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Game 7-042: Columbia at Harvard
January 30, 2011 9:49 am ET by Kyle Whelliston

Columbia Lions at Harvard Crimson

January 28, 2011 7:00 pm
Lavietes Pavilion
BBState Stats/Recap



Thirty years ago, sixteen and one were just a pair of numbers, even to basketball fans. In the early 1980s, "Sixteen" had no real hoops significance outside the state of Kentucky, because the NCAA Tournament was smaller and two bracket wins weren't quite as uniformly "Sweet" as they are now. But to have that number attached these days is a symbol of impossible odds, a no-win situation. "No No. 16 has ever beaten a No. 1," they say. Of course, that's not entirely true, as visitors to the lobby at Harvard's Lavietes Pavilion are reminded, in big bold print.

I haven't been to Maples Pavlion since the old Pac-10 days, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing in the public areas like that newspaper headline. On March 14, 1998, the Harvard women's team (16) beat the Stanford Cardinal (1) in the first round of that year's women's NCAA tournament, 71-67. This came during the second wave of excellence during the long and storied Tara VanDerveer era, which had previously included two national championships in 1990 and 1992. The Cardinal had reached three straight Women's Final Fours and carried a four-year, 59-game home win streak into the Other Dance. As with the men's event in its early stages of development, early-round pods were held at the homes of higher seeds.

Kathy Delaney-Smith's Harvard team won 23 games that season and finished 12-2 in the Ivy League, but all that gained them was a long trip to the West Coast for the inevitable loss that the year would end with.

But once the game started, the Crimson couldn't miss. They made two-thirds of their shots in the first half and led at the break, 43-34. Senior Allison Feaster, for whom this was supposed to be the last game, was on her way to 35 points and 13 rebounds -- a monster game in any context. Stanford closed the gap with an 11-0 run, but the visitors would not fold. Harvard went up by four on a Suzie Miller three-point #superhoop with 46 seconds in regulation. From there, it's best to pick up the action from the Harvard Crimson student newspaper.

Stanford inbounded the ball and raced up the floor, looking for a quick shot. The ball came to Scott in the low post, but as she turned to fire, Feaster came around and stripped the ball away. Feaster was fouled immediately and hit one of her two free throws to increase Harvard's lead to five. Scott responded with a lay-up at the other end, and Feaster was fouled again on the ensuing inbound pass with 17 seconds remaining. She hit one of two from the line to push Harvard's lead to 71-67.

Freuen attempted to pull Stanford within one, but her three-point attempt was off the mark, and Seanor secured the rebound with three seconds left to play and was immediately fouled. Seanor was unable to convert either free throw, but that proved inconsequential as a half-court shot by Scott came up short at the buzzer, and the Harvard players stormed the court in a wild celebration.
It was the first win for the Ivy League, much less Harvard, in the women's tournament. It was also the first-ever NCAA first round exit for a VanDerveer-coached team. But it did end in a loss for Harvard too, as it always does: they went out in the second round against Arkansas by 18 points. Whenever Harvard-Stanford is brought up in the conversation about biggest upsets in basketball history, there will always and certainly be mention of the Cardinal's injuries prior to the tourney.

Kristin Folkl, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, had a knee injury during a leadup practice. All-American Vanessa Nygaard tore her ACL in the final Pac-10 game against Oregon State. When the first 16-over-1 occurs on the men's side, history will carefully note the circumstances surrounding the loss, and asterisk the win as much as possible. Because sportswriting is what it is, excuses will be made.

And when it happens, it will be most likely be easier than Harvard's mighty Western conquest. The win will occur on an antiseptic neutral court in the vicinity of the losing team's campus, but not directly on it. The victorious No. 16 will not play out of a visitor's locker room. There will also probably not be a 3,000-mile plane trip involved. When it happens, it will be up to all of us and each of us to remind future generations why and how the lower team won, not how and why the higher team lost.

It will happen someday. It already did.

@midmajority Game Tweets

19:14 Game 7-042: Columbia at Harvard. Actual Ivy League basketball sighting. http://img.ly/2SWo
19:15 Columbia is 11-5, 2-0 in the Ivy. Harvard is 13-3, also 2-0. In other words, SOMEONE is going 2-1 tonight. #youareinformed
19:17 We've been navigating the Harvard wifi (not smart enough to master it), but Columbia is up 13-12 at 12:00 1H. These games start AT SEVEN.
19:17 RT @whitakk: Apparently @midmajority is visiting the Ivy's second-best team tonight. Meanwhile, I'm live-blogging Princeton-Brown: http://bit.ly/eaNCUX
19:17 RT @suss2hyphens: @midmajority Crimson ball sinks from view WEAR YOUR LOVE LIKE HARVARD
19:20 Out of the MTO, a lightning-fast Harvard run to put the Crimson up 19-13. 6-0 in less than a minute! Columbia burns a TO.
19:21 Are we in front of the band? Yes. Are they straight-up biting a hole in "I Want You Back?" Uh huh! http://img.ly/2SWv
19:22 A Noruwa Agho #superhoop for Columbia closes the first quarter of play. 19-18 Harvard.
19:25 Now, we know about the effects of Ivy weekend basketball travel, but let's talk about scheduling hockey games on the same night as hoops.
19:26 We do have a nice crowd tonight here at Lavietes, but there's a party going on across the way @ the hockey arena. Harvard's playing Colgate.
19:27 From what we've been told, the Crimson hockey team has pretty much the opposite record as the MBB team, but this is a city with priorities.
19:27 This, I think, is the "Bruins Fever" we've been hinting at this week.
19:28 That's just silly. I probably smell bad. RT @JohnEzekowitz: @midmajority is about 15 feet from me. In the presence of Other 25 royalty.
19:29 My "favorite subject." RT @Hoopville: @midmajority Let's also talk about having to drive w/ the world's worst drivers to get the arena
19:30 Every year, we're reminded of the sheer speed of Ivy basketball (clock-wise). At 7:30 ET, it's 23-21 Columbia with 7:30 to go in 1H.
19:30 They stress mobility. RT @SethHunt105 @midmajority The drumline in lieu of a drum set an inspired choice and the crimson blazers are classy.
19:32 They've got #omgdunx in the Ivy, you know. Kyle Casey just went UP for Harvard! Tied at 25 with 5:12 to go in 1H.
19:32 RT @bubbaprog: Belmont frat boys: nattily attired http://30fram.es/13u & a packed house in Buffalo for Niagara-Canisius http://30fram.es/13v @midmajority
19:34 We're receiving word that the #pixelvision for COLU-HARV is showing the WBB. Complaining? You'd be lucky to marry anyone on the floor. #$$$
19:36 2:49 left in 1H in a see-saw smartypants soiree. Harvard sneaks out to a 29-27 lead, Casey with 9.
19:37 Sounds about right. #butthurt RT @bubbaprog: Belmont eager to bounce back after losing at Lipscomb: up 30-15 on FCGU, 6:15 1H. @midmajority
19:39 Columbia's Mark Cisco with the best beard on the floor, but can drop a baby hook like he don't need to shave at all. 1:41 1H, 31-29 Harvard.
19:40 Get on this, audio lovers! RT @simmonsclass: @midmajority we're broadcasting both columbia/Harvard games on www.wkcr.org! #pixelvision
19:42 Kyle Casey with another Harvard hoop, and another lead change. The final one of the half! 33-32 Crimson at the break.
19:48 Harvard always hosts some of the best kids' halftime games. Acton-Boxborough representing tonight.
19:48 Here at the half, Columbia shooting 36% (2-10 from 2) and staying in this with a few extra possessions due to excessive Harvard TO's.
19:48 If I were a kid, I'd dream of playing at Lavietes with the Harvard student section screaming and the band playing "Sweet Caroline."
19:50 Elsewise in the Ancient Eight, Cornell is down at Dartmouth 31-14 at the half. Big Red haven't make a single 2-pt FG. Hard times.
19:52 Harvard band can take the Katy Perry out of "Hot and Cold" & make it sound like a cross between Motown & Esquivel lounge. #canyourbanddothis
19:54 RT @bubbaprog: Confused: Canisius dance team in "Beat Pete" shirts. But they're playing Niagara (St. Pete game: Feb.4) http://30fram.es/13w @midmajority
19:55 It's "You Can't Beat Pete." Canisius was a Saint Peter too, you know. @bubbaprog #canisius
19:56 Big shootout to Harvard Super-SID @ksvoboda for coming over to the TMM Workstation 4000 and checking up on Bally. #ballzneedluv
20:00 The second half is UNderway here at Harvard! We may be out of here in time to catch a 9:00 movie in Harvard Square. #thefighterlooksgood
20:00 RT @simmonsclass: Kyle @whelliston's updates from the Columbia/Harvard game is helping us out a lot in the KCR studios (@midmajority)
20:03 Columbia soph Brian Barbour with some kind of air-swivel layup thing and a couple FT's, Lions holding close. 39-38 Harvard at 16:39 2H.
20:05 Kyle Casey (15 pts) just finished off a three-man transition play for Harvard with an #omgdunx. The crowd goes wild! Crimson by 4.
20:06 Better still, he looks like a STAR! RT @goodmanonfox: @midmajority Does Casey finally look healthy and like himself?
20:08 Harvard's making so many #dunx that they should change the shield: DUNXITAS. Keith Wright with a breakaway slam-jam-blam-DAMN! 45-38.
20:10 Line for Kyle Casey so far: 15 points on 6-for-10, 9 rebounds, two #omgdunx. Crimson starting to shred Columbia interior D and backcourt O.
20:12 Keith Wright another #omgdunx, he's got 14 on a good night for the Harvard front line. 50-41 Crimson at 13:01 2H. #DUNXITAS
20:15 In yet another transition opportunity, Harvard's Oliver McNally went hard/backwards into the stanchion. Intentional foul. Frustration.
20:17 McNally gets both IFT's, goes to the locker room, and it's 54-41 Harvard at MTO2 of 2H.
20:22 @goodmanonfox Not dead yet. Hope to run into you soon.
20:23 End of the third quarter, and Harvard is closing its grip on this game. 58-46, Crimson shooting 55%, 36 paint points.
20:24 Programming note: doubleheader tomorrow! Georgia State-Northeastern early, Cornell-These Guys late.
20:26 That's entirely not true. RT @Hoopville: You're following me around! @midmajority Programming note: doubleheader tomorrow!
20:27 When this picture is finally uploaded, this probably won't be the score anymore. http://img.ly/2SXI
20:30 And it isn't! Harvard up 62-51 at 7:28 2H.The student section breaks out the Winning Team Losing Team chant at 7:07. #swag
20:33 The WTLT chant seems to have broken the Lions' collective spirit. Quick 6-0 Crimson run, it's 68-51 at 5:06 2H.
20:35 Let's talk about Kyle Casey's monster night. And his full-length undershirt. 17 points on 7-for-13, 11 rebs. Had a dubl-dubl @ 13:00 2H.
20:37 73-58 Crimson, but the students are still in it. Questionable foul brings out the "Nuts and bolts! Nuts and bolts! We! Got! Screwed!" chant.
20:38 Oliver McNally did come back from the locker room and is in the game for Harvard, to close that loop.
20:41 Other venues: Cornell comes back to within 11 of Dartmouth, 6 to go. Belmont doing nasty things to FGCU, Canisius and Niagara tight in 2H.
20:42 On the Columbia side, it's worth noting (again) that Brian Barbour is one tough nugget. 19 points on 6-for-11, had 2 at the half.
20:43 About 90 seconds left here, and it's Harvard 72, Columbia 61.
20:47 McNally just took his second hard shot of the game, getting clotheslined in the air. Blinks hard, gets up, hits a couple free throws.
20:49 And that'll do it! The clock is dribbled out, and Harvard beats Columbia 77-66. Another funtastic Friday in the Ivy League draws to a close.
20:51 As far as our little trip goes, that makes 42, which is significant if you like brainy sci-fi or 1980s synth pop. Two more tomorrow. GNHN!

Boxscore

at HARVARD 77, COLUMBIA 66
01/28/2011

COLUMBIA 11-6 (2-1) -- B. Barbour 6-12 4-5 19; N. Agho 10-20 5-6 27; J. Daniels 1-5 1-2 3; M. Cisco 5-10 0-2 10; M. Lyles 1-6 2-2 5; S. Frankoski 0-5 0-0 0; Z. Crimmins 0-1 0-0 0; D. Feldmann 0-0 0-0 0; D. Starks 0-2 0-0 0; A. Ampim 1-1 0-0 2; M. Johnson 0-1 0-0 0; M. Craig 0-1 0-0 0; V. Green 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-64 12-17 66.
HARVARD 14-3 (3-0) -- O. McNally 4-6 9-12 17; K. Wright 6-10 2-3 14; B. Curry 3-9 3-5 9; K. Casey 7-13 3-3 17; C. Webster 6-8 0-0 16; M. Brown 0-1 0-0 0; L. Rivard 0-2 0-0 0; J. Georgatos 2-2 0-0 4; A. Van Nest 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-52 17-23 77.

Three-point goals: COLU 6-18 (N. Agho 2-3; B. Barbour 3-6; S. Frankoski 0-3; M. Lyles 1-4; D. Starks 0-2), HARV 4-11 (O. McNally 0-1; K. Casey 0-1; B. Curry 0-2; C. Webster 4-5; M. Brown 0-1; L. Rivard 0-1); Rebounds: COLU 27 (J. Daniels 7), HARV 38 (K. Casey 13); Assists: COLU 10 (N. Agho 3), HARV 16 (B. Curry 7); Total Fouls -- COLU 18, HARV 14; Fouled Out: COLU-None; HARV-None.