Men’s Basketball Heads to Northeastern on Wednesday Night

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball plays at Northeastern University on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7:00 p.m. (NESN/FloHoops) at Matthews Arena as the Crimson returns to New England following a 2-1 opening week following a win at Morehouse in Atlanta and a 1-1 effort at the Asheville Championship.

What to Know

Harvard posted a 2-1 record in its opening week with back-to-back road trips to the South. The Crimson opened its season with a 68-63 victory over Morehouse, while also making stops at Ebenezer Baptist Church and The King Center. Harvard then went 1-1 at the Asheville Championship, closing the tournament with a 92-77 win over Elon. Junior guard Sam Silverstein earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field, 60.0 percent from 3-point distance, and 1.000 percent from the foul line over the two games.
Last time out in the third-place game of the Asheville Championship, sophomore guard Evan Nelson scored a career-high 23 points, leading five Crimson in double figures, as Harvard beat Elon, 92-77. Alongside Nelson, senior guard Luka Sakota (14 points), junior guard Sam Silverstein (13 points), and senior guard Idan Tretout (12 points) all scored in double figures while senior forward Chris Ledlum tallied a double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Crimson opened its season with a 68-63 win over Morehouse on Nov. 7. Senior forward Chris Ledlum scored a game-high 22 points while junior guard Sam Silverstein and senior guard Luka Sakota netted 12 and 11 points respectively in the Crimson's first-ever visit to Morehouse.
Harvard and Northeastern have met 57 times with the Crimson holding a 39-18 edge in the all-time series. The Crimson took last season's matchup against the Huskies with a 77-57 win at Lavietes Pavilion on Nov. 27. Chris Ledlum posted 17 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.
Senior forward Chris Ledlum has averaged team highs in points per game (15.7) and rebounds per game (8.3), scoring in double figures in all three games. Ledlum notched his first double-double of the year on 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Elon (Nov. 13). He posted team highs in points (15) and rebounds (eight) vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and game highs in points (22) and rebounds (seven) at Morehouse (Nov. 7). Ledlum returns after averaging 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season over 13 contests, missing the latter portion of the season due to injury. A Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in 2021-22, he gained 2022-23 Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Ivy League accolades.
Junior guard Sam Silverstein has tallied 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 68.4 percent from the field. Over the Crimson's first week he posted 13 points and eight boards vs. Elon (Nov. 13), scored 14 points vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11), and netted 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds at Morehouse (Nov. 7). He played in all 26 games last winter in his first season of action with the Crimson.
Senior guard Luka Sakota has registered 11.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point distance. Sakota has scored in double figures in all three games, including 14 points vs. Elon (Nov. 13). He netted 10 points vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and tallied 11 points and six rebounds at Morehouse (Nov. 7). Sakota started all 26 games during the 2022-23 season and averaged 11.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Idan Tretout has dished out a team-best 3.7 assists per game, while scoring 7.0 points per game. He tallied 12 points and four boards vs. Elon and compiled six points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals at Morehouse (Nov. 7). Tretout tallied 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season over 13 games, missing the latter portion of the season due to injury.
Sophomore guard Evan Nelson exploded for 23 points, six assists, and three steals, while making 8-of-12 field goals, 4-of-6 triples, and 3-of-3 free throws vs. Elon (Nov. 13). For the year, he has averaged 9.0 points and 3.3 assists per game.
First-year forward Chisom Okpara has averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 77.8 percent from the floor. Okpara gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Nov. 14 following the Crimson's 2-1 opening week. He posted 11 points on 4-of-5 field goals vs. Louisiana.
Sophomore guard Louis Lesmond has netted 7.3 points per game on the year. He scored nine points on three 3-pointers vs. Elon (Nov. 13) and hit a pair of 3-pointers at Morehouse (Nov. 7). He posted 7.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season, while scoring in double figures seven times out of 20 games played.
The Crimson's trip to Asheville marked a homecoming for junior forward Justice Ajogbor who played in high school at Christ School in nearby Arden, North Carolina. A native of Benin City, Nigeria, Ajogbor lost both his parents at the age of 10 in 2011. Ajogbor came to the U.S. in 2016 with host parents Gina and Greg Birdgeford after the Bridgefords met Ajogbor while serving as volunteers in Nigeria with the organization Access 2 Success. After missing the 2020-21 season to COVID-19 due to an Ivy League wide decision and much of the 2021-22 season due to injury, Ajogbor is slated to start in the Crimson frontcourt in 2022-23.

Next Up

Harvard hosts its home opener against Siena on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+). Tickets to the Crimson's home opener against the Saints are available at tickets.gocrimson.com.

Print Friendly Version