Harvard wins Ivy Tournament beating Columbia 74-71 to earn first NCAA Tournament bid since 2007
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Harmoni Turner scored 24 points and Harvard beat Columbia 74-71 on Saturday to win the Ivy League Tournament for the first time in school history.
It's the Crimson's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2007.
Fittingly the back-and-forth game came down to the final few plays. Harvard led by five with 17.6 seconds left before Columbia scored three of the next four to get within 74-71.
The Crimson had a chance to seal it, but Elena Rodriguez missed a wide-open layup with 5.2 seconds left, giving Columbia once last opportunity. After a timeout, Riley Weiss took a 3-pointer from the wing that rimmed out just before the buzzer.
She finished with 21 points to lead the Lions.
Turner, who scored 44 points in the semifinal win over Princeton, earned the tournament MVP honors. She was the league's Player of the Year in the regular season.
Harvard (24-4) reached the finals of the Ivy Tournament for the second time in three years. The Crimson lost to Princeton in 2023.
Columbia (23-6), which won the outright regular season title for the first time in school history, lost in the title game for the third time in the past four years. Princeton beat them in 2022 and 2024.
Now the Lions will wait to see if they can get an at-large bid for the second consecutive year. Columbia made its first NCAA Tournament appearance last year as one of the last teams in the field of 68. The Lions lost to Virginia Tech in a play-in game.
It was the second time in league history that the conference got an at-large bid. This season the league could potentially get two at-large bids with Princeton also in the mix. That would be a first for the conference.
It was an entertaining first half that saw Harvard go up 34-26 behind Turner before the Lions closed to 44-42 at the break. The teams combined to hit eight of their final 10 shots, trading baskets for the final 3 minutes before the half.
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Elle Bobe of South Knox wins 2025 Wooden/MCL citizenship award
The video above is from previous coverage of the South Knox Lady Spartan's winning the IHSAA Class 2A state championship. KNOX COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — South Knox girls basketball player Elle Bobe has been named a winner of the Wooden/MCL Citizenship award for 2025. During her senior season, Bobe led the South Knox girls' basketball team to a 28-2 record and the Class 2A state championship, while averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Bobe has also set school records for career points (1,756), season points (581 as a senior) and points in a single game (37 points). She also holds records for career three-pointers, career assists and free throw percentage. South Knox girls coach honored as Coach of the Year Bobe is a three-time IBCA Small School All-State selection, a four-time all-Blue Chip Conference selection, a three-time Vincennes Sun-Commercial first-team All-Area and Player of the Year and two-time Evansville Courier & Press all-Southwestern Indiana. Bobe plans to major in physical therapy at the University of Southern Indiana, after being named class valedictorian. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and President of her school's Business Club. Bobe was also a vice president and participant in Student Council, Key Club and Interact Club. Hollie Eaves named IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year The Wooden/MCL Citizenship Award has been presented to one All-Star boy and one All-Star girl annually since 1992. The award is named after the late John Wooden, a former player at Martinsville High School and Purdue University, and later a 10-time NCAA championship coach at UCLA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
24 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Lakers Risk Losing Myles Turner Without Major Roster Move
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Los Angeles Lakers will be at the forefront of the basketball universe this summer. While that's usually the case, all eyes will be on whether the Lakers could land a star big man, something that they lacked in the second half of the season. It's clear as day that the Lakers need to bolster their center position. They were in a tough spot last season after they traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. Although the Lakers upgraded in terms of superstar, it left a massive hole at the center position. That played a huge role in the team's downfall in the postseason. However, the attention has shifted to the offseason and whether the Lakers can land the star big man. L.A. will have its options, and one name they'd love to add is Pacers center Myles Turner. Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball against Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers during the game at FedExForum on January 29, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball against Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers during the game at FedExForum on January 29, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo byTurner is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but as things stand, the Lakers cannot afford him. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Lakers will need to shed salary if they want a shot at Turner. "While the Lakers do not have cap space to sign free agent Myles Turner, for example, Los Angeles does have a 2031 or 2032 first-round pick, five years of pick swaps, 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht and over $70 million in expiring contracts (Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber and Gabe Vincent) to use in a trade," said Marks. Turner could be a player the Lakers could have greatly benefited from. While a lob threat archetype usually thrives alongside Doncic, Turner is able to space the floor and provide some rim protection. Turner is currently 29 years old and will turn 30 next March. The Lakers may not have the best assets in a trade, but if they really want to sign Turner, they certainly have the ability to move players like Reaves, Finney-Smith, Hachimura, Kleber, and Vincent to clear up cap space. Turner's market is high. As things stand, it is likely that he will sign at around $30 million annually. Prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals, ESPN's Shams Charania shared how the Pacers are expected to enter the luxury tax to retain Turner. If the Pacers were to do so, it would be the first time they would do so in 20 years. It won't be easy for the Lakers to sign Turner, which is why trading for a starting center may be the best route. More NBA news: Cavaliers Star Underwent Significant Offseason Surgery Mavericks Narrowing Options for 2025 No 1 Draft Choice For more Los Angeles Lakers news and NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on how OKC playoff crowd help Thunder prepare for road environment
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on how OKC playoff crowd help Thunder prepare for road environment If you look up at the jumbotron enough times, you'll see a noise decibel meter reach over triple-digit points at least once. As the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years, a global audience has familiarized itself with the homecourt advantage the title favorite enjoys. The Thunder entered the championship series as the popular pick over the Indiana Pacers. Easy to understand why. You don't need a master's degree in basketball. OKC had one of the greatest regular seasons ever. That's translated to the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one of the best scoring campaigns ever as an MVP winner. After Tyrese Haliburton stunned the OKC crowd with a Game 1 game-winner, the Thunder bounced back with a 123-107 Game 2 win. They still need to do work to regain homecourt advantage, but it was a solid start after they dropped the ball to open the series. The Thunder hope they'll get the chance to clinch a championship on their home floor. You don't need to look way too far back to see the type of intangible boost they receive in front of their fans. They blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 to clinch the Western Conference Finals. For visiting media from across the world, it's been quite the culture shock to see such an active NBA crowd. The Thunder faithful received comparisons to notorious sports environments, like international soccer games. Gilgeous-Alexander talked about it after Game 2 and how it weirdly prepares them for the opposite. "It helps a lot. It feels like throughout the whole playoffs the crowd has found a way to get louder every game. I don't know how they do it. Yeah, it's special to be able to play in front of them," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It honestly makes the road games a little bit easier because it feels like it's almost not as loud as it's been at home. Yeah, they're special. The best fans in the world." Let's see if Pacers fans can make Gilgeous-Alexander eat his words. They'll host their first NBA Finals games in 25 years with Games 3 and 4. The Thunder travel on the road with the hopes of at least a split. But they've shown all year they could certainly take both if everything clicks for them.
