CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior guard/forward
Chris Ledlum posted 16 points and nine rebounds, but Harvard University men's basketball fell to Howard University, 66-54, on Sunday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion as the Crimson competed for the first time in two weeks coming off the finals break.
The Crimson (7-4) and Bison (6-8) stood tied at 30-30 at halftime, and the hosts remained within 53-50 with 5:11 left and 57-52 with 2:56 to play before the visitors scored nine of the game's final 11 points.
Harvard Highlights
- Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum posted 16 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and two assists, while making 8-of-16 field goals. He scored in double figures for the 10th time in 11 games this season.
- Sophomore guard Evan Nelson tallied 11 points, four assists, and four rebounds, while converting 5-of-5 free throws. He scored in double figures for the second time this year.
- Sophomore guard Tyler Simon netted six points on 2-of-3 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws with two assists while senior guard Luka Sakota notched five points, four assists, and four rebounds.
- Junior guard Sam Silverstein added five points, five boards, and two assists, junior forward Justice Ajogbor contributed four points, six rebounds, and two blocks, and senior guard Idan Tretout netted five points.
Gallery: (12-18-2022) Men's Basketball vs. Howard
How It Happened
- Harvard opened the game with a 17-11 lead at the 11:51 mark of the first half, using a 7-0 run to take the lead. Silverstein and Tretout each connected on 3-pointers during that opening stretch while Nelson went 3-for-3 on free throws following a foul on a 3-point shot.
- The two teams played within two possessions of one another through the entirety of the first half. A dunk with 1:37 to go in the first half from Ajogbor energized the home crowd before the two teams went into the locker room tied at 30-30.
- In the second half, Howard took the first lead of greater than six points at 48-40 with 12:19 remaining. Baskets from Tretout and Ledlum kept the Crimson within 50-44 before the Bison extended the margin to 53-44 with 8:13 left.
- Harvard responded with a 6-0 run as Nelson hit a jumper, first-year forward Chisom Okpara finished through contact, and Sakota made a jump shot pulling the Crimson within 53-50 with 5:11 to go.
- The Crimson remained within 57-52 with 2:56 to play, but the Bison closed the game on a 13-4 run, including making 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:14.
Coaching Staff Connections
- The game's coaching matchup marked a reunion between Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball, and Howard head coach Kenneth Blakeney. Both Duke graduates – Amaker recruited Blakeney to play for the Blue Devils before Blakeney served as an assistant coach on Amaker's coaching staff from 2007-11.
- Harvard assistant coach Mike Sotsky and Howard assistant coach Tyler Thornton also both graduated from Duke.
- "I'm very proud of Kenny. I've known him since he was 16 or 17 years old. I was on the staff that helped recruit him. I've been a part of his life for a long time. You can see what he is doing with that program and developing it. It's a significant opportunity that he's taken great advantage of." – Coach Amaker
- "He was an assistant here when we first started. He's an amazing evaluator of talent. He's a tremendous people person. He's comfortable in any environment – the country club, the boardroom, or the hood – it doesn't matter where he is." – Coach Amaker
- "We've enjoyed the opportunity to play HBCUs. It started with us playing Howard years ago before Kenny got there. This has been one of the trademarks of our program and to play them in their home environments – like we did at Morehouse this year. There is a lot of crossover from alumni. It's spilled over into other sports too, which I'm very happy about." – Coach Amaker
Next Up
Harvard plays at UC Irvine on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT (ESPN+) before playing at No. 8/6 Kansas on Dec. 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT (ESPN2).
