While most students were home, decorating the tree, the Crimson was at work, taking two-out-of-three.

Disregarding a lopsided loss to a talented Old Dominion team, the Harvard women’s basketball team played solid basketball during the winter break, improving its record to 8-3 overall.

HARVARD 87, STONY BROOK 69

Sitting in Lavietes Pavilion for the entire game against Stony Brook Monday night was superfluous—from the opening salvo it was evident the Crimson was going to dominate the game.

In the first seconds of the game, captain center Reka Cserny won the tip-off, leading junior guard Jessica Holsey to drive straight to the basket and quickly score the first of her 13 points for the Crimson, which went on to beat the Seawolves (2-7) 87-69.

“An uncontested lay up off the tip-off is a great way to start off a game,” Holsey said.

Five Harvard players scored in double digits, led by Cserny’s game-high 26. The 6’3 post player also totaled nine rebounds, five assists and four steals, pushing her career total to 215 and elevating her to second on the Crimson’s all-time steals list.

Senior guard Katie Murphy had a strong showing as well, contributing to the offensive effort with 12 points, six assists and seven rebounds, five of which came off the offensive glass.

Harvard was on target early in the game, shooting 65 percent from the field after one half, and 50 percent after two. Of the Crimson’s 34 baskets, 27 came off of assists, the highest number of helpers Harvard has dished this season. Stony Brook only shot 41.5 percent, and couldn’t compete with the Crimson’s execution.

“We were trying to focus on our defense and shut them down,” Holsey said. “That just generates an offense.”

Early in the game, the Seawolves missed easy lay-ups and shots that Harvard was able to nail each time. The pattern continued, and the Crimson’s lead ballooned to 29 at one point during the game, enabling every Harvard player to see time on the floor.

During the first half, the Crimson hit 5-of-12 from behind the arc, compared to 1-of-12 for the Seawolves.

Junior guard Laura Robinson scored nine of her 11 points from behind the three-point line, going 3-for-5 from the perimeter. She also tallied six assists for the Crimson.

Junior forward Shana Franklin rounded out the double-digit Harvard scorers with 10 points and four rebounds on the night.

“Everyone played really well,” Holsey said.