Pictured: Jeremy Lin scored 15 points in the second half,
hitting 10 free throws.
Photo courtesy: Kevin Burns Photography
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Jeremy Lin had 16
second-half points and made 10-of-12 free throws in the game to
guide the Harvard men's basketball team to its second
straight win over crosstown rival Boston College. Before 4,136 fans
at Conte Forum, Lin scored a game-high 25 points, while Keith
Wright added a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
Harvard enjoyed a 45-34 advantage in scoring during the second
half, as the Crimson shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the final
20 minutes of action.
Despite an eight-minute scoring drought, Harvard trailed by just
four at the break and the Crimson methodically got back into the
game by converting 9-of-12 shots to start the second stanza. A
steal and a gliding layup from Lin followed by two free throws made
it a 43-42 game with under 13 minutes to play. Another driving
layup kept it a one-point affair, 45-44, as he started 6-of-6 from
the floor. Those freebies kicked off an 11-0 run that saw Harvard
grab a 53-45 lead.
Wright converted a putback with 10 minutes to play and then used a
reverse pivot move to make it a three-point margin and force a BC
timeout with 9:41 left. Following a triple in the corner by
Christian Webster, another defensive stop yielded two more Harvard
points as Lin used a spin move in the lane to draw two defenders
before feeding Wright for an easy pair to force another timeout
– this one with 8:16 left as Harvard led by eight.
Reggie Jackson ended the run with a triple but Lin struck again
with an assist to Wright. Pat Magnarelli stuck a putback to
maintain the lead, 61-53, with 4:31 left. BC stayed close and
benefitted from trips to the free throw line while the Crimson
missed the crucial end of a one-and-one with less than three
minutes to play.
A free throw from Biko Paris made it a 63-58 Harvard lead with
2:40 to go and, following a Crimson miss, Corey Raji hit one for a
four-point game at 1:49 before Wright powered up for an inside
bucket. BC turned it over but Lin missed an uncharacteristic layup
and Paris went back to the line with 1:17 left, converting one
freebie for a 65-60 margin.
Forced to foul, BC sent Webster to the stripe and the freshman
made both for a seven point lead before Trapani got one of two free
throws at the other end for his first point of the second half
after scoring 17 in the first. With just under a minute to play,
Lin nailed one of two free throws to give the Crimson a 68-61 lead.
On the other end, Trapani cut BC's deficit to four, 68-64,
after hitting a jump shot from behind the arc.
A free throw by Brandyn Curry gave Harvard a five-point cushion,
but BC's Reggie Jackson converted a conventional three-point
play after hitting a free throw after being fouled on a successful
layup attempt. On the other end of the court, Lin picked up his
22nd and 23rd points of the night from the line, extending
Harvard's lead back to four, 71-67. Two more points from the
charity stripe by Lin seconds later put the game out of reach, as
the Crimson held on for the win.
Starting the game, a 3-pointer from Curry gave Harvard a 7-2 lead
after BC missed its first five shots. Layups from Lin and Casey
pushed the lead to 11-4 before Trapani scored his 10th-straight
point for BC to make up for a sluggish Eagles' start in a
15-10 Crimson lead.
Harvard then went cold, going 11 trips without a point as
Trapani led a 14-0 Eagles run for a 24-15 advantage by the 5:20
mark with Trapani logging 17 first half points. Lin finally stopped
the eight-minute drought with a long triple.
The Crimson went back inside on five-straight possessions and cut
it to 29-25 on a putback from Wright at the 1:52 mark before Lin
drove the lane and found Magnarelli for an easy two and a two-point
game. BC scored four straight and Lin sank a floater at the buzzer
for a 33-29 halftime score. It marked Lin's fourth
buzzer-beater of the season.
Harvard is back in action Dec. 23 against Georgetown at the
Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
NOTES: Lin moved past Matt Stehle '06
(1,151) into 15th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,174
points … By starting 6-of-6 Wednesday night, Lin had made 17
of his last 20 shot attempts dating back to the UConn game …
Harvard's bench has not been outscored yet this season
… Harvard has scored more points in the paint than its
opponents in every game this season … Oliver McNally played
sparingly after injuring his foot during practice Tuesday night.
