Colgate Brushes by M. Basketball

The Harvard men's basketball team had insult added to injury on Saturday afternoon as it was brushed away by Colgate in its worst loss of the season.

Playing its first game of the year without star junior forward and leading scorer Dan Clemente--who is out for the season with a detached retina in his right eye--the Crimson (3-4) could muster no consistency on offense, falling to the Red Raiders (3-5) 76-49 at Lavietes Pavilion.

It was the fourth consecutive defeat for Harvard and the end of Colgate's four-game losing streak.

"It was a difficult game for our guys to go through the news of losing the seventh-leading scorer in the country [entering the last game Clemente played] and playing a game in the same 24 hours," Coach Frank Sullivan said.

Clemente--who was averaging 21.2 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game on the season--had recently been experiencing blurred vision in his right eye. On Thursday afternoon the injury was diagnosed, and surgery was performed on Friday morning.

With no previous indications and the suddenness of the news, Harvard entered the contest in disarray and seemingly unprepared to handle a game without its star.

'We definitely weren't prepared to play [without Clemente]," captain Damian Long said. "We didn't know what the new role of the players would be. We just played hard and hoped things worked out."

But despite the loss of its star, Harvard was quick to give credit to the Red Raiders.

"Colgate was the reason that we lost," Sullivan said. "Colgate played great defense, and we didn't do a good job of taking care of the ball."

As could be expected in the wake of Clemente's injury, a lack of energy and offensive execution plagued the Crimson on the afternoon.

Harvard turned the ball over27 times in the game while dishing out just 11 assists. Additionally, the Crimson shot just 32.2 percent from the field.

"This was the first time I can remember our ever having that many turnovers," Sullivan said. "And we rarely shoot under 35 percent."

From the outset, it was evident that the Crimson was uncomfortable and confused running the offense without its scoring leader. Colgate jumped out to an early 12-5 lead and never trailed.

Without its usual go-to guy on the floor, Harvard forced rushed and ill-advised shots and missed several layups.

"Some players may have tried to step and fill in the scoring void left by [Clemente]," Sullivan said. "We got some good looks, but we took some that we shouldn't have."

Harvard did control the glass on the afternoon. Led by junior center Tim Coleman's career-high 16 boards, the Crimson outrebounded the Red Raiders 42-33 for the game. The poor shooting, however, was too much to overcome.

"We thought things would fall into place, but it got really ragged, taking bad shots," said Long, who led Harvard with 13 points in the game. "We probably should have gotten the ball inside a bit more."

Colgate, meanwhile, seemed fresh and at ease in its offense, clearly enjoying the spoils of a facing a Clemente-less Crimson squad. The Red Raiders effectively spread the floor and the Harvard defense, patiently passing the ball around to find the open man.

Leading the way for Colgate was freshman backup forward Marques Green. The 6'5 Green routinely camped out behind the three-point line awaiting the pass for the open jumper. He finished the first half with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. He led all scorers with 21 points, including hitting on 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc.

The Colgate defense, however, was the key for the game. The Red Raiders pressured Harvard into numerous turnovers and tough shots. At the half the Crimson had 16 turnovers to only four assists and shot just 17.9 percent from the field.

Unsurprisingly, Harvard found itself trailing 31-14 at the intermission.

And just as it looked that things could get no worse for Harvard, freshman guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman was forced to leave the game just 41 seconds into the half with, of all things, an eye injury.

As Prasse-Freeman began to bring the ball up court after a missed Colgate free throw, he was accidentally poked in the left eye by 6'6 sophomore forward Pat Campolieta, who was whistled for the foul. Prasse-Freeman left the court under his own power, but would not return to the game.

For the Crimson, losing its starting point guard was just another blow for the already-hurting offense. Nonetheless, Harvard played the second half with increased poise and intensity, improving on its dismal first half performance--the Crimson shot a solid 45.2 percent in the second half.

"It's human nature to want to step up and contribute points," Sullivan said. "As a result, we rushed shots and had some layups that we just didn't finish up.

"Players were trying to fill in new roles instead of letting it happen, and so we talked about changing that in the second half," Sullivan added.

Defensively, Harvard came out of the break with a press, trying to force turnovers and get back into the contest, but the Crimson was limited in its efforts because of numbers.

"We had to be judicious in using the press due to the fatigue factor, especially with [Clemente] and [Prasse-Freeman] out and since [junior forward Bryan] Parker had the flu," Sullivan said. "So with our lack of depth, we didn't want to make our big men run too much, which is what you force them to do when you press."

And unfortunately for the Crimson, Colgate answered its efforts by shooting the lights out. After hitting 41.4 percent from the floor in the first half, the Red Raiders stepped it up to 65.4 percent in the second. Colgate also made 6-of-8 three-pointers after the break.

The Crimson never got closer than 16 points to the Red Raiders, and as the game wore on--and the Harvard players wore down--Colgate continued to pour on the points. The 27-point winning margin was the largest lead of the game.

The lopsided loss to a Colgate team that was in a tailspin of its own does not bode well for the Crimson, especially with Clemente out for the season. Many questions, like where the missing points will come from, now arise.

"So many of Dan's scoring comes from three-pointers, which hides many of our offensive deficiencies," Sullivan said. "We were a work in progress going into the season, and now that is even more the case."

Nonetheless, the team said it remains optimistic about the remainder of the season. Believing that much of its performance Saturday was due to the sudden news about Clemente, the team said it is confident that it will continue to learn and improve.

Freshman forward Sam Winter will step into Clemente's starting position, and 6'8 classmate Onnie Mayshak will also see an increased role.

Winter had a tough time filling in against Colgate, scoring only two points, but with his 6'6 frame and nice shooting touch, he can provide some of the scoring that Harvard will need. Mayshak grabbed seven rebounds against the Red Raiders to go along with seven points and could provide a solid presence inside.

The backcourt of Prasse-Freeman and sophomore guard Drew Gellert--who had a career-high seven assists--is young, and Coleman is a junior, meaning that the Crimson will look to build a solid team for the future.

"We have a great bunch of young, talented players, and it is an honor to play with them," Long said. "From a morale standpoint, we are in good shape, and we will all grow from this loss. We will be fine."

Notes

Prasse-Freeman was taken to the hospital during the game to receive further treatment on his eye. The extent of his injury, and his expected time of return is currently unknown.

Clemente played in six of the Crimson's 27 games this season, exceeding the 20 percent limit necessary to be given a medical redshirt by the NCAA. As a result, it is likely that Clemente will lose this year of eligibility, giving him just one season with Harvard.