me, I had to show my confidence,” Dunham said.

Princeton 59, Harvard 55

In spite of a 33-24 halftime deficit, the Crimson used a desperate second half rally to pull ahead of Princeton 53-49 in the closing minutes of Friday’s game.

But the Tigers pulled ahead for good with an 8-0 run. The game’s biggest shot came from Princeton’s leading scorer Allison Cahill, who hit a three-pointer with two minutes left to break a 53-53 tie.

Maureen Lane did most of the damage for the Tigers, matching Peljto as the game’s leading scorer with 15 and leading all players with eight rebounds. Her back-to-back three ponters gave the Tigers a 25-16 lead.

Cserny and Peljto combined for just 27 points, a sum lower than each of their career highs set earlier this month.