M. Hoops Falters Against Killer P’s

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Some places you just can’t win.

Looking for victory in two places that have proved inhospitable since the first Bush administration, the Harvard men’s basketball team dropped contests at Penn and Princeton this weekend.

Fresh off a 20-day layoff for exam period and buoyed by a 2-0 Ivy League record, the Crimson (10-7, 2-2 Ivy) managed to keep it close against the Tigers, losing 67-61, but suffered a 75-59 defeat the next night at the Palestra in Philadelphia.

Penn 75, Harvard 59

The Quakers (10-5, 2-0) took advantage of their hot shooting hand, especially from beyond the arc, to keep Harvard at bay for most of the game. As a team, Penn shot 49.1 percent from the field and 55 percent from three-point range, including guard Tim Begley’s perfect 5-for-5 night from long range.

Begley and guard Andrew Toole, who had 21 points, led all scorers on the night and, more importantly, neutralized Harvard’s numerous attempts at a comeback in the second half.

“Penn probably has more answers on the perimeter than any other team in the Ivy League,” Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said. “Their ability … really leaves you as a defensive player with your head spinning a little bit.”

The Crimson was unable to respond with a similar offensive effort. Senior shooting guard Pat Harvey, who has had some of his best games against Penn, was held to 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting, and made only one three-pointer.

Penn’s hands-on defense also forced Crimson ball-handlers into some poor decisions, especially along the baseline, causing Harvard to turn the ball over 21 times.

“We played hard,” Sullivan said. “But we only had a few positives.

Penn opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half, but the play was ugly on both sides. Both teams were turning the ball over and failing to finish fast breaks. However, rebounding efforts by Penn’s Jan Fikiel led to several easy putbacks and kick-outs for open threes, and the Quakers had 12 second-chance points (to Harvard’s two) in the first half.

Following a dunk by 7’ freshman center Brian Cusworth and a pair of Harvey free throws, the Crimson went into the locker room only down 32-26.

Harvard would never get closer.

Penn began the second half with three-pointers from All-Ivy forward Koko Archibong and guard Jeff Schiffner to open up a 12-point lead and never looked back.

Senior forward Sam Winter and captain Brady Merchant finished with 11 and 10 points for the Crimson, respectively.

Princeton 67, Harvard 61

PRINCETON, NJ—The seniors on the Harvard squad had never beaten the Tigers (8-7, 2-0 Ivy), and had never really even gotten close at Jadwin Gymnasium. So Friday night’s loss to Princeton, in a game where the Crimson held a lead with under two minutes remaining, was particularly disheartening.

“All the guys have got a pretty bitter taste in their mouths,” Merchant said. “The game was played on our terms.”

Indeed, for most of the game, the Crimson defended well against Princeton’s bread-and-butter perimeter attack, which relies on off-the-ball movement and three-pointers. Harvard held the Tigers to just 17.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Offensively, Harvard seemed out of sync at stretches, especially when foul trouble forced substitutions. But the play of Merchant, who led the Crimson with 18 points, and Cusworth kept Harvard in the game.

The final eight minutes were as exciting as any stretch of basketball played by the two teams this season. Harvard took its first lead of the second half, 49-48, on a Merchant free throw, but Princeton stormed back to build a 57-52 advantage with 5:33 remaining.

A Merchant three-pointer cut the lead to 58-57 a minute later, and the Crimson jumped back on top when Harvey hit a baseline floater. The teams exchanged free throws on the next several possessions, resulting in a 62-61 Princeton lead with 1:31 left.

Harvard would probably like to forget how this game ended. First, miscommunication resulted in a turnover, but Princeton missed a jump shot on its ensuing possession. Harvey then brought the ball up the court with Winter in front of him and lobbed a pass that Winter bobbled.

The ball ended up in Princeton’s hands and an easy layup on the fast break made it 64-61 with 18 seconds left, leaving Harvard with one last chance.

Using Harvey as a decoy, the Crimson got the ball to Merchant in the corner for a three-pointer. But the shot was tipped and clanked off the side of the rim.

Sullivan was not happy with the way things ended but stressed his team’s overall performance.

“I think given the circumstances—both teams being off—I felt both teams played pretty well, to be honest with you,” he said. “You take 20 days off for exam and reading period, you never know what to expect, but I feel pretty good about the way we played tonight.”

The Crimson stumbled in its first Ivy road trip, but will head south again next weekend to Brown and Yale. Penn and Princeton make the trip up to Lavietes Pavilion the weekend of Feb. 21-22.

—Staff writer Rahul Rohatgi can be reached at rohatgi@fas.harvard.edu.