NOTEBOOK: Sophomores Key Squads in Crimson Loss

When sophomore Jeremy Lin hit a three-pointer with 42 seconds to go to put the Crimson five points ahead of Ivy juggernaut Cornell on Friday night, Harvard’s small fan contingent went wild.

In a game where all of the bright spots that had been missing from a five-game road trip resulting in five straight losses seemed to be coming back to light, the Crimson eventually dropped the decision, 72-71, in a heartbreaking set of events in the last 30 seconds. It was supposed to be the end of a struggling team’s misery and a sign that any team in the conference could run with the top dog.

Cornell sophomore Alex Tyler not only scorched the Crimson for 19 points, making 9-of-11 field goals, but also scored six of those points in the last 25 seconds, crushing any Harvard hopes of breaking its five-game losing streak.

POINTS IN THE PAINT

While the Big Red had to come from behind to finally win the matchup on Friday, the squad was dominant in a number of ways the entire game. The Crimson was outrebounded by Cornell, 35-23, and it seemed as if the Big Red was able to find easy ways to get buckets down low in response to nearly every Harvard possession.

Tyler set a career high in both points and rebounds, but his 10 boards were probably what hurt the Crimson the most. On his rare misses, he was able to get the offensive board when it counted, making it difficult for Harvard to sustain a substantial lead even with consistent offense in the second.

“We haven’t been very good in the interior all season,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “Our area of concern is our ability to dig in, get a stop, and get defensive rebounds.”

GONE IN 30 SECONDS

Better interior defense would have prevented some of the events that led to the Crimson’s collapse in the final 30 seconds of the game. Two of Tyler’s final buckets came off of easy post layups, but it was an area in which he had dominated the whole game.

Lin’s clutch three-pointer seemed to have locked the game in for Harvard, but beating the best team in the conference proved to take more than just smooth, consistent play—it requires a certain amount of luck. Judging from the few unlucky turnovers in the final seconds, Harvard clearly was stuck with the short straw.

“I thought our kids did some tremendous things,” said coach Amaker. “It’s just disappointing for them because you put so much effort in and play so hard, so well, and not execute in situations like just getting the ball inbounds.”

THE CROWD GOES WILD

Possibly the biggest X-factor in the game for the Big Red, though, didn’t come on the court.

It was the stand dwellers decked out in “Red Zone” t-shirts who cheered consistently in the final minutes, when their team was down by as many as 11 points.

The Cornell crowd dwarfed Harvard’s boisterous but small fan group, and though the Harvard side was littered with chants and excited screams when the victory seemed imminent, “Let’s go Cornell” cheers persisted, culminating in an even more raucous roar when Tyler put in his last two.

While the Crimson was able to prove it can and does play better at home, the real advantage comes into question when the other team clearly has the fan edge.

SOPHOMORE SURPRISE

Junior guard Drew Housman clearly led the way for the Crimson with his 18 points and a perfect 8-for-8 mark from the charity stripe, but it was the class of 2010 that stole the show on both ends of the court.

Sophomore Lin had probably the biggest shot of the game with his potential game-winning three-pointer.

“I got the ball—I thought I could take him off the dribble,”Lin said. “But he gave me space so I just shot the three. It was good for us, but in the end it comes down to us playing defense and getting stops when you need to and that didn’t happen tonight.”

The defensive stops would have proven useful against the Big Red sophomore duo of Tyler and guard Ryan Wittman—who had 19 points. Wittman had a couple long balls of his own, and many of his two-pointers were close to three-point range.

Even though neither Friday nor Saturday’s games turned out to be the streak-breaker for the Crimson, Lin was able to put a positive spin on the game.

“We’re just going to come out tomorrow and play with a lot of energy,” he said. “Everyone wants it a little more now so we’re going to come out with more intensity and try to get the win.”

—Staff writer Paul T. Hedrick can be reached at phedrick@fas.harvard.edu.