One factor against Brown was that the Bears were doubling up on the posts, forcing the Crimson to take the outside shot and preventing Harvard from passing out from the post when there was an open player beyond the arc.

“A lot of teams try to take away our post games,” Tubridy said. “They’re forcing us to take the outside shot.”

Co-captain Laura Barnard was a bright spot in three-point land. Barnard played a pivotal role in securing the lead in the second half, hitting back-to-back three-pointers, crushing the Bears’ momentum. Barnard finished the game with 10 points—nine from three-pointers.

“I think she really killed them with her threes,” Tubridy said. “It hurts when a team does that to you.”

Physical Education

A key sign that one is watching a physical game is when half of the players on the court are literally on the court, as was true at one point in the second half against Brown.

“If it’s a physical game, we need to push them back,” Tubridy said. “I prefer physical games because it means that there are less fouls called.”

Harvard showed that it could push back, even over Brown freshman Holly Robinson, who stands at a grand 6’5. Physical play with each other in practice, as well as games such as Villanova and Manhattan, helped the Crimson prepare for Brown.

“We get very physical with each other in practice,” Tubridy said. “We’re tough on each other on the posts.”