A native of Pittsburgh, Lackner has carved herself a productive niche. The 6’1 forward has a knack for converting high-percentage shots—so far, she is shooting a clean .500 in 2004—and grabbing rebounds.

She may be a Belgian Waffle, but she plays more like her latent blue-collar Pittsburgher.

“It’s really a surprisingly nice city,” Lackner says of her hometown. “I know it’s not a tourist destination exactly, but it has everything the big cities have.”

For one, Lackner says, Pittsburgh boasts a healthy dose of game.

“I wouldn’t have picked any other city to learn the game in,” Lackner says. “It’s definitely considered a hotbed for women’s basketball.”

Dalton, for her part, has split time between Tucson, Ariz., and Tampa, Fla.

She’s now accustomed to different weather—“both places are hot,” she says—and scalding percentages from behind the arc. Dalton is shooting .600 from three-point range so far this year.

“She’s a great shooter,” says Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. “The last couple games I’ve put her in I’ve been very pleased with her play.”

After a tight first half against Central Connecticut St. on Dec. 11, Dalton hit two big baskets from long range, boosting the Crimson to a 70-55 victory.

Dalton, like Lackner, doesn’t play like a second-year. Sophomores in style and substance, the two have fashioned a sturdy bond thanks to similar circumstances.

“Kyle and I would bond anyway!” says Lackner, with mock agitation. “Seriously, I always tell her how happy I am that there are at least two of us in the class.

“Being alone would make any year in college miserable.”

For now, Lackner’s happy, healthy and productive. But just wait till that spring sophomore tutorial has its say.

—Staff writer Alex McPhillips can be reached at rmcphill@fas.harvard.edu.