Harmoni Turner had 25 of her game-high 38 points in the first half Sunday afternoon, as the Harvard Crimson breezed past the Maine Black Bears 83-41 in non-conference basketball action inside the Pit at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono.
Maine got off early to a 7-2 lead sparked by layups from Sarah Talon and two from Caroline Bornemann in the first three minutes of the opening quarter. It was all Harvard after that. The Crimson went on a 21-0 run, and ended the period scoring 23 of the final 26 points to go up by 15. That continued in the second, as Turner put in 13 points as Harvard outscored the Black Bears 27-7 to take a commanding 35 point halftime lead. The visitors shot 61% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, while Maine shot only 33% and turned the ball over 14 times while also missing five free throws (5-10).
The advantage would grow to as many as 43 in the fourth quarter, as Harvard out of the Ivy League improved to 4-1 that has included a road win at #25 Indiana ending the Hoosiers 18-game home win streak. Maine would turn it over a total of 26 times, as the Crimson would use those miscues to outscore the Black Bears 34-2 on points off turnovers.
Turner went 12-24 from the field (3-8 three-pointers), shot 11-11 from the line, while also adding six steals, three rebounds, and two assists. The senior guard had just scored a school-record 41 points in a win over Boston College on Thursday night. Bornemann led Maine with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Talon chipped in 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists. The Black Bears fall to 2-2. The 42-point home loss is the worst in the Amy Vachon era. The previous was a 69-40 setback to Harvard back on December 7, 2019 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Maine will try to get back on track on Thursday night on the road when they visit Patriot League member Boston University at 6 p.m.
