CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's basketball opened its 2021-22 campaign with an 86-70 victory over Morehouse College (0-1) at Lavietes Pavilion.
Chris Ledlum posted 20 points and 13 rebounds as Harvard improves to 1-0 for the fourth straight season.
Harvard wasted no time jumping out to a comfortable lead, following up the opening basket by Morehouse with a 10-0 run within the first four minutes of the game.
Chris Ledlum tallied nine of the first 16 points for the Crimson, on his way to a monster first half which saw him post a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) before the break.
Louis Lesmond came off the bench to hit a three-pointer before a dunk in the half court and a dunk in transition, which gave the Crimson a 35-19 lead with 5:58 remaining in the first half. Harvard outrebounded Morehouse, 23-18, in the first 20 minutes behind 11 from Ledlum alone, as the Crimson took a 52-28 lead into the half.
Four points from
Idan Tretout and another basket from Ledlum to open the second half saw the Crimson jump out to its biggest lead, 58-28. Harvard would maintain its 20-plus point lead for most of the half, with a
Spencer Freedman three making it 69-43 with 11:50 remaining. A late 7-0 burst from Morehouse cut the lead down to 16 with 4:45 remaining, but
Noah Kirkwood would tally the final eight points of the game for the Crimson to see out the 16-point victory. Kirkwood posted a game-high 23 points, including 6-6 from the stripe.
Harvard Highlights
- Chris Ledlum totaled 20 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals: all career-highs for the junior.
- Noah Kirkwood led the Crimson with 23 points including a team-high three 3-pointers made.
- Ledlum and Kirkwood became the first pair of Harvard teammates to each score 20 points in a game since Nov. 16, 2018, vs. Rhode Island.
- Luka Sakota paced the Crimson with five assists to go along with five points and three boards.
- Louis Lesmond began his Harvard career with an 11-point, four-rebound, and two-steal effort.
Game Notes
- Harvard has won four straight season openers and 10 consecutive home openers at Lavietes Pavilion.
- The Crimson has won 40 of its last 45 home contests.
- Harvard extends its non-conference winning-streak to seven games dating back to the 2019-20 season, its best mark since a nine-game streak in 2013-14.
- Harvard took care of the basketball, committing only nine turnovers while forcing 23.
- The Crimson took advantage on the offensive boards, grabbing 13 compared to Morehouse's seven.
- Harvard was 28-35 from the charity stripe, good for an 80-percent mark.
What's Next?
The Crimson will travel to Iona to face the Gaels on Saturday for a 1 p.m. ET contest that will air on ESPN3.
