M. Hoops Claws its Way Past Maine

The Harvard men’s basketball team trekked to the great white north to the land of the Black Bear.

Luckily for the Crimson, it was battling the University of Maine, and its opponent’s roar and bite were less lethal than real black bears, as Harvard (5-5) grabbed a 76-63 win at Alfond Arena.

Immune from the brutal storm raging in the cold outside, the Crimson got hot in the second half, making 13-of-22 shots after the break, including 6-of-11 from long range, while stepping up the defensive pressure to escape the Black Bears’ (5-6) home territory unmauled. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Harvard.

“The coaches told us before that this was a big momentum game,” captain guard Andrew Pusar said. “We had two hard losses before this that we should have won. This gets us back in the right direction.”

The Crimson got its most balanced offensive performance of the season so far as five players scored in double figures. Junior guard Jeremy Lin led the team with 18 points, with freshman forward Peter Boehm adding 14 and Pusar scoring a season-best 12. Junior guard Dan McGeary and freshman guard Oliver McNally came off the bench to score 11 and 10 points, respectively—both season-highs.

The reserves came through especially mid-way through the second half, as Maine had rallied from a 30-23 halftime deficit and nine-point disadvantage early on in the half to tie things up with about 14 minutes to play and keep it a back-and-forth game for the next five minutes.

After a layup from Lin with 9:33 left gave Harvard a 48-46 lead, McGeary nailed a three on the next possession to push the margin to five. After the hosts responded with a bucket, McNally nailed two free throws. He would add a three-pointer several possessions later after the Black Bears had clawed their way back within two to make the score 59-54 with 6:10 left.

“The guys off the bench did a great job,” Pusar said. “Oliver and Dan came in and took over the energy of the game. They shifted the game in our favor, and we were able to extend our lead.”

McNally’s shot kick-started a 14-5 run to put the game out of reach.

Harvard’s second half push to leave Black Bear country intact was keyed by tough defense, as well as its hot shooting. Maine dominated the boards, grabbing 42 rebounds—21 on the offensive end—to the Crimson’s 27, but the Black Bears were corralled into shooting just 17-of-37 from the floor after the break, and 26-of-64 for the game.

“We did a real good job taking their offensive plan away from them,” Pusar said. “We made it difficult for them to pass the ball around the perimeter, and it was quite uncomfortable for them.”

The team returns to the court on Sunday the Dec. 28 to take on Division III Daniel Webster at home, but not before it enjoys a break for Christmas. The players will reconvene for practice on Friday and try to maintain their winning momentum.

“This was a getaway game, and some players were looking forward to going home for the holidays,” Pusar said. “But it was a big game, and we kept our focus. We’ll have several hard days of practice as we prepare for Daniel Webster.”