CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – First-year
Thomas Batties II led four Crimson in double figures with 16 points, senior
Justice Ajogbor posted his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Harvard University men's basketball beat UMass Boston, 78-50, in its season and home opener on Monday night at Lavietes Pavilion.
The Crimson (1-0) took a 35-24 lead at halftime and grew its edge to as large as 31 points in the second half on its way to the victory over the visiting Beacons (0-1). As a team, Harvard shot 60.0 percent from the field in the second half.
Batties scored his 16 points on 7-of-11 field goals, first-year
Malik Mack netted 13 points, Ajogbor hit 6-of-9 field goals as part of his double-double, and first-year
Luca Ace-Nasteski tallied 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Harvard's first-year class accounted for 40 points on 17-of-31 shooting with 14 rebounds and eight assists in its collegiate debut.
Harvard Highlights
- First-year forward Thomas Batties II scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-11 field goals with five rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in his collegiate debut.
- First-year guard Malik Mack totaled 13 points, five rebounds, and two assists in his first collegiate game.
- Senior forward Justice Ajogbor posted 12 points and team-best 10 rebounds alongside four blocks and two assists. He compiled his first collegiate double-double and scored in double figures for the sixth time in his career.
- First-year forward Luca Ace-Nasteski registered 11 points on 4-of-7 field goals with four rebounds as one of three members of the first-year class to score in double figures.
- Junior guard Louis Lesmond scored nine points on a trio of 3-pointers and added seven rebounds while junior guard Denham Wojcik added six points on 3-of-3 field goals with a team-high four assists.
- As a team, Harvard held a 44-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Gallery: (11-6-2023) Men's Basketball vs. UMass Boston
How It Happened
- With the two teams tied at 10-10 with 12:33 to go in the first half, the Crimson used a 17-6 run to take a 27-16 edge with 6:31 to go in the opening stanza. Five different Crimson scored during the run, including a dunk from Ace-Nasteski and a 3-pointer from Lesmond.
- Harvard maintained a 35-24 edge at halftime, netting six of the first half's final eight points. Batties II led the Crimson with 11 first-half points while Ajogbor grabbed eight rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
- The Crimson opened the second half with eight straight points, taking a 43-24 edge with 15:24 to go. The run included another 3-pointer from Lesmond.
- Another 8-0 run later in the half gave the hosts a 55-31 edge with 11:30 to play with a pair of dunks from Ajogbor highlighting the spurt.
- After the Beacons pulled within 57-42 with 8:43 remaining, Harvard outscored the visitors 21-8 over the remainder of the game. A layup from first-year Xavier Nesbitt and a dunk in transition from sophomore Greg Cooper capped the scoring for the Crimson.
Postgame Quotes
"It's important for us to have an opportunity to play local teams. It's been a big point of emphasis for a number of years – whether that's MIT, BC, Northeastern, BU, UMass. We're proud to have those kind of games." –
Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
"I was happy about our team and how we played. It was a really good team win, and everybody had a chance to play. I think those are the kind of wins that can really go a long way for your program and your players." –
Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
"I love this team. I love the game of basketball. I'm just happy to be out here and be given the privilege to play this game." –
Thomas Batties II
Next Up
Harvard plays at Rice University in Houston, Texas on Friday, Nov. 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT) on ESPN+.
