M. Basketball Destroys UNH

Harvard wasted no time showing the University of New Hampshire (UNH) who was boss Monday night.

The Crimson jumped out to a 31-12 lead just midway through the first half en route to an easy 91-58 thrashing of the visiting Wildcats at Lavietes Pavilion.

On a night when the 100-point milestone seemed within reach for much of the game, Harvard found a rare opportunity to use all 11 of its players for at least ten minutes each. All but two scored, with captain Dan Clemente and sophomore guard Patrick Harvey leading the way with 18 points apiece.

Harvey and Clemente nearly sealed the game in the first seven and half minutes, as they combined for 20 of Harvard's first 24 points. After, slashing across the lane and to the hoop for a layup in the opening minute, Harvey stepped outside the arc and knocked down a pair of three-pointers.

Clemente followed suit, mixing inside power moves, baby hooks, and three-pointers from well beyond the top of the arc on his way to surpassing FOX sports analyst James Brown '73 as the 10th all-time leading scorer in Harvard history.

Sophomore point guard Elliot Prasse-Freeman shot 3-of-5 from three-point range while distributing the ball with fluidity and deception, often faking penetration and then using a no-look, behind the back flip to set up a teammate.

The catalyst behind the Crimson's offensive output was a smothering defense that benefited from a bevy of Wildcat miscues. Junior forward Drew Gellert amassed five steals to go along with a pair of blocks, leading a Crimson unit that looked to have fresher legs and quicker hands than their opponents.

"Gellert did a good job defensively," said Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan. "We were asking ourselves, 'When are we going to put together back-to-back defensive games?' and [tonight] it was good to put two together."

The Wildcats turned the ball over 29 times, often because of a lack of concentration and an inclination to make unforced errors. These mistakes came to a head late in the first half when an unguarded Anthony Oglesby caught a pass from UNH senior point guard Colin Donahue with one foot out of bounds.

Despite a matador-defense and an offense that lacked inside presence, the Wildcats consistently shot well from the perimeter and never let themselves out of the game mentally. Six players hit three-pointers as the team finished 11-of-24 from long range.

"Harvard played 'lights out' at the beginning of the game, but at halftime we talked about playing to the end and at least now we can go home knowing we played our hardest," said Donahue, who himself never relinquished his role as floor general.

Despite the frustration of enduring a fifth loss in six games, Donahue instructed and motivated his younger teammates throughout the game.

Harvard received valuable contributions right down to the eleventh man. Freshman forward Kam Walton pulled down four rebounds, and 6'11 sophomore center Brian Sigafoos made the best of his ten minutes of action by scoring seven consecutive points to close out the first half. Sam Winter tied a season high with eight points, while also compiling two blocks and three steals in a fine defensive effort.

Senior forward Bryan Parker notched a career-high 10 points and wowed the crowd with his aggressive play on the offensive boards. In one sequence nine minutes into the second half, Parker elevated above a crowd and literally flew to the hoop to tip in a Sam Winter jumper that had rattled out.

Sophomore forward Brady Merchant showed some athleticism of his own less than a minute later when he penetrated into the lane and passed up an easy layup in order to try for the dunk. Merchant could not complete the scaled-down version of the dunk that Vince Carter pulled off over a seven-foot Frenchman in the 2000 Olympic games, but he did draw the foul and provide the crowd and his teammates with some entertainment.

"I took some heat from some of my teammates for that move," Merchant said with a grin. "But we were definitely having fun out there and going aggressive to the basket."

Now that the fun and games are over, the Crimson dives into the heart of its season, playing Yale and Brown at home this weekend in key Ivy League contests.

Following a non-conference tune-up with Hartford later in the month, Harvard will begin a stretch that includes a road trip to Cornell and Columbia before a critical homestand with perenially league powerhouses Pennsylvania and Princeton on February 9th and 10th, respectively.