NOTEBOOK: Rosenberg Gives Men's Basketball a Scare

With 6:38 left in regulation, a three-pointer from sophomore guard Siyani Chambers extended the Harvard men’s basketball team’s lead to 12. After trading buckets with Columbia for the majority of Friday night’s game, the Crimson seemed to finally create some breathing room with Chambers’ trey.

And then Columbia’s Alex Rosenberg woke up. Moments later, this lion claimed Levien Gymnasium as his den.

While Rosenberg had already tallied 18 points on the night, the junior would score 16 more before the final whistle blew.

Following Chambers’ shot from downtown, Rosenberg converted an and-one attempt and an additional layup in the span of 60 seconds.

Two minutes later, Harvard’s 12-point lead had dwindled to five, and Columbia held the ball. Sophomore Maodo Lo drove towards the basket and put up a runner, which clanged off the rim. The guard grabbed his own rebound and shoveled the ball out to Rosenberg, who was waiting behind the three-point line.

Catch, shoot, swish. Rosenberg had made it a two-point game.

The Lions would need four more points from Rosenberg in the waning moments of regulation to force overtime. And while the five extra minutes started off with more of the same—Rosenberg knocked down a step-back, shot clock-beating jumper with 3:46 remaining—a single play in the final moments of the period was what changed the flow of the game.

Rosenberg caught the ball at the top of the circle and began to run out the game clock. 20 seconds became 15, which became 10 before the forward began to make his move. Rosenberg put the ball on the floor, pulling up near the right elbow. His body collided with that of Harvard co-captain Laurent Rivard and, a moment later, his wild circus shot nicked the backboard before dropping into the hoop.

A whistle blew. No one moved.

For an instant, players did not know whether the referee had called a defensive blocking foul—giving Columbia a two-point lead with just two ticks left on the clock—or an offensive charging foul, giving the Crimson possession with the game tied.

It was the latter. Rosenberg picked up the foul, the shot was waved off, and after a near miss on a half-court shot, the contest was headed into double overtime.

But even Rosenberg’s heroics couldn’t save the Lions in the second extra period, and the Crimson came out on top, 88-84. Rosenberg led all scorers with 34 points, going 10-of-17 from the floor and 4-of-6 from deep.

“[Rosenberg] was unstoppable,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “I thought he had a tremendous rhythm on the offensive game, was in a groove, and made some incredible basketball plays.”

CALLING IT A COMEBACK

In last weekend’s matchup against Yale, Harvard’s top two offensive threats—junior wing Wesley Saunders and sophomore guard Siyani Chambers—shot a combined 9-of-28 from the floor. The night before, against Brown, the power duo went 4-of-19 from the field.

What a difference a week can make.

Against the Lions on Friday night, the Crimson backcourt pair shot at a 58.8 percent clip, totaled 41 of the team’s 88 points, and made bucket after bucket when it counted.

In double overtime alone, Chambers knocked down five free throws, while Saunders tallied perhaps the most crucial assist of the night with one minute left in the period.

With under 1:15 to play and the shot clock winding down, Chambers had possession of the ball. Saunders quickly beat his man with a backdoor cut, and the point guard bounced him a low pass near the hoop. Saunders navigated traffic for a moment before sending a bullet pass to Rivard, who sat, hands ready, at the three-point line. The senior did what he does best, promptly knocking down the trey to give the Crimson a five-point lead.

“The beautiful part of that possession was that we had two guys [Chambers and Saunders] who made the right play,” Amaker explained. “Those two guys are our best playmakers, and boy, did they make the right play. Laurent had the easy part: just make the shot. And he did. And we are very fortunate for it.”

Seconds after the three went down, Columbia coach Kyle Smith was whistled for a technical foul. The game was over.

“I’m not sure you need a stat sheet to say how incredible that game was, how hard-fought it was by both teams,” Amaker said. “I think [tonight’s game] was critical [moving forward].”

—Staff writer Juliet Spies-Gans can be reached at juliet.spies-gans@thecrimson.com.