Going on the road against the top two teams in the conference, one of which is making a strong case for being among the best Ivy League women’s basketball teams ever, is never an easy task.

The Harvard women’s basketball team’s defense rose to the challenge this past weekend, as the Crimson (10-14, 3-7 Ivy) held Penn (16-7, 7-2) to just 35 percent shooting from the field on Friday night before traveling to Princeton (25-0, 9-0) and holding the Tigers to 30 percent shooting in the first half.

But even with the strong defensive effort, the Killer P’s were too much for Harvard this weekend, as the Crimson lost to Penn, 71-61, at the Palestra, before failing to knock off Princeton in a 78-57 loss on Saturday night.

PRINCETON 78, HARVARD 57

After a 50-point loss to No. 16/17 Princeton earlier this year at Lavietes, Harvard came out of the gates ready to play at Jadwin Gymnasium.  The Crimson jumped out to a 15-9 advantage during the first 10 minutes of play thanks to six early points from junior forward AnnMarie Healy and swarming team defense.

“I think this time we came out with really no fear,” Healy said. “Their shots weren’t falling in the first half, but I think our biggest success was controlling the boards on defense and not letting them get second and third-chance shots.”

After a first half filled with missed shots from both teams, Princeton found its offensive rhythm, shooting 62 percent from the field in the second half while pushing the pace of play.

“I think the way they run the floor is really difficult to defend against,” sophomore guard Destiny Nunley said. “That is one of the main things that gave them the win last night. Our team defense was great, but a few too many times we let them run the floor, and that was a difference in the game.”

Offensively, Healy and senior forward Temi Fagbenle carried the load for the Crimson, as each finished with 18 points while shooting above 50 percent from the field. While the inside game worked well for Harvard, the starting guards for the Crimson struggled the entire night, shooting a combined 3-for-23 from the field on the night.

PENN 71, HARVARD 61

Despite shooting just 25 percent from the field on Friday night, Harvard kept the game close for most of the contest thanks to a double-double from Healy, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Kit Metoyer scored 14 points and added three assists, while senior forward Erin McDonnell finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive glass.

“I’m not a one-on-one player,” Healy said. “I definitely rely on my teammates. They have been great at looking inside, and I’m just grateful my shot has been falling.”

The Crimson offense sputtered throughout the night, however, and of the 18 shots Harvard made from the field, 14 belonged to the trifecta of Healy, Metoyer, and McDonnell.

With the offense struggling, it was the Crimson defense that kept the team in the game. Led by six steals from Nunley, Harvard forced 16 turnovers and forced Penn into a tough shooting evening.

“I thought that defensively our communication was key,” Nunley said. “I thought in the Penn game our defense really had a spark too it, everyone was moving with purpose.”

The Quaker starters proved too much for the Crimson however, as four of the five finished in double figures on the night and sparked a second-half run that pushed the game well out of reach. Harvard cut the lead from as much as 25 back down to 10 as the game wound down, but the cold shooting stretches for the Crimson earlier in the game were too much to overcome.

“Sometimes [a team] goes cold,” Healy said. “But instead of waiting for an easier shot later on in an offensive possession, we would just jack it up early on in the offense and settle for a worse shot.”

—Staff Writer Ty Aderhold can be reached at michael.aderhold@thecrimson.com