CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Sophomore forward
Chisom Okpara and first-year guard
Malik Mack each scored 17 points to pace four Crimson in double figures as Harvard University men's basketball beat Army West Point, 70-64, on Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion.
Starting a four-game homestand to conclude non-league play, the Crimson (7-3) faced a 62-61 deficit with under three minutes to play before closing the game on an 11-3 run to upend the visiting Black Knights (2-8) and improve to 4-0 at home on the season. Harvard hit 16-of-17 free throws in the second half to help secure the victory.
Okpara scored his 17 points on 4-of-5 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws while Mack added a team-high four assists to his 17-point effort. Sophomore guard
Chandler Piggé finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws, and junior guard
Louis Lesmond netted 11 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds to round out the Crimson's double-figure scorers.
Harvard Highlights
- Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara scored a team-high 17 points on 4-of-5 field goals, 1-of-1 3-pointers, and 8-of-10 free throws alongside four rebounds and two blocks. In the second half, he netted 12 points on 2-of-2 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws. He scored in double figures for the eighth time in nine games played this year.
- First-year guard Malik Mack tallied a team-best 17 points, four rebounds, and a team-high four assists. He has scored in double figures in all 10 games this year. In the second half, he netted 13 points on 3-of-6 field goals, 2-of-3 3-pointers, and 5-of-5 free throws.
- Sophomore guard Chandler Piggé posted 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 4-of-5 free throws with four rebounds. He scored in double figures for the fourth time this year.
- Junior guard Louis Lesmond contributed 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. He hit three 3-pointers in the game, marking the sixth time this year that he has hit three or more triples in a game. He finished in double figures for the fifth time this year.
- First-year guard Xavier Nesbitt added six points, connecting on 2-of-3 3-pointers.
- For the game, Harvard held a 16-9 lead in points off turnovers and an 11-2 edge in fastbreak points.
- In the second half, Harvard hit 16-of-17 free throws (94.1 percent).
Gallery: (12-8-2023) Men's Basketball vs. Army
How It Happened
- Facing an early 9-5 deficit, the Crimson used a 9-0 run to pull ahead 14-9 with 10:41 to go in the first half. A 3-pointer from Nesbitt and dunk from junior guard Tyler Simon capped the run.
- The Crimson maintained a 26-19 lead following a 3-pointer from Lesmond with 4:47 left in the half before the Black Knights closed the half on an 11-3 run to bring a 30-29 edge into the locker room.
- After Army moved its lead to 44-34 with 13:41 remaining, the Crimson scored seven straight points behind a 3-pointer from junior guard Denham Wojcik and a 4-point play from Mack to pull within 44-41.
- Trailing 49-41, Harvard countered with a 10-1 streak to re-gain a 51-50 advantage with 7:36 left. Piggé scored the stretch's first four point before another 3-pointer from Nesbitt helped catalyze the run.
- With the Crimson facing a 61-59 deficit with 3:04 to play, Harvard scored 11 of the game's final 14 points to emerge with the victory. A layup from Piggé put the hosts back in front at 62-61 and a 3-pointer from Mack extended the margin to 66-61 with under a minute to play before Lesmond and Mack each sank a pair of free throws inside of the final 20 seconds.
Postgame Quotes
- "We learned how we can get past adversity. We trusted our freshmen. We trusted our coach. We trusted our ability to play defense. We trusted our principles, and because of that we carried out a win." – Chisom Okpara
Next Up
Harvard hosts Holy Cross on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion following the Crimson's break for final exams.
