As it had in the first quarter, the Crimson ended the second with a last-second basket, as freshman forward Jadyn Bush crashed the glass and tipped in a rebound to beat the buzzer and cut Brown’s lead to one point at the intermission.

Despite Brown shooting 58 percent from the field, Harvard trailed by only one at halftime.

The third quarter was a back and forth affair, and a key basket from senior guard Kirby Porter gave the Crimson a 49-47 advantage, its first lead since 9-8.

A three-pointer from Rooks and two from Katie Benzan, one of which came from halfway to midcourt, helped Harvard pull away, giving the hosts a 63-56 lead and forcing Brown to take a timeout.

But the Bears refused to go quietly into the Cambridge night, fighting back with two layups and a pair of free throws by Gaziano to cut the Crimson lead to one.

But once again, the momentum swung the hosts’ way. An incredibly acrobatic steal and save by Raster led to a transition three from Sydney Skinner, giving Harvard a six point lead and igniting the Lavietes Pavilion crowd to its loudest.

“We have such great crowds,” Benzan said. “Everyone’s coming and cheering, and the environment is just amazing.”

Harvard entered the final quarter with a four point lead, but the Crimson’s momentum was quelled by an offensive foul call on Rooks, relegating her to the bench with four fouls. Bush entered the game for Rooks and immediately contributed with a key layup. Bush showed no freshman nerves Saturday, playing 16 crucial minutes, and converting all four of her attempts from the field.

With under two minutes remaining, the Crimson led by three when Skinner pried the ball from Gaziano’s hands, giving Harvard the ball, but Rooks misfired from deep to give Brown the ball again.

A layup from Leonidas cut the lead to one, and Benzan was fouled with five seconds remaining, setting the stage for an incredible finish.

Benzan and the rest of the Crimson played with maturity and poise down the stretch, allowing Harvard to extend its home unbeaten streak, much to the delight of coach Delaney-Smith.

“The big question mark about us is our inconsistency, our ability to play under pressure,” Delaney-Smith said. “I am so proud that we were able to play through that tonight.”

—Staff writer Amir Mamdani can be reached at amir.mamdani@thecrimson.com.