In the marathon that was the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tournament, Harvard started strong and finished stronger, with two last-minute victories giving it a winning tournament record.

Coming off a last-second one-point loss to Boston University the previous week, the Crimson (3-2) was determined to make any close game a victory.

HARVARD 79, HOLY CROSS 76

Harvard made its last performance a dramatic one, slating a winning tournament record with its 79-76 overtime win over Holy Cross (0-6).

Throughout the first minutes, it looked like the Crimson was going to have a handed win. Junior forward AnnMarie Healy dominated the first half, scoring 15 points to lead the team. The Crusaders trailed the entire half but could not surmount Harvard’s lead. At halftime, the Crimson led, 36-27.

Like the tournament’s two previous games, the second half provided a close contest. Holy Cross tied up the score, 58-58, with five minutes left. The waning moments of the game saw five three-pointers, two from Harvard’s senior point guard Ali Curtis. Curtis made her presence known in the second half, finishing the game with 22 points and six rebounds.

The last five seconds of the competition saw a trey from Holy Cross sophomore guard Kate Gillespie, to tie the game, 69-69. After three full back-to-back contests, this game was going to overtime.

“We always say that fatigue is a mental state not a physical one,” Curtis said. “We had to mentally prepare and overcome.”

Overtime saw the lead repeatedly switch multiple times. Gillespie netted another three pointer to give the Crusaders a lead with less than a minute left in the game. However, co-captain Erin McDonnell put up her fifth three-pointer of the game, and senior forward Temi Fagbenle made two free throws to solidify the Crimson’s win.

“With an overtime after a full game, it wasn’t easy,” co-captain Kaitlyn Dinkins said. “It was definitely our will and determination.”

NOTRE DAME 97, HARVARD 43

Tournament host Notre Dame (6-0) upheld its national No. 2 ranking on Monday night, defeating Harvard, 97-43.

The Crimson had a brief lead in the game’s opening minutes. McDonnell showed no fatigue from her performance the night before, putting up a jump shot and three-pointer. By the end of the game, McDonnell had registered double-digits for the second time in the tournament, leading the team with 10 points and six rebounds.

“We came into it knowing this is a fight, and we are the underdogs,” Dinkins said. “We gave it everything we could.”

Notre Dame spent the first half’s final 13 minutes outscoring the Crimson, 50-4.