The Harvard women’s basketball team entered the new year with the taste of disappointment after Rutgers nudged the Crimson down to the .500 mark on Tuesday.

Harvard began the break with a 73-57 loss to Rhode Island on Dec. 20, but bounced back with a victory over Providence two days later.

Rutgers 77, Harvard 70

The crowd at Lavietes Pavilion was brought to its feet as senior point guard Bev Moore hit a three to bring the Harvard women’s basketball team within one point of Rutgers with 6:23 left to play last Tuesday night.

But Scarlet Knight (7-4) point guard Cappie Pondexter would not let the Crimson get any closer, as she scored 11 of Rutgers’ final 15 points on the way to a 77-70 victory. Pondexter, an All-American and last year’s Big East Rookie of the Year, led the Scarlet Knights with 30 points.

Harvard’s zone had been able to limit Rutgers’ paint penetration in the first half, but Pondexter muscled her way to 17 points in the second half.

“We knew how talented she was,” Crimson coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “We shouldn’t have let her get 30 points. We should have put a lid on that a little sooner, I guess…not that you can. That’s a player who can get her shot when she wants it.”

The Scarlet Knights gave Harvard every chance for a dramatic comeback by turning the ball over three times in the final two minutes. However, each game-tying opportunity passed by with missed three-pointers, and Rutgers iced the win.

The Crimson and Scarlet Knights exchanged the lead seven times in the first frame, but Rutgers grabbed a 39-33 advantage by halftime and did not surrender it again.

Junior center Reka Cserny and co-captain Hana Peljto filled the star-scorer roles for Harvard, with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Pondexter’s 30 points were just shy of her career-high of 31, and Dawn McCullouch notched 22.

Harvard 73, Providence 59

The Crimson rode a hot start to a 73-59 victory over the Friars at Alumni Hall on Dec. 22. Peljto led all scorers with 27 points and Cserny chipped in 25.

Peljto and Cserny piloted Harvard’s 14-3 run to open the game, and the Crimson extended its lead to as many as 18 points twice during the first frame, finishing the half with a 37-19 advantage.

The second period was more of the same, as the Crimson led by as many as 31 points.

“It was after the URI loss, so we were all mad about that game, and it was the last game before break, so we really wanted to finish strong,” Cserny said.