Peljto and Cserny, who both posted career-high scoring totals in combining for 55 points on Tuesday, scored just 26 together against the Huskies. Cserny struggled with foul trouble and played just seven minutes in the first half. Peljto was not her usual sharp self and was held scoreless for the first 13 minutes of the game before heating up.

With Peljto and Cserny having average games offensively, Monti and Tubridy stepped up. Monti, who had just five three-pointers entering the game, hit four three-pointers on seven attempts. The rapid change in Monti’s production was likely the result of a conversation she had with Delaney-Smith.

“We have these meetings,” Delaney-Smith said. “I said, ‘Jenn, I like your shot. You don’t take bad shots and you’re very accurate. But for some reason that’s gone south this year. I like you when you’re open to take the shot.’ And so she did it, and it worked.”

Three of Monti’s treys came in the first half and kept Harvard in the game while Cserny and Peljto were being kept off the scoreboard. By proving herself to be a three-point threat, she freed up room for the post players inside.

“[Delaney-Smith and I] had a little talk about all the pressure Hana and Reka are getting in the posts,” Monti said. “I always thought it was a better-percentage shot near the posts, but when I’m wide open, I need to shoot and open things up for them. I wasn’t really being guarded in the first half.”

Defensively, Harvard played a mixture of zones and man-to-man in the first half. Neither worked.

Delaney-Smith thought the Crimson was allowing easy baskets outside. The Huskies shot 6-of-12 behind the arc in the first half but just 1-of-7 in the second half.

“I wasn’t happy with any defense we were playing,” Delaney-Smith said. “I did stay man-to-man in the second half because their three-point shooters were hot. We needed to play better defense on their three-point shooters, and we did in the second half.”

Northeastern Coach Willette White said she was thoroughly disappointed with her team’s lack of intensity in the second half.

“Maybe [my players] felt good about their lead, but I sure didn’t,” she said. “I think we played into their hands.”