Men’s Basketball Comes Up Short in Ivy Opener Against Princeton, 68-64

Despite a tremendous 15 point, 12 rebound double-double from co-captain Chandler Piggé and double-digit contributions from three other Harvard (5-9, 0-1 Ivy) players, Princeton (12-4, 1-0 Ivy) held onto a four-point half time lead to emerge victorious with a final score of 68-64.

Saturday’s result continues a trend of tight two-possession games that have decided six of the last nine contests between the two programs, although Princeton has now won seven straight.

“Really proud of our team’s fight,” reflected assistant coach Mike Sotsky after the game. “Obviously, Princeton has a really good basketball team. They have had a great year.”

“We knew we were in for a major test, especially coming off of our last performance,” he added. I think our guys met that challenge in a lot of ways.”

Facing a talented Tigers team, including two players recently named to the Lou Henson Early Season Watch list in junior guard Xaivian Lee and junior forward Caden Pierce, the Crimson started the game well. A pair of three pointers from Piggé and seven early points from sophomore forward Thomas Batties II gave Harvard a 27-23 lead with 3:34 left to play in the first period.

After falling into an early 23-9 deficit against Bowdoin in its non-league finale, the strong start was an encouraging response for head coach Tommy Amaker’s squad.

The Tigers, however, were able to knock down some timely shots and used a 14-6 deficit in the duration of the half to take control of the game with a 37-33 lead at half time.

In the second period, the Crimson hit 50% of their shots from three point range, with Piggé joined in double digit scoring by senior guard Louis Lesmond with 12 points, Batties II with 13, and first-year guard Robert Hinton tallying 14.

Solid Harvard defense held the Tigers to 31 second half points, although Princeton standout Lee continued his excellent form against the Crimson with a game-high 22 points behind 8-of-13 shooting.

“We took a pretty good step forward here defensively,” said Sotsky after the game.

With 7:14 left in the second half, two rapid-fire three pointers from Piggé and Lesmond made it a two possession game, 58-53, with plenty of time on the clock and Harvard gaining momentum. That momentum was quickly quelled, however, with the Tigers regaining an 11 point edge with 2:35 to play.

The Crimson refused to accept defeat and another three point shot from Lesmond and a signature three-point play from Hinton brought the Crimson within two-points of a tie-game with 13 seconds on the clock. Harvard fouled to regain possession, but Princeton maintained its composure and closed out the game by hitting both free throws.

Harvard next heads to Brown on Saturday rematch of last-season’s overtime heartbreaker that ultimately ended the Crimson’s postseason hopes.

– Staff Writer Alexander K. Bell can be reached at alexander.bell@thecrimson.com