NOTEBOOK: Men's Basketball Extends Win Streak to Nine

Less than four minutes into the second half, it appeared that Rice (5-8) might spoil the Crimson’s night. Guard Keith Washington sprinted around Harvard center Kyle Casey for a layup, cutting the lead to four—the closest the home team had come since early in the second half.

But the Crimson (13-1) hung on for the remainder of the half and escaped Tudor Fieldhouse with a 69-54 victory over the Owls. The win extends the winning streak to nine and gives Harvard a 13-1 record, making this the best start for the team since the 1945-46 squad, which saw its season end in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

“We’re really pleased to kind of see where we are,” coach Tommy Amaker said. “It’s a long grind to the basketball season, but it’s nice to know that out of the box early we’re successful. It’s the number of bodies that we can play, the great balance to our team, [and] the terrific bench. I think that’s what allows us to be in the position that we’re in.”

Vital to the Crimson’s second-half success was the play of veterans Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, who scored just eight points in the first half but combined for 22 points after the break. After missing six games with a foot injury, Curry looked to have made a full recovery—the point guard’s 16 points against the Owls were a season high.

Though the Crimson is still missing key player Kenyatta Smith due to a foot injury that has sidelined him all season, Amaker credits the team’s success to a healthier roster.

“I was very pleased with us playing nine, ten bodies, get weight balanced as we have in the past,” Amaker said. “Obviously, with Brandyn being back, [it was] a tremendous effort on his part, and it’s nice to see that, it’s nice to have that.”

LIVING AT THE LINE

Both teams sunk 12 field goals in the first half, and by that alone, Rice should have held the edge going into halftime—the Owls hit four from downtown compared to the Crimson’s lone trey.

However, Harvard’s ability to get to the charity stripe proved the difference, giving the visitors the six-point advantage at the end of the half. Harvard had 16 free throw attempts to just three for the Owls, making 10 more shots overall from the charity stripe.

With 9:43 remaining in the first half, the Crimson reached the bonus, and a minute later, it hit the double bonus. Four Owls players—including top scorers Sean Obi and Seth Gearhart—had at least two fouls under their belt before halftime.

“That’s a big part of our attack in our arsenal,” Amaker said. “I think that our players have really known that about our program over the years. We can always recognize that piece of the puzzle. It’s really savvy and smart by our kids to know when we’re in the bonus, to be able to try and draw the foul.”

OBI QUIET

Late in the first half, Obi pulled up for a jumper, which clanged off the rim and bounced into Casey’s hands. On the ensuing Rice possession, it was déjà vu: another Obi miss and Casey rebound.

It was that kind of night for the Rice freshman, who was one of the top scorers for the Owls, averaging 11.5 points per game coming into Saturday night. The combination of Harvard’s post players—Casey, juniors Jonah Travis and Steve Mondou-Missi, and freshman Zena Edosomwan—created a frustrating night for Obi, who saw many of his shots miss their mark.

The forward finished with just six points on two-for-seven shooting. Twice in the first half, the forward attempted to back down fellow frosh Edosomwan, but was unable to make headway and neither shot hit the rim.

“I think the bigs did a terrific job,” Curry said. “That’s a tough player to guard, Obie. He’s a big guy, a post player, we haven’t played too many of that size. I feel like they did a really, really good job, especially Jonah coming off of the bench, defending, rebounding, finishing, hats off to our bigs, they always play tough.”

The Crimson’s transition defense showed a marked improvement after halftime, forcing a weary Rice team to shoot just 35 percent in the second half. The Owls coughed up the ball 10 times in the second half, double its mistakes in the first.

—Staff writer Samantha Lin can be reached at samantha.lin@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @LinSamnity.