CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard will make its third trip to the state of New York in a span of 10 days when it faces Siena on Monday night. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. ET with the contest airing on ESPN3.
What to Know
- The Crimson finds itself on the road at a MAAC school for the second time in the early going. In the second game of the season on Nov. 13, Harvard fell in overtime at unaminous preseason MAAC favorite, Iona, 90-87.
- Harvard is looking to improve to 4-1 for the first time since opening the 2014-15 campaign with a 7-1 record.
- The Crimson is coming off a 98-52 home victory over MIT on Saturday. Harvard buried a program-record-tying 17 three-pointers en route to posting its third game with at least 86 points. Harvard also made 17 treys on Dec. 10, 2002 (vs. Rider) and March 3, 2018 (vs. Columbia).
- As a team, Harvard shot 61.4 percent from the floor vs. the Engineers, including 63 percent from three (17-27), and made 11-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Crimson's field-goal percentage and three-point percentage were both season highs.
- Six Harvard players reached double figures in scoring vs. MIT, something that had not occurred since Dec. 28, 2013. Chris Ledlum and Samuel Silverstein each had 16 points, while Kale Catchings added a season-high 15. Noah Kirkwood chipped in 12, with Luka Sakota and Idan Tretout recording 11 apiece.
- Silverstein, a sophomore guard, enjoyed a perfect shooting day against the Engineers, going 6-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 from deep and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. In two games last week (at UAlbany, vs. MIT), he averaged 11.5 points (.900 FG, .750 3FG, 1.000 FT) and 3.0 rebounds in 22.5 minutes.
- Catchings produced his most efficient effort of the young season vs. MIT, logging 15 points, five rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal in 20 minutes. The senior connected on 5-of-9 from the floor (2-2 3FG), which was better than his combined numbers from his previous three games (13 pts., 3-11 FG, 2-6 3FG).
- Ledlum kept Harvard's streak of having either himself or Kirkwood lead the team in scoring and rebounding with his 16 points and seven rebounds. The junior has led the team in scoring twice, while producing the Crimson's top rebounding figure three times. For the season, he is averaging 18.3 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds.
- Harvard's victory over MIT improved its home record to 13-1 record over the last two seasons ('19-20, '21-22). The Crimson has won nine straight non-league home games and has not suffered a home loss to a non-conference foe since Nov. 9, 2018.
- Harvard and Siena will be meeting for third time in series history, with both teams splitting the first two games. The combined series score over two games is 123-123.
- The Crimson will be facing the Saints for the third straight season in which it has competed. Harvard dropped a 67-64 decision in Loudonville, New York in 2018-19, before earning a 59-56 home win in 2019-20. The Crimson's 2020-21 campaign was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In the aforementioned 2019-20 get-together with Siena, Ledlum, then a first-year player, came off the bench and contributed 14 points on the strength of a career-best three treys in just 18 minutes. Other current Crimson players to make an apperance that night were Idan Tretout (4 pts., 2 stls.) and Mason Forbes (4 rebs.).
- Dating back to '19-20, Harvard has won 10 of its last 12 (10-2) and is 11-3 in its last 14 outings.
At the Helm
Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball, is in his 15th season at Harvard. He is the winningest coach in Crimson history with 254 victories and has led the program to seven Ivy League titles and eight postseason appearances.
Up Next
Harvard returns to Lavietes Pavilion to play host to Colgate on Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. ET. The non-conference contest is scheduled to air on ESPN+.
