CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's basketball came away with a 77-72 overtime victory over Cornell (13-10, 5-7 Ivy) at Lavietes Pavilion on Saturday evening. The Crimson improves to 13-10 (5-6 Ivy) as it splits the season-series with the Big Red.
Noah Kirkwood led all players in points (31), rebounds (8) and assists (4), while shooting 13-19 from the field.
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Playing in its second game in as many nights, the Crimson got off to hot start from deep, hitting on four of its first five three-point attempts. It was
Denham Wojcik,
Luka Sakota,
Noah Kirkwood and
Sam Silverstein finding their range from deep early, as Harvard held a 22-13 lead with 9:59 to go in the first half. The Crimson posted a 7-for-11 mark from downtown in the first half, taking a 43-26 lead into halftime, with Kirkwood and Sakota accounting for 28 points through 20 minutes.
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Harvard maintained its lead through the first part of the second half, with Kirkwood providing eight more points through the 9:24 mark, which saw Harvard holding a 59-43 lead. The Big Red would come roaring back, hitting on nine of its next 11 shots while Harvard went scoreless for a 6:24 stretch, and Cornell held its first lead of the game at 61-59 with three minutes remaining. A late jumper from Kirkwood and layup from Silverstein gave Harvard a 65-63 lead in the last minute, and after trying the game at 65, a Dean Noll three-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer for Cornell to force the game into an extra period.
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The Crimson got out to a quick lead in overtime after a pair of layups from Kirkwood, and an
Evan Nelson hit from three-point land gave Harvard a 74-67 lead with 2:17 remaining. Harvard was able to get the stops that it needed down the stretch, with a pair of free throws converted by Sakota to see out the 77-72 victory.
Harvard Highlights
- Noah Kirkwood posted a career-high and season-high for any Harvard player with 31 points, with the 13 field goals made also setting a new career-best for the senior.
- Luka Sakota scored in double-figures for the sixth time in his past seven games, netting 18 points while tying a career-high seven rebounds.
- Kale Catchings added 10 points and seven boards while tying a career-high 30 minutes played.
- Harvard improves to 2-1 this season in overtime and 24-5 during the Tommy Amaker era in games that go the extra period.
What's Next?
Harvard will head to Princeton on Friday, Feb. 25 with tip slated for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS.
