M. Basketball Finishes Season in Style With Sweep

After a bitterly disappointing five-game losing streak that shattered any hopes for its first-ever Ivy title, the Harvard men's basketball team rebounded this weekend to end its season in style by sweeping Columbia (12-15, 7-7 Ivy) and Cornell (7-20, 3-11) at Lavietes Pavilion.

With the wins, the Crimson (14-12, 7-7) caps its third winning season since 1995-96, finishes with a .500-or-better Ivy mark for the fifth time in six years, and establishes a program record for wins in a six-year span with 84.

Saturday's game against Cornell was also the final game for captain Dan Clemente and senior guard Brian Parker. Both players were honored before Saturday's game against Cornell.

Clemente, who was recently named Co-Ivy Player of the Year by College Hoops Insider and is a candidate for the League's Player of the Year award, racked up 47 points over the weekend to move into fourth on Harvard's all-time scoring list with 1,484. The senior forward will also graduate with the school record for career three-pointers (220) after having the third most prolific three-point shooting season in team history (70 three-pointers on 38.3 percent shooting).

"I can't believe it's all over," said Clemente. "I'm not worried about these guys [next year]. With [junior guard] Drew [Gellert] leading them on defense, they'll be fine."

Gellert, with his 72 steals, finished with the Ivy League lead in steals for the second year in a row. Sophomore guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman also finished with the league lead in assists for the second year in a row, averaging 6.83 assists per game.

The weekend sweep brings the Crimson's home record to 10-3. Harvard also continued an impressive streak with the wins. Over the last seven seasons, the Crimson is 13-1, including seven straight wins in the final game of the season.

After an eight-month hiatus, the Crimson will kick off its 2001-2002 season by hosting Fairfield at Lavietes Pavilion on Nov. 16.

Harvard 93, Cornell 84

Although it was Clemente's curtain call on Saturday night, sophomore guard Pat Harvey stole the show and led the Crimson to a 93-84 win over the Cornell Big Red.

Harvey was automatic from behind the arc, draining all six of his three-point shots on 9-of-11 shooting en route to a career-high 26 point effort. The 5'11 sophomore ends the season as the Crimson's second-leading scorer and most accurate marksman from beyond the arc (41.4 percent).

In his final appearance in a Crimson uniform, Clemente had his sixth career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Harvard is now 5-1 when Clemente reaches that plateau.

The Crimson built a 48-34 halftime lead on the strength of 58 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from behind the arc. Harvard shot 56 percent from the field for the game and hit an astounding 48 percent of its shot from behind the arc.

In the second half, Harvard stretched its lead to 18 points and maintained a double-digit advantage until Cornell pulled to within nine late in the game.

Harvard's 93 points were the most for the Crimson since a 96-point showing against Sacred Heart early in the 1999-2000 season.

Although Cornell never led in the game, the Big Red received standout performances from senior Ray Mercedes and freshman Ka'Ron Barnes.

Mercedes, a candidate for Ivy League Player of the Year, recorded a career-high 37 points on 12-of-20 shooting while Barnes, a candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, finished with 21 points and seven assists.

"It was a phenomenal exhibition for Mercedes, but I was happy with the way we rebounded," said Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan.

The Crimson held a decisive 37-28 edge over the Big Red and limited second-chance baskets by pulling down 30 defensive rebounds.

Both Prasse-Freeman and sophomore center Brian Sigafoos ended the evening with seven rebounds and 17 points. Prasse-Freeman also chipped in a game-high 11 assists.

Harvard 66, Columbia 61

Clemente's season-high 30 points and Harvey's familiar last-second heorics combined on Friday night to slay the Lions, 66-61.

Trailing by one with 10.3 seconds left in the game, Harvey hit a runner in the lane to give Harvard the lead at 62-61.

After an errant pass from Lions guard Derrick Mayo, Harvey was fouled with 8.4 seconds left and made both free throws to extend the Crimson lead to 64-61. Another miscue from Mayo on the ensuing possession resulted in a Gellert interception at halfcourt. Gellert was fouled with one second left and hit both of his free throws for the final margin of victory.

Clemente's 30-point outburst catapulted the senior forward into fourth on the all-time scoring list. Entering the weekend, Clemente needed just 29 points to pass Ron Mitchell '92 (1,455) and Ralph James (1,465).

"He's certainly delivered the numbers, but more importantly he has shown tremendous character on and off the court," Sullivan said.

Clemente, who played all forty minutes, complemented his prolific scoring by pulling down a game-high eight rebounds.

Columbia forward Craig Austen, another candidate for Player of the Year honors, was not as prolific for the Lions. Austen finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

"Austen really had to earn every single basket, and I give our guys a lot of credit for making him work for his points," Sullivan said.

The Lions were paced offensively and defensively by junior point guard Victor Munoz, who contributed 14 points and three steals in the losing effort.

After a close 33-28 first half, the Crimson and Lions battled down the wire. In the final three and a half minutes, there were three ties and four lead changes.

The Crimson won despite shooting a paltry 37 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. Harvard, though, was able to pull out the victory thanks to an uncharacteristically high 79.2 percent shooting performance from the free throw line.

The win assured Harvard of its fifth .500-or-better season in the last six years as well as an improvement over last season's 12-win campaign. Harvard has also now won 13 of its last 16 meetings with Columbia.