CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard finished off its pre-finals schedule with a 74-64 home victory over Babson Monday night inside Lavietes Pavilion. With the win, the Crimson stopped a two-game skid and improved to 6-4 on the season.

Harvard spotted Babson the first two points of the game on a pair of free throws and took the lead on the next possession after Idan Tretout converted a three-point play. The Crimson then went on to score the next six points, all of which came in the paint, and looked poised to run to the finish line. The Beavers, however, had other designs as they outscored Harvard 25-5 to take a 32-27 lead. Babson eventually went into the locker room ahead, 37-34.

The Crimson faced a deficit for nearly the first nine minutes of the second half until Noah Kirkwood moved the home side in front with a pair of free throws, 52-51, with 11:11 to go. The senior scored on the next possession, putting Harvard up by three, but Babson answered with a score-tying triple on the other end.

Sam Silverstein provided the turning point for the Crimson after it got a stop on the defensive end. The first-year drove to the bucket, made the layup, was fouled and made the ensuing free throw to push Harvard ahead, 59-54, with 8:28 remaining. The field goal was part of a 26-5 run for the Crimson that proved to be game-altering.

Kirkwood made key baskets down the stretch for the Crimson, with a pair of mid-range jumpers that put Harvard up, 67-56, with just under 4 minutes left on the clock. Kirkwood, along with Luka Sakota and Denham Wojcik, each made a pair of free throws in the closing minutes to see out the victory.

Harvard Highlights

• Noah Kirkwood posted his team-leading 10^th double-digit scoring effort of the season and the 46^th of his career, finishing with 15 points. The senior logged his sixth straight multi-steal game with four thefts and posted his second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.
• Chris Ledlum scored in double figures for the seventh straight game (9^th this season) with his 11 points in the first half and 13 total.
• Idan Tretout reached the double-figure scoring plateau for the second straight game (4th this season, 6th career), marking the first time he has accomplished the feat this season (2nd career). The junior finished with a career-high 16 points.
• Luka Sakota recorded his seventh double-digit scoring performance of 2021-22 with 13 points. The junior has also made at least one three-pointer in nine consecutive outings.
• Louis Lesmond has made multiple treys in five consecutive games. The first-year, who started his second straight game, ended with eight points.

Game Notes

• Harvard improved to 15-3 in its last 18 games following a loss. The Crimson avoided its first three-game losing streak since 2017-18.
• Harvard upped its overall record to 6-4, matching the 10-game start it had in 2019-20. That group went on to win 21 games, the fifth-highest total in school history.
• The Crimson improved to 6-1 all-time vs. Babson and are now winners of six straight in the series.
• Harvard moved to 33-10 vs. Boston-area schools under Tommy Amaker and 3-0 this season.
• The Crimson improved to 9-3 vs. Bay State programs since the start of the 2018-19 campaign (46-19 under Amaker).

What's Next?
Harvard will return to action on Dec. 19, when it plays host to Holy Cross at 2 p.m. ET. Tickets are available at tickets.gocrimson.com.