Tigers Earn Season Sweep with Another Nailbiter

PRINCETON, N.J.—In a high-stakes game with postseason implications and second place in the Ivy League on the line, the Harvard men’s basketball team (21-7, 10-4 Ivy) came up short, falling to Princeton (19-8, 10-3 Ivy) on the road, 54-51.

The Crimson had opportunities on its final three possessions to take the lead or tie the game, but the squad failed to convert on any of the opportunities.

Down by one with 57 seconds remaining, Harvard looked to put the ball in the hands of co-captain Jeremy Lin, who was playing in the last Ivy League contest of his career. Lin received the ball on the perimeter from freshman point guard Brandyn Curry and drove to the hole. But as Lin powered to the basket, Tigers forward Kareem Maddox stepped in front of the 6’3” guard and rejected his shot attempt to teammate Dan Mavraides, and Princeton controlled the ball.

After coming away with a defensive stop on the other end, the Crimson had another opportunity.

Lin—who finished the night shooting 1-of-8 from the field—took the ball once again for Harvard. With 20 seconds left, Lin took a handoff from Curry along the perimeter and drove to the basket. This time, Lin got his shot off, but the ball did not cooperate, bouncing off the rim and into the hands of Princeton’s Zach Finley.

“It was great team defense,” Maddox said. “That’s why we were able to hold [Lin] to fewer points than he usually gets.”

With just 12 seconds remaining, Curry was forced to foul Tigers guard Marcus Schroeder. Schroeder knocked down both free throws and suddenly Harvard found itself down by three.

Coming out of a timeout, Harvard looked to give Lin one last opportunity to deliver for the Crimson.

Lin received the pass from Curry on the perimeter, but facing tough defensive pressure, Lin returned the ball to the freshman. Curry looked at the basket, then swung the ball to sophomore Oliver McNally with just ticks left on the clock. As time wound down, McNally was forced to heave a contested shot that deflected off the backboard.

“We just wanted to cover out on their shooters because we knew that was what they were looking for,” Schroeder said.

The Crimson’s failure to convert on its final chances was reflective of the team’s offensive struggles throughout the night. Harvard shot just 35.6 percent from the field and converted just 14-of-21 free throws.

Lin was held to eight points and two assists on eight shots. The Crimson’s second-leading scorer, freshman Kyle Casey, also struggled, finishing with five points,

Defensively, the Crimson had trouble containing Maddox, who finished with a career-high 18 points, most of which came from the charity stripe.

In the midst of disappointment, Curry was one bright spot for Harvard. The 6’1” point guard led his team in both scoring and rebounding, finishing with 11 points and 8 boards. On defense, Curry was largely successful at containing Princeton’s leading scorer Doug Davis, holding the sophomore to eight points on 12 shots.

“I thought Brandyn played a tremendous game,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “Obviously we need more production from different guys.”

Curry also came through in the clutch for his team, draining a three pointer with 1:15 remaining in the second half to put his team ahead for the first time in more than 14 minutes.

With Harvard trailing 50-48, Lin found Curry open in the corner. Without hesitation, Curry let the shot fly—and it was pure.

With the three ball, the Crimson grabbed its first lead since it held a 33-31 edge with 14:52 remaining.

But two free throws from Schroeder on Princeton’s next possession put the Tigers back on track, and Harvard’s inability to convert on its final three possessions doomed the visiting team.

“In a game like this, [on] every possession you’ve got to come away with something,” Curry said. “They just came away with a couple more good possessions than we did.”

If the Tigers defeat Penn tomorrow, Princeton will capture sole possession of the second spot in the Ivy League. A Tigers victory would mark the first time that the Ancient Eight has fielded three teams with 20-win seasons.

But with Cornell locking up the Ivy’s automatic bid this weekend with its win over Brown, the postseason fates of both Harvard and Princeton will rest in the hands of the postseason selection committee.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll have more opportunities to play,” Amaker said. “We would love to have a chance to be in the postseason...I think that would be a tremendous honor.”

“We had a great season,” Curry added. “Like coach said, we’re trying to see what our postseason chances are but we definitely feel good about our overall season.”

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.