NOTEBOOK: Crimson Awakens After Halftime

After the first 20 minutes of the Harvard men’s basketball team’s matchup with Dartmouth on Saturday, it looked like a repeat of Tuesday’s upset loss at Fordham was in the works.

At the half, the Crimson led by just one, 23-22, and Harvard’s offense couldn’t find an answer for the Big Green’s zone defense.

The Crimson was shooting just 3-of-10 from beyond the arc, and co-captain Keith Wright, who finished with just eight points against Fordham, was held to two first-half points on two shots. Harvard was also getting crushed on the boards, 17-12, and had surrendered eight offensive rebounds to the Big Green.

Before any of the Crimson’s assistant coaches got a chance to address the team inside the locker room, it was co-captain Oliver McNally who took charge.

“From a vocal standpoint, I thought he was outstanding,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “He was being pretty adamant about what we needed to do and how we were going to do it and who needed to step forward.”

“It wasn’t a good tone,” McNally said.

Whatever adjustments he called for—and however he said it—seemed to have the desired effect, as the Crimson outscored the Big Green, 40-25, in the second half.

Harvard made a point of establishing Wright early, going to the forward on its first three trips up the floor. Wright connected on his first two attempts of the period and finished the half shooting 4-of-6.

“We were able to get up the floor much quicker [in the second half],” Amaker said. “I thought we were able to get deeper post position earlier.”

In addition to getting Wright more involved, the Crimson also started to dominate the glass in the second half. After surrendering eight offensive rebounds in the first period, Harvard allowed none in the second, and outrebounded the Big Green, 16-10, in the frame.

“If we rebound the basketball and take care of it, we’re going to win a lot of games,” McNally said. “I’m pretty disappointed we weren’t able to put a more complete game together, but I’ll take a 16-point win in the Ivy League.”

A FRESH CHALLENGER

The Crimson cannot be too excited about the fact that it will have to face Gabas Maldunas seven more times over the next four years.

The Dartmouth freshman scrapped his way to a 15-point, nine-rebound performance—both team highs—against the Crimson. The 6’8 rookie proved difficult for the Harvard bigs to stop in the post, as he was able to put the ball on the deck and use his long arms to finish layups. He was also active on the glass, finishing with five offensive boards.

“He’s got quick feet for a 6’8 kid,” Amaker said of Maldunas. “He puts it on the floor. He got around our guys. He uses either hand. I think he’s a tremendous player. He’s a tough matchup for post players, and we knew that coming in.”

Maldunas entered Saturday’s contest averaging 9.1 points—good for 20th in the Ivy League and tops among all rookies—and 6.8 rebounds—fifth in the Ivy League and best among freshmen.

The Lithuanian has been on a tear as of late, scoring in double figures and posting at least nine rebounds in Dartmouth’s last three games.

But it was not all fun and games for Maldunas on Saturday. He shot 6-of-15 from the field and committed a team high three turnovers. And in one crucial sequence early in the second half, Maldunas blew a layup and McNally knocked down a three-pointer while the Big Green scrambled back on defense, cutting Dartmouth’s lead from a possible nine points to four.

“We got a rebound, kind of had a run out, and Brandyn [Curry] hit me for three; It was a big five-point swing,” McNally said. “Dartmouth is going to wish they had that one back, but we’re not going to point to one play. I think our overall defensive performance in the second half was a lot better.”

A FAMILIAR FOE

Entering Saturday’s matchup with a 3-12 record, the Big Green may not have seemed like a tough matchup for the two-loss Crimson. But based on past experience, Harvard knew it could not take Dartmouth lightly.

Last season, the Big Green came to Lavietes Pavilion with a 4-11 record and led the 12-3 Crimson by 12 points early in the second half before Harvard came back to win by nine.

The year before, Harvard had to battle back from an 11-point deficit midway through the first half before capturing a four-point win at Dartmouth’s Leede Arena.

And during the 2008-09 season, McNally—then a freshman—saved the Crimson from suffering a pair of losses to the Big Green when he stuck a 12-foot runner to give Harvard a one-point win.

McNally, who has gone 6-1 against Dartmouth during his Crimson career, will get one last shot against the Big Green when Harvard visits Leede on Jan. 21.

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