CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Sophomore guard
Evan Nelson scored a game-high 19 points, senior guard/forward
Chris Ledlum posted a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Harvard University men's basketball trimmed a 19-point second-half deficit down to one before falling to Princeton University, 58-56, on Saturday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion.
Hosting Senior Day in its regular season home finale, the Crimson (14-13, 5-8 Ivy) cut a 44-25 deficit with 16:58 to play down to two points at 51-49 with 5:06 remaining and down to one point at 54-53 with 10 seconds left before the visiting Tigers (18-8, 9-4 Ivy) held on for the win.
Nelson hit 4-of-7 3-pointers as part of his 19-point effort while Ledlum posted his seventh double-double of the season and now has 509 points on the year, becoming the sixth student-athlete in program history to score 500 or more points in a single season. Senior guard
Idan Tretout also scored in double figures with 13 points.
Prior to the game, the Crimson honored its four seniors – Ledlum, Tretout, guard
Luka Sakota, and forward
Tommy O'Neil.
Harvard Highlights
- Sophomore guard Evan Nelson scored a game-high 19 points on 7-of-16 field goals and 4-of-7 3-pointers alongside five rebounds and two assists. He scored in double figures for the seventh time this season and led the Crimson in scoring for the third time.
- Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum posted a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds, while distributing a team-high three assists. He tallied his eighth double-double of the season and scored in double figures for the 25th time in 27 games this year.
- Ledlum now has 509 points on the season, becoming the sixth student-athlete in program history to score 500 or more points in a season. He stands in a tie for sixth on the Crimson's single-season scoring list.
- Senior guard Idan Tretout registered 13 points and five rebounds, while making 6-of-8 free throws. He scored in double figures for the 13th time this season and for the 10th time in his last 11 games.
- Junior forward Justice Ajogbor netted six points on 3-of-4 shooting, and first-year guard Chandler Piggé chipped in four points and two boards.
- Harvard held a 38-34 edge in rebounding.
- The Crimson outscored the Tigers, 33-21, in the second half. Harvard limited Princeton to 7-of-22 field goals (31.8 percent) and 2-of-11 3-pointers (18.2 percent) in the second 20 minutes.
- Prior to the game, the Crimson honored its four seniors – Ledlum, Tretout, guard Luka Sakota, and forward Tommy O'Neil.
Gallery: (2-25-2023) Men's Basketball vs. Princeton
How It Happened
- Harvard remained within 14-11 of Princeton following a jumper from Tretout before the Tigers used a 6-0 spurt to pull ahead 20-11 at the 10:50 mark of the first half.
- The Crimson answered with an 8-3 stretch to pull within 23-19 with 6:26 to go until halftime. The stretch included a steal-and-score from Piggé. The Tigers closed the half on a 14-4 run to bring a 37-23 advantage into the locker room.
- After Princeton extended its margin to 19 points at 44-25 – its largest lead of the day – with 16:58 left, the Crimson responded with a 19-5 run to trim the margin to 49-44 with 9:33 to play. A trio of 3-pointers from Nelson catalyzed the run while Ledlum netted five points during the stretch.
- The Crimson pulled within two points at 51-49 with 5:06 remaining following a layup from Nelson and kept within 53-51 with 2:29 to play after a pair of free throws from Nelson.
- Harvard gained an opportunity to tie or take the lead and brought the deficit all the way down to one at 54-53 with 10 seconds to go before the visiting Tigers held on for the win.
Next Up
Harvard plays at Dartmouth in its regular season finale on Saturday, Mar. 4 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+).
