They huffed and puffed but just couldn't blow the house down.

The Harvard women's basketball team staged comeback after comeback against the University of Massachusetts last night, battling back from deficits as high as 13 points, only to fall in the end, 76-67, before 175 fans at Briggs Athletic Center.

The game was the first for the cagers (10-5 overall, 4-1 Ivy) in 17 days, following the annual exam break.

The Minutewomen (9-10), who snapped both their own five-game losing streak and Harvard's three-game winning streak, have now defeated the Crimson nine straight times dating back to 1977.

The loss also spoiled a tremendous performance by Crimson sophomore point guard Barbarann Keffer, who scored 24 points, pulled down six rebounds, made five steals, and dished out three assists.

The Broomall, Penn. native went 10-for-14 from the field and 4-for-5 from the line en route to the highest single-game total by a Crimson player this year.

The 24 points also represent the highest single-game output in Keffer's college career. Her previous game-high was 18 points, which she netted in the Crimson's last loss--a 58-56 defeat at the hands of Maine University more than a month ago.

Keffer dazzled the Briggs crowd with her turnaround, double-pump, and lean-in jumpers, driving successfully inside and connecting from outside when the lanc was too clogged.

Anna Collins also had a strong game for Harvard, scoring 18 points (7-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line) and pulling down five rebounds.

The cagers grabbed a quick 12-6 lead, beating their opponent's full-court press with ease and controlling the tempo in the early going.

But the Minutewomen confused the Harvard offense throughout much of the first half, frequently rotating zone and man-to-man defenses. When the Crimson finally did solve the UMass riddle, it was too late.

That's because with nine minutes left in the first half, UMass reeled off 10 unanswered points--with six different players contributing to the scoring run--and coasted into halftime with a 45-32 advantage.

Scrappy

The second half saw the hoopsters continually scrap their way back from several double-digit deficits, but every time they had an opportunity to narrow the gap to four points they seemed to run out of gas.

That may be because Crimson Coach Kathy Delaney Smith was forced to stick with her starters most of the way. All five--including sophomore forward Beth Chandler who started for the first time this season--played over 27 minutes, with Chandler going 35.