HANOVER, N.H. – Harvard hit the road for the second time in three days and escaped with a 60-59 victory over Dartmouth in a Martin Luther King Day game at Leede Arena. Noah Kirkwood led all players with 24 points and five assists, helping the Crimson improve to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in the Ivy League.
 
The Big Green (4-11, 1-3 Ivy) put Harvard in an early deficit by scoring six of the game's first eight points, but it was short-lived as the Crimson went on a 15-4 run thanks in large part to the three-ball. Luka Sakota made one from distance and was followed by back-to-back Louis Lesmond treys, including a four-point play, and another from Evan Nelson to help push Harvard to a 17-10 advantage.
 
Later in the half, Noah Kirkwood took over for a stretch, scoring the next seven Crimson points. The senior's personal scoring binge took Harvard from a 19-15 lead to a 26-18 cushion with 10:12 left. The Crimson held its eight-point lead for the balance of the period and went into the locker room ahead, 39-31.
 
Harvard managed to keep the Big Green at a comfortable distance for much of the second half, owning a lead of at least eight points until a 7-0 Dartmouth run made it a 57-53 lead with 3:31 left in regulation. With the contest a two-possession game, Kirkwood nailed a three-pointer at the top of the arc on the next possession to push the Crimson lead up to seven.
 
Dartmouth, however, got stops on the defensive end while earning a pair of trips to the free-throw line, which resulted in four points. The Big Green also received a layup with 10 seconds left, leaving Harvard ahead, 60-59. Luka Sakota was fouled once the ball was inbounded, but the junior missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 situation. Then, with seven seconds left, Dartmouth's Aaryn Rai drove the length of the floor, but his shot in the key was off the mark as time expired.

Harvard Highlights

• Noah Kirkwood reached double figures in scoring for the 15^th game this season and accomplished the feat in the first half by posting 13 points in 16 minutes of action. He finished with 24 points in 32 minutes.
• Louis Lesmond poured in 12 points in the first half, securing his third straight double-digit scoring effort, which extended a personal-best streak.
• Denham Wojcik led the team with a career-high seven rebounds, marking the second game in a row in which he set a personal best.

Game Notes

• Harvard improved to 4-1 this season when having one or zero days of preparation. The Crimson had one day to prepare for Dartmouth after defeating Columbia on Saturday.
• Harvard downed the Big Green for the fourth straight time and improved to 11-3 in Hanover under Tommy Amaker. The Crimson is 22-5 vs. Dartmouth under Amaker and it narrowed the all-time series deficit to 97-95 with tonight's victory.

What's Next?

Harvard concludes its three-game road trip on Saturday when it visits Cornell. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET with the contest airing on ESPN+.