CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's basketball saw five players score in double figures as the Crimson took down Howard, 77-69, to win its third straight contest. Harvard improved to 8-4 on the season as the Crimson closed out its non-conference home schedule.

Harvard used a trio of large runs to stifle the visiting Bison in the first half. From the outset, the Crimson opened the night by scoring nine of the game's first 11 points and then it used a 10-2 spurt to move ahead, 28-15. Harvard later embarked on another 10-2 run late in the half to extend its advantage to 40-22 before settling for the 42-26 cushion at intermission.

The Crimson was able to finish the opening period with a 16-point lead thanks to its press-break as it flipped the Bison pressure into 10 fastbreak points and ultimately an 18-8 advantage in points in the paint. Harvard also had nine assists on 15 field goals, with seven coming from Noah Kirkwood (4 assists) and Idan Tretout (3 assists).

Harvard began the second half on the wrong end of a 21-6 run as the Bison narrowed its deficit to one point at the under-12 media timeout (11:29). During its cold spell, the Crimson made just three of its 16 field goal attempts (0-6 3FG) and allowed Howard to connect on 7-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-5 from deep.

Kirkwood and Louis Lesmond put an end to the Bison's momentum with back-to-back triples, giving Harvard some breathing room and a 54-47 lead with 10:04 left in regulation. Howard, however, kept coming at the Crimson, eventually taking a 57-56 lead on a Kyle Foster trey with 7:25 to go. Harvard responded with resiliency and points, scoring nine unanswered in a matter of 1:58 thanks to a pair of Chris Ledlum free throws, a Luka Sakota three, and layups from Kirkwood and Sam Silverstein. From there, the Crimson never looked back in securing the eight-point victory with Tretout converting all four of his free throw attempts in the final minute.

Harvard Highlights

• Kale Catchings matched his point total vs. Holy Cross (9) in the first 7:14 of the game. The senior finished with 13 points, his fifth double-figure scoring effort of the season (7th career).
• Chris Ledlum hit the double-digit plateau for the 11th time this season with his 17 points. The junior also finished with a 13 rebounds (tied career-high), giving him six double-doubles this season (8th career).
• Noah Kirkwood produced a double-double with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while adding five assists and five steals. His double-double was the senior's third of the season (5th career) and second in his last three games.
• The Crimson held Howard to 31.8% from long-range (7-22). The Bison entered with a .401 clip from beyond the arc that ranked 12th nationally.

Game Notes

• Harvard improves to 8-4 on the season, matching its 12-game start from 2019-20. That team went on to win 21 games, the fifth-most in program history.
• Harvard has won three straight games for the first time this season. It is the Crimson's longest winning streak since Feb. 2020, when it won four straight.
• The Crimson won its sixth game in as many tries vs. Howard. Harvard is 3-0 vs. the Bison at Lavietes Pavilion.
• Harvard improved its home record to 7-1 and is now 40-5 in its last 45 games at Lavietes Pavilion.

What's Next?
Harvard will return from the holiday break and travel to No. 7 Kansas to face the Jayhawks on Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET. The non-conference finale is set to air on Big 12 Now | ESPN+.