CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - After a pair of heart-breaking defeats, Harvard looks to get back into the win column on Saturday at Penn. The game at The Palestra is one of two remaining road contests on the slate for the Crimson in 2021-22.

What to Know

- Harvard is looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Yale, both of which ended with game-tying three-point attempts at the buzzer. On Saturday in New Haven, first-year Louis Lesmond had a mid-court look, with junior Luka Sakota having an opportunity at the top of the arc on Wednesday in Cambridge.

- The Crimson fell to the Bulldogs, 62-59, at home just four days after suffering 58-55 defeat on the road. Harvard, which trailed by 14 points with 12:13 left in the second half, mounted a furious rally in the final six minutes. Facing a 53-42 deficit with 6:31 to go, the Crimson got to within one point with 57 seconds to go, but could not complete the comeback.

- Harvard, which has been hit hard this season with injuries, was without another significant contributor in Louis Lesmond against the Bulldogs. The first-year, who averages 8.2 points and made 34 treys (second on the team) on the year, joined injured starting juniors Chris Ledlum and Idan Tretout on the bench. In the game at Yale, the first-year posted six points and was disruptive on defense in 30 minutes.

- Mason Forbes enjoyed the best statistical game of his career, registering a career-high 22 points on a personal-best eight field goals (8-12 FG) and six free throws (6-9 FT). The senior also posted season highs in blocked shots (3) and steals (1). Forbes' 20-point effort was the first of his 77-game career.

- Forbes, who missed the first 12 games due to injury and 15 total, has started the last four contests, while increasing his minutes total each game (22 vs. Penn, 28 at Brown, 29 at Yale, 32 vs. Yale). In those four outings, the senior is shooting 19-for-28 (.679) and averaging 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. In his last three games alone, he is averaging 14.0 points on 16-for-24 (.667) shooting.

- First-year Sam Silverstein provided a spark off the bench vs. Yale, contributing 12 points, four rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes. The guard from Illinois connected on five field goals, including two from three-point distance, en route to his most points vs. a Division I opponent (current career high is 16 vs. Babson; previous career high vs. Division I foe was 10 at Cornell). Silverstein enters the game at Penn having made seven of his last nine from the floor (.778).

- Noah Kirkwood became the 37th member of Harvard's 1,000-point club with his first basket against Yale (1st half, 14:09). The senior finished with nine points and comes into the contest vs. the Quakers with 1,007 career points. Kirkwood sits behind Steve Moundou-Missi '15 at No. 36 (1,010), with Arne Duncan '87 (No. 35; 1,012) and Christian Webster '13 (No. 34; 1,016) in his sights.

- Evan Nelson came off the bench vs. Yale and logged a career-high 30 minutes, while adding seven points and career-high-tying numbers of five rebounds and two assists. The first-year's contributions were well-timed as he totaled six points (2-7 FG), six rebounds and two assists in his previous three games combined.

- Harvard hits the road to complete its season series with Penn having dropped three of its last five outings. The Crimson's last three defeats, however, have come by a combined 10 points (3.3-point margin of defeat), including a 78-74 loss to the Quakers on Jan. 28.

- Harvard has responded favorably over the last handful of seasons, posting a 17-5 record in the game following its last 22 defeats. Three of those five losses, however, have come this season as the Crimson is 5-3 in responding to losses.

At the Helm

Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball, is in his 15th season at Harvard. He is the winningest coach in Crimson history with 262 victories and has led the program to seven Ivy League titles and eight postseason appearances.

Up Next

Harvard returns home on Friday, Feb. 18, when it welcomes Columbia to Lavietes Pavilion. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. ET start on ESPN+. Tickets are available at tickets.gocrimson.com.