This dedicated practice in both defense and offense has allowed many of the Crimson athletes to put up strong numbers.

In her rookie season, freshman guard Victoria Lippert has performed with admirable consistency. Posting her third double double against Yale last weekend, Lippert is second on the team in scoring with 13.0 points per game.

“It’s obvious what Victoria is doing on the court,” Delaney-Smith said. “We’re not surprised. She’s a downright competitor and she’s very talented.”

Junior forward Emma Markley has also been instrumental in Harvard’s strong play this season. She currently leads the team with 14.2 points, 2.7 blocks, and 7.2 rebounds per game.

“Markley has been very consistent all year,” Delaney-Smith noted. “She’s been dominant and consistent as a shot blocker and a rebounder.”

Delaney-Smith was careful to point out the importance of Matera’s play as well.

“She’s been one of the top shooters in the league,” Delaney-Smith said. “People think she’s just a shooter but she’s not. She brings so much more to the team. She’s a tough, hardnosed kid and she knows the game well. She’s been through injury, through good and bad, and she’s been a leader.”

As point guard, sophomore Brogan Berry has also been essential in the Crimson’s success. Entering the final weekend of the season, Berry has 143 assists. She needs only two more to reach eighth place on Harvard’s single-season assists list.

“You can never say enough about someone like Berry,” Delaney-Smith explained. “Point guards are the pivotal position on any team...What a point guard does and brings to a team is irreplaceable and invaluable. She’s one of the best if not the best that’s played at Harvard.”

The Crimson will seek to maintain this high level of play and hopes to emerge from tonight’s game victorious. In doing so, Harvard will hold onto its undefeated home-court record and keep the race for the Ancient Eight title alive.