NOTEBOOK: Three-Pointers Bury Harvard Once Again

It took just five threes from four different Cornell players to bury the Harvard men’s basketball team.

The Big Red hit its first five shots, all threes, as it grabbed a 15-5 lead just over four minutes into the Friday night contest at Lavietes Pavilion. Cornell would shoot just 6-for-18 from behind the arc the rest of the way but the damage had already been done, as Harvard never pulled any closer than eight the rest of the way.

The hot opposing shooting has become a trend for the Crimson, as the squad has allowed opponents to hit 41 percent of their shots from three during its eight game losing streak. In its first 18 games, Harvard held opponents to 35 percent shooting from long range.

The difference even becomes more stark when one throws out the games in that span in which the Crimson came within 10 of the win. In the last five contests that Harvard lost by double-digits, the team has allowed the opposition to shoot over 47 percent from behind the arc.

BIG MAN IN HIDING

Since the Crimson’s 81-68 home loss to Penn, Harvard captain Matt Stehle has struggled to maintain his lofty scoring and rebounding averages from the season’s first 21 games.

Stehle, who is averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game, has contributed just 11 points and seven boards per contest during that span, including three of his lowest point outputs of the season (six, eight, and nine).

Meanwhile, the 6’8 forward has picked up at least four fouls in each of the games and fouled out of the Crimson’s 77-66 home loss to Yale.

BEST OF WHAT’S NEW

Entering the final weekend of the season, Cornell guard Adam Gore and Harvard guard Drew Housman seemingly both had the inside track to the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award.

Gore, who was the prohibitive favorite after eight consecutive double-digit scoring efforts, had cooled down, giving Housman a chance to steal the honor with a solid weekend and a strong head-to-head performance.

It wasn’t to be, however, as Gore knocked down four threes en route to 16 points and three assists, while Housman registered just seven and two, respectively.

THREE POINT PLAY

Senior center Brian Cusworth played despite wearing heavy tape on his right hand, which he broke after throwing down a two-handed jam at Jadwin Gym against Princeton last weekend. Cusworth finished with nine points and 11 rebounds and made three of his six free throws despite having to take them with his left hand...Senior swingman Michael Beal enters tonight’s game eight rebounds away from 400 for his career, while Stehle would need eight blocks tonight to tie the school record for career blocks (117)...No Harvard players cracked double-figures in scoring last night against Cornell, the first time all season that no members of the Crimson hit at least 10 in a game.