Before Saturday night, the second half and the Harvard women's basketball team just didn't get along.

In the first 20 minutes of most games, the women cagers had little problem grabbing a lead. But between halves, a cloud of inertia and inaccuracy would settle over them and defeat would soon follow.

Saturday night, the second half and Harvard worked out their differences and the Crimson emerged with a 78-72 victory over Brown at Marvel Gym in Providence, R.I.

Trailing Brown, 40-39, at the half, the Crimson (10-12 overall, 5-6 Ivy League) came back to dominate the Bruins in the second stanza and close out its road schedule on a winning note.

"We traded baskets during the first half," Co-Captain Trisha Brown said. "We weren't playing great defense so they were able to stay with us."

Harvard built its lead to 10 points in the early minutes of the second stanza, and kept a sizeable advantage until late in the game.

"Near the end they make a run for it and got it down to about six," Brown said, "but down the stretch we were boxing out and rebounding well."

"Our defense really improved in the second half," junior Nancy Cibotti said. "[Bruin center Marcia Brown] really killed us on the offensive boards in the beginning, but she got into foul trouble and had to

Harvard men's basketball Co-Captains Arne

Duncan and Keith Webster combined for an alarming

53 points Saturday night, but Brown held off a