Most people light candles to celebrate their birthdays. Harvard freshman Victoria Lippert decided to light up the basketball court instead in Harvard’s 71-55 victory over Navy (8-6) Saturday evening in Lavietes. With the win, the Crimson improved to 7-4 on the season.

“[Lippert] played strong the entire game,” junior forward Emma Markley said. “I’m glad she could have such a great game on her birthday.”

The birthday girl had 17 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one block in the victory. Twelve of those points came in the second half, where her efforts proved critical in holding off a Midshipmen rally.

“It feels great,” Lippert said. “I definitely couldn’t have done it without my teammates. I’m grateful to have the opportunity.”

But it was Markley who got things going early. The junior hit the Crimson’s first three shots of the game.

“Emma Markley just brings her game face every game,” Lippert said.

Once Markley got on the board, it opened up the court for the rest of the team, including Lippert, sophomore point guard Brogan Berry, and freshman guard Elle Hagedorn.

“I think I hit my first few shots, so that changed my mentality and the guards’ mentality,” she said. “When I was lighting up, they were giving me the ball.

Later we shifted our focus so we could get all the guards [involved], use all their skills, shoot from the perimeter and penetrate.”

But Navy was able to keep it close, and Harvard ended the half with only a six-point lead.

“We definitely could’ve played better,” Lippert said. “We are really trying to make our focus defense and rebounding.”

The Midshipmen kept on firing in the second half.

“They were playing pretty physically,” Markley said. “We knew their forwards were going to be able to shoot. They’re all very strong girls.”

Twice in the half Navy brought the margin down to two. K.C. Gordon and Cassie Consedine drilled back-to-back three-point shots to close the gap the first time. Berry responded with a characteristic three-point play to bring the margin back to five.

“Brogan does an awesome job leading us,” Lippert said. “We look to her to set the tone, get us organized. Brogan does it all.”

But the sophomore’s tallies weren’t enough to capsize the Midshipmen as Gordon responded with another three-point shot.

This time it was the Lippert who stepped up with back-to-back jump shots to bring the margin back to six, a lead the Crimson would never relinquish.

“We definitely had to buckle down and make sure we stayed composed while also bringing our intensity,” she said. “It’s great to have a close game, but we definitely have to be able to bring out our own fire.”

Just as Markley had opened up the floor for her teammates in the first half, so too did Lippert’s effort allow her teammates to find the net, including those not in the starting lineup.

“We saw a lot of good things coming from the bench,” Markley said. “Everyone contributed toward the end of the game, which is really good.”

Saturday’s star substitute was Hagedorn, who had eight points—fourth behind Lippert, Markley, and Berry—and three rebounds.

“[Hagedorn] had a great game,” Lippert said. “She had a number of offensive rebounds [and] provided a good energy. Those are the kinds of plays we need to be successful.”

The win keeps the Crimson undefeated at home, but it will have to improve on its 1-4 away record if it wants to hold a winning record through its next three games—all away contests. The last of these looms particularly large, as it is a road game against Dartmouth—the team that destroyed Harvard’s hopes for an Ivy Title and NCAA berth last year.

“Our home court is nice to us,” Lippert said. “At this point, we have to step up our ‘A-Game’ and prepare for away games and win games. We’ve got to be able to mentally prepare and focus, regardless of the setting.”

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.