With 49 seconds until the half, Yale cut the Harvard lead back to single digits at 44-36. The Crimson was able to regain its double-digit lead before the half on two free-throws from Rooks. Rooks set the pace for Harvard in the opening half, shooting 8-for-9 and accounting for 19 points and six rebounds. Rooks was not the Crimson’s only accurate shooter, as Harvard shot 57.6 percent from the field in the first half.

The second half saw the return of Benzan, Porter, and Boehm. Benzan made up for her missed time by connecting from beyond the arc on Harvard’s first possession of the half. Raster followed it up with a three-pointer of her own.

The Crimson’s lead would be soured as foul trouble reared its ugly head again. Porter and Boehm both recorded their third fouls of the contest early in the third quarter, causing both of them to sit out momentarily. With 2:28 left in the period, Skinner also recorded her third foul, leading her to join Porter and Boehm.

“We’re deep enough to handle it,” Delaney-Smith said.

Harvard’s offense continued its success from behind the arc quickly, as Skinner and Raster hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to continue to pad the Crimson’s lead. Rooks then hit a three of her own to put Harvard up 18 points with 3:37 left until the start of the fourth quarter.

Yale came alive before the start of the final frame, going on a 6-0 run of its own. The Crimson would answer after a cross-court pass led to a contested Benzan knocking down a three-pointer from the right wing. As the Bulldogs attempted to answer before the buzzer, Redford stole the ball at the top of the key and finished the fastbreak layup by herself to put Harvard up 70-53 to start the fourth.

Despite the large lead, the Crimson refused to slow the pace. Raster started the quarter with an and-one layup, followed up by yet another three-pointer from the hands of Redford. Benzan continued her hot hand from behind the arc, knocking down a three-pointer of her own. Following a made free throw from freshman forward Jadyn Bush, Boehm grabbed the offensive rebound on the second rebound. Raster then connected from three again, extending Harvard’s lead to 83-57.

Harvard continued its impressive shooting to the end of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Crimson had secured the solid victory over its oldest rival, 97-73.

“Anytime you beat Yale it feels awesome because there’s always that rivalry there,” Raster said. “We’re looking forward to beating them again in a couple weeks.”

—Staff writer Joseph W. Minatel can be reached at joseph.minatel@thecrimson.com.