LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior guard/forward
Chris Ledlum posted team highs in points (17) and rebounds (nine) as Harvard University men's basketball challenged defending national champion No. 4/4 Kansas in an eventual 68-54 setback on Thursday night at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
The Crimson (8-5) held a 20-16 lead with just over five minutes to play in the first half, cut a halftime deficit to three points at 34-31 early in the second half, and remained within two possessions at 57-51 with 3:42 to play before the host Jayhawks (11-1) closed the game on an 11-2 run.
Harvard Highlights
- Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum totaled 17 points, nine rebounds, and two assists, leading the Crimson in points and rebounds. He scored in double figures for the 12th time in 13 games this season. He paced Harvard in scoring for the 10th time and in rebounding for the ninth time in 2022-23.
- Sophomore guard Evan Nelson posted 10 points and a game-high four assists, making 4-of-7 field goals and 2-of-5 3-pointers. He netted double figure points for the second time in the last three games.
- Junior forward Justice Ajogbor notched eight points, four rebounds, and a game-high four blocks. He made 4-of-8 field goals.
- Junior guard Sam Silverstein tallied seven points, four rebounds, and two assists, converting 3-of-4 field goals.
- Senior guard Luka Sakota added five points and two boards, and first-year forward Chisom Okpara chipped in four points, two boards, and two assists.
- As a team, Harvard connected on seven 3-pointers, while holding the Jayhawks to 4-of-20 shooting (20.0 percent) from behind the arc.
Gallery: (12-22-2022) Men's Basketball at Kansas
How It Happened
- Harvard opened the game with a 14-12 lead at the 12:45 mark of the first half as six different Crimson scored in that opening stretch, including Ajogbor, Silverstein, Nelson, Ledlum, Sakota, and Okpara.
- The Crimson maintained a 20-16 advantage with 6:46 remaining in the first half behind 3-pointers from sophomore guard Tyler Simon and Nelson. Harvard held Kansas scoreless for greater than five minutes between the 10:12 and 5:07 marks.
- The Jayhawks then used a 13-0 run to pull ahead 29-20 with 1:08 to go in the half. Inside of the final 10 seconds, Ledlum connected on a 3-pointer before the Jayhawks hit a triple right before the buzzer to take a 29-20 lead into halftime.
- Early in the second half, the Crimson scored eight straight points behind a dunk from Ajogbor, 3-pointer from Nelson, and old-fashioned 3-point play from Ledlum to cut the margin to 34-31 with 17:02 to play.
- After Kansas pushed its lead to 40-31, Harvard used a 9-5 stretch to come back within 45-50 with 10:04 to go. A 3-pointer from Silverstein and baskets from Okpara, Ajogbor, and Ledlum fueled the run. A later trey from Ledlum kept the score at 49-44 with 8:29 left.
- Facing a 57-46 deficit with 4:36 to play, the Crimson scored five straight points on a basket from Nelson and a 3-point play from Ledlum to bring Harvard back within two possessions at 57-51 with 3:42 left.
- The Jayhawks then scored six straight points to pull ahead 63-51 with 1:38 left and closed the game on an 11-3 run.
From Allen Fieldhouse
- "We recognized how talented and good they are, especially here in this building. I thought our kids fought tooth and nail. I thought we made momentum plays when we had opportunities to cut into the lead to stay within striking distance." – Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
- "Their explosiveness is one of the things that you can't prepare for. They can score in bunches and get this place revved up. I thought our kids fought back to keep our heads in the game." – Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
Next Up
Harvard plays at Maine on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) before opening Ivy League play at Princeton on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+).
