Crimson Beats Wildcats in Season Opener

Plagued with recent injuries to its starting lineup, Harvard looked to its newcomers to end its 15-game road losing streak in New Hampshire. With a new lineup consisting of four players getting their first career starts, including three of them freshmen, the team ended the streak. The Crimson defeated the Wildcats, 80-69, in a performance that showcased the athleticism of both the old and the new, giving Harvard its first road season opener win since 2002.

With captain Andrew Pusar and junior forward Pat Magnarelli out for the game with injuries and senior forward Evan Harris and guard Drew Housman not quite at 100 percent, Harvard coach Tommy Amaker overhauled his starting five, putting junior guard Jeremy Lin with junior forward Doug Miller and three new members of the Crimson’s freshman class, guards Max Kenyi and Oliver McNally and forward Keith Wright.

“We had a few kids injured and out,” Amaker said. “So the entire effort of our team was important.”

UNH came out of the gates quickly, beginning the game with five unanswered points, but Harvard answered with an 18-4 run and would not give the lead back for the rest of the game.

The Crimson played great defense the entire night, holding the Wildcats to a 40-percent field goal percentage, but it still seemed to have a bit of trouble rebounding around the basket, giving up 17 second chance points.

Even though the defense was good, it was Harvard’s offense that lit up the court and took center stage, shooting at a 60-percent clip for the game and 66-percent from behind the three-point line.

“The [freshmen] who came in were very talented,” said Lin when asked about being the only player with starting experience out of the five. “Oliver had a lot of leadership, and he runs the team. I didn’t feel any pressure. We were playing well, we all trust in each other, and this win was a key to pushing us in the right direction.”

Kenyi and Lin ran circles around the perimeter during the first half, while Wright dominated the paint in the second. With McNally running the show, Wright making his first three shots from the field, and freshman forward Peter Boehm shooting key three-pointers down the stretch, the Crimson played like a team to keep an eye on in the Ivy League race.

Kenyi was the Crimson’s leading scorer for the night, tallying 17 points in his first collegiate game on 5-for-8 shooting from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Lin and Wright both added 15 points.

“[Wright]’s arguably our best interior post player, offensively, as a first-year player,” Amaker said. “We’ve seen him play like that in practice, and we have confidence in him. We trust each other, like Jeremy said – we have to trust each other.”

“I wasn’t surprised,” Wright said, when asked about encountering the physicality of UNH in his first collegiate start. “I have Doug [Miller] banging on me in practice, I have Evan [Harris] banging on me, I expect that. If someone isn’t playing me like that, then it’s all open, it’s open for me [to score].”

However, not everything was perfect for Harvard, as it appears that Magnarelli may be out for another extended period of time. Magnarelli suffered a season-ending knee injury in his second Ivy League game last year, and he re-injured his knee on Monday. Last night, he needed crutches to get off the bench.

“I feel bad for Pat [Magnarelli],” Amaker said. “He’s been through so much. But we move on, and we hope to get him back this season.”

Even though Magnarelli’s presence will be sorely missed on the court, the freshmen have shown that they can be counted upon to step up and have a big game when they are needed.

“We executed,” Amaker said. “When you practice like that and have inside-outside balance, you do good things. I thought that helped us play well offensively and get into a rhythm.”

Getting its first road game out of the way with a solid victory, the team sets off to take on Colorado on Saturday.