Sunken Hope

On Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion, Noah Savage burned the latest chapter of Harvard’s painful history with the Tigers in the minds of the Crimson faithful, burying a last-second baseline jumper to give Princeton a 60-59 victory. The shot completed the Tigers’ comeback from a six point final minute deficit, and handed a devastated Harvard team its second straight loss on the game’s final play.

“Heartbreaking, for sure,” coach Frank Sullivan said. “Not only the most hearbreaking loss of the season, but in awhile, since that time Kyle Wente hit the halfcourt shot [to beat Harvard 69-67 at Lavietes in 2001].”

Up 59-53 with 1:16 to play following a pair of free throws from senior center Brian Cusworth, Harvard (12-8, 4-3 Ivy) collapsed down the stretch on both offense and defense.

After Princeton (6-12, 4-1) guard Edwin Buffmire snaked through the lane for a layup with 55 seconds to play, Harvard freshman point guard Drew Housman, facing withering full-court pressure, attempted to toss a long pass to Cusworth, who was already past half court. Cusworth leaped high in the air, but a collision with two Princeton players knocked the ball to Tigers’ forward Kyle Koncz.

It was then that Princeton senior guard Scott Greenman, an assassin from long range who had broken Harvard’s heart on multiple occasions in the past, stuck the dagger in to kill the Crimson’s fading chances. Getting the ball at the top of the key on a handoff from center Justin Conway, Greenman fired a quick-release off-balance three that dropped cleanly through the net, cutting the lead to 59-58 with 31 seconds to play.

“He’s a big game player, and he hits big shots when it counts,” captain Matt Stehle said of Greenman.

Instead of fouling, the Tigers maintained their swarming full-court defense in the hopes of coming up with another steal. Attempting to find an open man in the backcourt, junior guard Jim Goffredo had his pass deflected and stolen by Conway with 20 seconds left. Determined not to let Princeton’s leader beat them, several Crimson defenders hounded Greenman, only to have him find an open Savage for the winner with two tenths showing on the clock.

“Lady luck smiled on us for once,” Princeton coach Joe Scott said. “It hadn’t smiled on us too much this year.”

The last minute collapse negated a strong second half for Harvard, which shook off falling behind 10-2 to start the game and a two point halftime deficit to open up a 51-43 lead on senior swingman Mike Beal’s three-point play with 5:11 remaining.

The Crimson was paced by Cusworth, who poured in 20 points, while Stehle hauled in a game-high 15 rebounds. Princeton’s Koncz matched Cusworth’s offensive effort with 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the three-point line.

Harvard will have to immediately rebound if it wants to stay alive in the Ivy title hunt, as 5-0 Penn enters Lavietes Pavilion on Saturday night in a game that remains a must-win for the Crimson. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.