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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.