Chambers' finished with 16 points and zero turnovers to help Harvard to its fifth-straight win (Gil Talbot).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men's basketball team appeared to be on the ropes after seeing its 17-point halftime lead erased, but Siyani Chambers rose the occasion, hitting a pull-up jumper with 2.9 seconds to play to lift the Crimson to a 72-68 victory over Columbia Friday night.

Chambers' shot, which was reminiscent of the game winner he hit against Boston University as a freshman, followed a pair of Columbia 3-pointers that tied the game 68-68 after Harvard had led for 37:25. The Crimson led by as many as 19 points in the first half, 45-26, but allowed the Lions to get back into the game thanks to a 14-1 run to start the second half.

Chambers finished the game with 16 points, three assists, two steals and zero turnovers. Wesley Saunders was the team's high scorer with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Steve Moundou-Missi contributed a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Jonah Travis added 12 points, two assists and two steals.

Harvard shot 54.8 percent (17-31) en route to its big halftime lead, but went just 7-of-22 from the floor in the second half to finish the night at 45.3 percent (24-53). The Crimson did match its season-high with eight 3-pointers, however, and committed a season-low six turnovers.

The victory was Harvard's fifth straight to improve to 16-5 overall and 6-1 in the Ivy League, keeping pace with Yale (       17-7, 6-1 Ivy League) for the conference lead. Columbia, meanwhile, fell to 11-10 on the year and 3-4 against the Ancient Eight.

Harvard began the game scorching hot, making its first five shots and shooting 8-of-12 overall for a 20-9 advantage. Chambers and Saunders totaled six points each during the stretch, with Moundou-Missi and Zena Edosomwan adding four apiece. Corbin Miller got in the act with a pair of 3-pointers, with the second extending the margin to 30-17.

Saunders scored eight straight points for the Crimson as the lead grew to 38-24, hitting back-to-back triples before backing down his defender and finishing at the rim. A Chambers jumper made the score 43-26, and an acrobatic and-one by Moundou-Missi which almost hit the shot clock gave Harvard a 48-31 margin at the break.

For as good as Harvard's offense was in the first half, Columbia was just as good to start the second. The Lions opened the frame with a 14-1 run, pulling to within 49-45 on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Saunders found a cutting Moundou-Missi for a two-handed jam to end the Crimson's drought, but the Lions kept coming and made it a three-point game, 55-52, on a Jeff Coby 3-pointer.

Despite Chambers answering on Harvard's ensuing possession with his third trey, the lead never grew to more than six points the rest of the way. The game's momentum appeared to have swung back in Harvard's favor as Chambers hit Moundou-Missi with an outlet for an emphatic slam, but the Crimson went down the stretch with a 3:44 second scoreless drought before Columbia evened things up on a pair of 3's from Maodo Lo and Coby, 68-68.

Game Notes: Wesley Saunders finished the night with 18 points, moving him into 10th place on Harvard's career scoring list (1,354) … Steve Moundou-Missi recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year … Corbin Miller has made at least one 3-pointer in each of Harvard's 21 games this season, the fifth longest streak in program history … Harvard committed a season-low six turnovers, its lowest total since committing six at Brown on Feb. 22, 2013 … Harvard's 48 points scored in the first half were its most in any half since netting 50 at Brown last season … Harvard matched its season-high with eight 3-pointers.