CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's basketball was topped by Yale at Lavietes Pavilion by a score of 62-59 on Wednesday night. It was another game for the Crimson that would come down to the last shot, but a Luka Sakota three-pointer as time expired would hit both ends of the iron and rim out. 
 
The two teams opened the night looking as if they would match each other shot-for-shot until Yale went on a 10-2 run to open a 23-13 lead. As part of their run, the Bulldogs made 11 of 12 field goals to pull ahead, 30-17. The Crimson, however, locked in defensively and held the visitors without a bucket for nearly six minutes, while ending the half on a 9-2 run to close its deficit to 32-26 at intermission.
 
Yale opened a 12-point lead when played resumed after it scored the first six points of the frame. Harvard faced an uphill, double-digit deficit, but thanks to six consecutive points from Mason Forbes, a layup from Noah Kirkwood and a Luka Sakota three, the Crimson fought back to get within six at 48-42 (8:02).
 
Yale would score the next five bring it back to an 11-point lead, only for the Crimson to answer with a 7-0 run of its own after a basket from Evan Nelson and five straight from Noah Kirkwood, to make it 53-49 with 4:38 remaining. Both teams would continue to put the ball in the basket across the next two minutes, as Mason Forbes knocked down two free throws in between a pair of Sam Silverstein threes to make it a 60-57 game with just over two minutes remaining.
 
Forbes would score down low with 57 seconds remaining, cutting the Bulldogs lead down to one at 60-59. Yale would split free throws across two trips to the line, setting up a Harvard possession, down three, with 12 seconds remaining. Kirkwood was able to draw two defenders with a shot-fake and find Luka Sakota at the top of the arc, looking to send his third game into overtime this season, but Sakota could not get the friendly roll as the ball rimmed out to secure the Yale victory.
 
 Game Notes

• Noah Kirkwood became the 37^th member of Harvard's 1,000-point club with his first basket of the game (1^st half, 14:09).
• Mason Forbes reached double figures in scoring for the second time this season (4th career) and for the second time in three games after he posted a career-high 22 points. The senior also set career highs in field goals (eight) and free throws (six), and season highs in blocked shots (three) and steals (one).
• Evan Nelson played a career-high 30 minutes while contributing seven points and matching a career-high five rebounds.
• Sam Silverstein set a career-high mark vs. a Division I school with 12 points while matching a career-high with two three-pointers made.
• Justice Ajogbor scored his first points of his collegiate career when he connected on a layup in the second half (16:34). The sophomore entered the game with one career rebound and one career steal in 10 minutes (2 games played). He finished the game vs. Yale with two points and one rebound. 

What's Next?
Harvard will travel to the City of Brotherly Love to face Penn on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN+.