CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – First-year forward
Chisom Okpara scored a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting alongside a game-high eight rebounds to pace Harvard University men's basketball past Siena, 69-59, on Sunday afternoon in the Crimson's home opener at Lavietes Pavilion.
After facing an early deficit, the Crimson (4-1) responded to take a 35-27 lead at halftime and gained an advantage as large as 14 points in the second half on its way to the victory over the visiting Saints (2-2). Senior guard/forward
Chris Ledlum (18 points, 8-of-11 field goals) and
Sam Silverstein (13 points, 5-of-7 shooting) joined Okpara in double figures for the Crimson.
Harvard Highlights
- First-year forward Chisom Okpara scored a game and career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 field goals, 1-of-2 3-pointers, and 3-of-4 free throws, while grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. He scored in double figures for the second time this season and netted over 20 points for the first time in his collegiate career.
- Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting alongside four rebounds, a career-high four steals, and two assists. He has scored in double figures in all five games this season.
- Junior guard Sam Silverstein netted 13 points on 5-of-7 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws to go with a career-best five steals.
- Sophomore guard Evan Nelson led all players with six assists.
- For the game, Harvard shot 58.8 percent from the field, connecting on 30-of-51 field goals. On 2-point field goals, the Crimson made 29-of-41 shots (70.7 percent).
- The Crimson held advantages in fastbreak points (18-2), points off turnovers (24-10), points in the paint (52-32), and bench points (26-17).
Gallery: (11-20-2022) Men's Basketball vs. Siena
How It Happened
- After Siena opened the game with an 11-2 lead, Harvard responded with a 9-0 run to tie the score at 11-11 with 12:06 remaining in the first half. Ledlum and Okpara scored four and three points respectively during the stretch.
- With the Crimson holding a 22-21 edge with under four minutes to play in the first half, the hosts used a 13-3 run to expand their margin to 35-24 with 16 seconds left in the period. Ledlum completed an old-fashioned 3-point play and threw down a dunk during that span.
- Harvard remained up 35-27 at halftime.
- The Saints trimmed the margin to two points in the second half and pulled within 45-43 with 10:35 to play. Harvard answered with a 12-2 run to move ahead 57-45 with 7:39 to go. Okpara scored the run's first four points before Silverstein netted the stretch's final six points.
- The Crimson extended the advantage to 61-47 with 5:24 left and maintained at least an eight-point margin the rest of the way, getting back-to-back baskets from Okpara and Ledlum to move a 63-55 lead to 67-55 with 2:22 remaining.
Postgame Quotes
- "I was really impressed. It's been a tough stretch for our guys with the travel and the tournament. Coming back home after that and having to play at Northeastern and playing teams that feel like they have their backs against the wall, it's a dangerous position to be in. That's why I'm really proud of our kids for the last two games." – Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
- "Siena played very tough and got us down early. I thought we responded in a way that was very impressive and showed a lot of toughness, character, and culture that's been built up in our program. I was pleased to see how these kids responded to a stretch that's been tough, and we've come out on top almost every time." – Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
- "In the past couple of games we have really focused on our culture. We go through film and walk through what the other team does, but it all comes back to how we start and what our culture is. A team with culture that consistently reflects its culture will go far." – First-year forward Chisom Okpara
Next Up
Harvard hosts Loyola Chicago on Friday, Nov. 25 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion before playing at Fordham on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+/SNY) in Bronx, New York. Tickets for Crimson home games are available at
tickets.gocrimson.com.
