M. Basketball Scores 50 in Second Half to Top Lehigh, 72-62

BETHLEHEM, Pa.--Maybe it was the 863 screaming fans. Maybe it was the fact that it was dragged six hours from home during Thanksgiving break on Saturday to play a non-conference opponent.

Whatever it was, the fire in the Harvard men's basketball team led to an offensive explosion of 50 points in the second half as the Crimson defeated Lehigh, 72-62 at Stabler Arena.

Junior forward Dan Clemente once again was the Crimson's high scorer with 20 points. Sophomore guard Andrew Gellert also chipped in 17, while captain Damian Long and junior center Tim Coleman also scored in double figures.

The Crimson improved to 3-0 for the fourth time in five years, and dating back to the end of last season, has won six straight games. But this wasn't one of its easier victories.

Lehigh (1-2) jumped out to a 14-2 lead seven minutes into the game. Employing a full-court press, the Mountain Hawks forced the Crimson ballhandlers into poor interior passing and in general were quicker to the ball than Harvard. Going inside didn't work either as 6'10 Lehigh junior Sah-U-Ra Brown had three of his four blocks in the first half.

Harvard shooters looked as if they had balls and chains attached to their feet. With 8:51 left in the first half, the Crimson had scored six points, shot 3-of-14 from the field and committed 10 turnovers.

"We really haven't been pressed all year," Gellert said. "Lehigh really caught us off-guard and it led to us making poor passing decisions."

Part of the problem was Clemente's poor start. He opened 1-of-5 from the floor and got into early foul trouble. He ended the first half with seven points and three fouls, playing just 14 minutes.

Clemente played all 40 minutes of the Crimson's 80-69 win against Holy Cross last Tuesday, but also missed five of his first six shots from three-point range.

The Crimson was able to cool off Lehigh in the last seven minutes of the first half. The Mountain Hawks ended up shooting 4-of-13 over the last seven minutes while three-pointers by Gellert and Long shifted the momentum toward Harvard. At halftime, the Crimson was down 31-22, but coming back.

The second half saw almost perfect offensive execution by Harvard. The main problem in the first half had been poor shooting (9-of-26) and 15 turnovers, four by freshman point guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman. Starting in the second half, the roles of the teams had changed.

It was Lehigh that came out slow and mistake-prone. Harvard took advantage of 11 second-half turnovers--most of them in the first 10 minutes of the half--by driving inside and passing out to wide-open perimeter shooters. Gellert and Clemente drained early three's to bring Harvard to within four. Harvard shot 6-of-7 from three-point range in the second, and 8-of-13 for the game.

It was the 21st straight game in which Clemente has hit a three, extending a school mark he set earlier this season.

Lehigh's offense looked lost. The guards held on to the ball too long, leading to poor inside shots and numerous shot clock violations. The Mountain Hawks attempted to revive the press, but by that time the Crimson had solved it and had open shots. Gellert, Long, and junior Tim Coleman continued Harvard's hot three-point shooting as the Crimson jumped out to a 53-46 lead, all with Clemente on the bench with four fouls.

It wasn't just the five straight three-pointers that helped. The Crimson also cut down on the turnovers, committing none until five minutes remained in the game and finishing with only three in the second half.

"We knew we could win in the second half if we did two things," Gellert said. "Solve the press and eliminate turnovers. We did both, and that led to easier shots and more points."

The one problem the Crimson did have throughout the game was fouls. With the refs calling the game close, Clemente and Prasse-Freeman both flirted with fouling out, but instead sat the bench for large stretches. Harvard finished with 21 fouls.

While Clemente led the team in points, Gellert and Coleman both had career days and led the team in clutch situations. Gellert's 17 points and three three-pointers were both career highs. Coleman tied his career-high (set last Tuesday) with 14 points and took his first two three-point attempts of the year, both good. He also had seven rebounds.

"In the off-season, I worked on my outside shooting, and combined with the good looks I got today, it paid off," Gellert said.

Tomorrow, Harvard squares off against Marist at 7 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion.