Coming off one of its toughest losses of the season in the opener of the Arizona State Classic, the Harvard women’s basketball team did not want to leave Phoenix without a victory.

After a hard-fought battle in the frontcourt, the Crimson nabbed one on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Arena against Sacred Heart.

Harvard 74, Sacred Heart 63

After trading baskets with the Pioneers (2-6) for the majority of the first half, Harvard (7-3) utilized a 12-1 run midway through the second stanza to emerge victorious in Sunday’s consolation game, 74-63.

“We wanted to get redemption and show each other and show everybody else who was watching in the audience what Harvard basketball was all about because yesterday wasn’t a testament to that at all,” junior forward Erin McDonnell said.

Returning from the locker room at halftime with a 34-29 lead, the Crimson knocked down seven of its first nine shots in the second half to build a commanding lead. That lead nearly reached its peak with 9:14 remaining, when a three-pointer from senior guard Jasmine Evans put Harvard up 55-38, capping the team’s huge run.

Sacred Heart would respond. After the Crimson’s lead reached nineteen points with 4:11 remaining, the Pioneers rattled off a 14-4 run of its own to pull within nine with a little over a minute to go.

Nonetheless, Harvard put the game away at the free throw line and with one last basket from the game’s leading scorer, junior forward Temi Fagbenle.

Fagbenle carried the Crimson offense with 22 points and 11 rebounds, earning her second consecutive double-double, and her fourth of the season.

“My teammates have been feeding me very well on the floor,” Fagbenle said. “They’re getting the ball in and out [of the paint]…and the fact that they’ve been able to get the ball to me as much as they [have has been really good].”

Harvard shot 52 percent from the field in the second half, marking a sharp turnaround from the first half in which the team shot a meager 37 percent.

In the early going, it appeared as though the Crimson’s struggles on Saturday were carrying over into its second contest. The Pioneers scored the game’s opening seven points, holding Harvard scoreless for about four minutes.

However, McDonnell provided a spark for the Crimson offense throughout the first half, keeping them in the game with great shooting. The forward hit all four shots that she took in the opening frame, including three from beyond the arc. She finished with 17 points.

“I wanted to win,” McDonnell said. “The sense of shoving it down their throats and showing Sacred Heart that we’re that much better [gave] me a lot of momentum.”