Box Score Miller scored a career-high 19 points to lift the Crimson to the victory (Pete Emerson).
PRINCETON, N.J. – Corbin Miller and Jonah Travis combined for 33 points off the bench as the Harvard men's basketball team earned a 75-72 win at Princeton Friday night.
Miller scored a career-high 19 points to lead the way, including 17 in the first half as he shot 5-of-6 from beyond-the-arc. Travis scored 12 of his season-high 14 in the second half, connecting on 5-of-6 attempts from the field.
Wesley Saunders turned in a complete game, scoring 14 points while adding seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals. The senior collected two steals in the final 1:22 of play, and put the game away as he picked off Steven Cook's pass with just five seconds remaining.
Siyani Chambers and Agunwa Okolie each finished with 10 points, with Chambers also contributing six rebounds and five assists. Steve Moundou-Missi turned in eight points and 10 rebounds.
The victory improves Harvard to 12-5 overall and 2-1 against the Ivy League, while Princeton falls to 8-10 overall and 1-1 versus the conference. The win was also head coach Tommy Amaker's 151st at Harvard, moving him into a tie for seventh place in Ancient Eight history.
The Crimson returns to action tomorrow at Penn with tipoff set for 7 p.m. live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Harvard used an 8-0 run to take an early 10-4 lead, with Saunders igniting the action. Saunders followed a pair of free throws by Travis with a step-back 3, and on the following possession found Miller in transition for a wide open triple. Princeton pulled to within 11-9 off a Cook 3, but the Crimson responded with a second 8-0 stretch, which included another shot from deep by Miller, to open a 19-9 advantage.
A Saunders drive and Moundou-Missi putback kept the margin at 23-14, and Miller added a pair from beyond-the-arc to put the score at 29-20. Miller continued his hot shooting with a pull-up jumper and his fifth 3-pointer of the half, and Moundou-Missi connected on a 15-footer to give Harvard a 39-29 lead at the break.
Princeton cut its deficit to 43-40 out of the intermission before Travis converted a pair of and-1's for a 49-42 edge. The Tigers answered right back, however, pulling within 49-47 on Cook's three-point play.
Travis barreled his way to the basket to end the drought and Saunders converted an and-1 of his own to put the score at 54-47. Saunders later outfought a Princeton defender for an offensive rebound and hit the putback for a 61-52 margin, and after a pair of free throws from Chambers the score stood at 67-59.
Pete Miller's transition layup made it a 67-63 game with 3:00 remaining, but a clutch pull-up jumper by Chambers halted the comeback. Saunders sealed the victory as he stepped in front of Cook's pass and hit the ensuing free throws, allowing the Crimson to overcome poor shooting at the line down the stretch.
Game Notes: Head coach Tommy Amaker moved into a tie with former Yale coach Dick Kuchen (1986-99) for seventh place on the Ivy League career wins list (151) … Corbin Miller matched his career-high with 17 points in the first half, and finished the game with 19 … Miller's five 3-pointers in the first half were also a career-best … Jonah Travis scored a season-high 14 points, including 12 in the second half, marking his first game in double-figures since scoring 10 at Rice on Jan. 4, 2014 … Wesley Saunders moved past Laurent Rivard '14 for 11th place on Harvard's career scoring list (1,274), and moved into a tie with Keith Webster '87 for fifth place on the career steals list (156) … Jonah Travis appeared in his 100th career game … Harvard has won back-to-back games at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium for the first time since 1988-89, and has won three straight overall versus the Tigers for the first time since 1984-85.