Littlefield, Parker, Harvard highlight a strong weekend in the Ivy League

Big performances propel Ivy League teams to a 5-1 record this weekend

Five Ivy League teams were in action this past weekend. Five wins. While Cornell did suffer the league’s lone defeat, in a 59-49 loss at TCU, all five teams that played a game, won a game this weekend.

Perhaps the league’s biggest win came on Friday evening, as Harvard came back from more than ten points down to beat California, 56-53. The Crimson were led once again by freshman, Lola Mullaney with 14 points, while seniors Mackenzie Barta and Jeannie Boehm made their presence felt as well. Barta finished with a double-double, recording 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Boehm finished with 10 points of her own. Sophomore Tess Sussman made some critical plays down the stretch to help Harvard seal the victory, as she finished with 13 points. Despite shoowing just 2-15 (13%) from the 3-point line and 16-25 (64%) from the free throw line, Harvard locked in defensively helping them move to 2-0.

Mullaney did leave the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent knee injury and did not return.

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While Cornell did suffer a defeat on Sunday, they got their season off to a fantastic start on Friday evening, easily defeating Albany on the road, 71-51.  The Big Red got big contributions from some key veterans, as senior Samantha Widmann finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Laura Bagwell-Katalinich recorded 11 points and 5 assists, while junior Kate Sramac added 11 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Cornell forced 22 turnovers, as their defense continues to be their calling card.

A fast start saw Cornell take a 19-6 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.  Bagwell-Katalinich finished the weekend with a combined 28 points, as she recorded a huge double-double in Sunday’s loss to TCU, finishing with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

Reigning regular-season co-champion Pennsylvania got their season underway on Saturday and did so in impressive fashion. The Quakers took down Siena, 92-44 in their home opener. Junior Eleah Parker led the way with 21 points and 5 rebounds, while sophomore Mia Lakstigala added 18 points. Penn had two more players in double figures as junior Michae Jones had 10 points and freshman Kayla Padilla began her career in impressive fashion, finishing with 14.

Penn led by as many as 55 points in a game that saw them score 48 points in the paint and 30 points off of Siena turnovers.

The beat goes on for Princeton, as they moved to 2-0 following their 75-50 win over George Washington.  The Tigers traveled to our nation’s capital and were paced by four players in double figures. Junior Carlie Littlefield led the charge as she narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, 10 steals, and 8 rebounds. Two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, Bella Alarie, was a dominant force for Carla Berube’s team, as she finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Taylor Baur had 10 points in the contest, while sophomore Neenah Young added 15.

If anyone has something to say about my declaration of Harvard having the weekend’s biggest win in the league, it might be Megan Griffith and her Columbia team.  After starting the season 0-2, the Lions roared back on Sunday to get a huge 70-51 victory over the reigning Atlantic-10 champion, Fordham Rams.

Columbia’s youth movement was in full effect on Sunday afternoon, as freshman Abbey Hsu and Kaitlyn Davis led the charge with 15 points and 14 points, respectively. Sophomore Mikayla Markham added 10 points, and senior Janiya Clemmons had a solid game for the Lions, finishing with 8 points and 5 assists in the win. Columbia only turned the ball over ten times and finished a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line.

Here are the recipients of the opening week’s awards in the Ivy League:

Player of the week: Carlie Littlefield (Princeton)

Rookie of the week: Lola Mullaney (Harvard) and Abbey Hsu (Columbia)

Performance of the week: Laura Bagwell-Katalinich (Cornell): 17 points and 17 rebounds in a loss at TCU

All eight Ivy League teams are back in action this week.

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