They may be only 1-0, but the Harvard women’s basketball players are already the comeback kids. On the road at Fairfield (0-1) and down seven with under five minutes remaining, the Crimson rallied with a 12-2 run to hold off the Stags 71-68 in the season opener for both teams.

With less than four minutes remaining, junior forward Kate Mannering dumped in four points on a layup and two free throws, trimming the Fairfield lead to three. Junior forward Shana Franklin tied the game on a three-pointer with 2:11 left, and she sealed the comeback effort with two free throws that gave Harvard the lead for good. Both Mannering and Franklin scored 10 points for the Crimson and combined for 11 rebounds.

“In the last three or four minutes we played really great team basketball,” Franklin said. “It was just a great team effort and everyone just stepped up.”

The balanced offense helped Harvard neutralize the talented Cathy Dash, a Fairfield forward who dominated the lane and the glass throughout the game. Dash netted 22 points for the Stags and pulled down 11 rebounds, wreaking havoc in the paint against the Harvard frontcourt. Fairfield out-rebounded the Crimson 46-37 on the night, tallying 19 offensive rebounds to Harvard’s 10.

“We had trouble stopping her drive and stopping her from getting offensive rebounds,” captain Reka Cserny said. “But she got a lot of her rebounds earlier in the game and we stopped her later on.”

The Crimson had trouble getting settled early, losing the battle for the boards and making miscues on transition defense. Harvard committed 17 turnovers in the game, many in the first half, which allowed the Stags several fast break opportunities.

Fairfield guard Meka Wertz scored 13 points, and guard Janelle McManus had 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

The Stags led for most of the night, but Harvard’s late surge reflected the offensive balance it had all game long. Five Crimson players—Franklin, Mannering, Cserny and junior guards Jessica Holsey and Laura Robinson—reached double figures.

“Whoever stepped on the court had a really good game,” Cserny said. “Everyone contributed something and we had confidence in each other.”

In her first game back after shoulder surgery in the off-season, Holsey paced the Crimson with 16 points and three assists. She went 2-2 from behind the arc and finished the game 7-13 from the floor in just 24 minutes.

“I think this is just the beginning of what Jess is going to do,” Franklin said. “She’s going to do great things this season.”

Robinson complemented Holsey after coming off the bench early in the first half, adding 13 points and a pair of clutch free throws late in the second half. Franklin tossed in two three-pointers and senior guard Katie Murphy added two more. Consistent three-point shooting—the Crimson shot 35 percent for the game—opened up the inside for Harvard’s frontcourt.

“People are going to double inside because we have great post play,” Franklin said, “but we also have a lot of talent on the perimeter as well.”

Cserny, a 2003 first-team All-Ivy selection, reaped the benefits of her teammates’ solid outside shooting. She notched 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists on the evening, surpassing Sharon Hayes ’88 for fifth on Harvard’s all-time scoring list.

The balanced Harvard attack eventually wore down the Stags, especially as the Crimson made defensive adjustments at halftime to stifle Fairfield’s transition game.

Harvard held the Stags to just 35.5 percent shooting from the field in the second half, and Fairfield shot 33.3 percent from the line for the game. The Crimson stayed consistent throughout, shooting 45.2 percent from the floor in the first half and 46.4 percent in the second and hitting 65 percent of its free throws.

Clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch gave Harvard the momentum with the clock stopped, especially Franklin’s pair that sealed the deal for the Crimson.

“It was just awesome going into the locker room right after the game,” Cserny said. “We were down for most of the game, so it was a great comeback win for us.”