CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior forward
Justice Ajogbor, senior guard/forward
Chris Ledlum, and senior guard
Luka Sakota all scored in double figures, but Harvard University men's basketball's second-half rally fell just short in a 68-57 setback against Yale University on Friday evening at Lavietes Pavilion.
Opening the second half of its 14-game Ivy League conference slate and beginning a three-game homestand, the Crimson (12-10, 3-5 Ivy) trimmed a 19-point, second-half deficit down to five points with 3:08 remaining before the visiting Bulldogs (15-6, 5-3 Ivy) held on for the win in a contest televised nationally on ESPNU.
Ajogbor led the Crimson with 12 points, Ledlum totaled 10 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and three steals, and Sakota scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. First-year forward
Chisom Okpara grabbed a game-high seven rebounds alongside nine points.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior forward Justice Ajogbor scored a team-high 12 points, hitting 4-of-6 field goals and adding two blocks and two rebounds. He finished in double figures for the fourth time this season and led the Crimson in scoring for the first time.
- Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum tallied 10 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. He scored in double figures for the 20th time in 22 games this season.
- Senior guard Luka Sakota netted 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting alongside three rebounds and two steals. He posted a double-figure scoring effort for the ninth time this year.
- First-year forward Chisom Okpara scored nine points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. He connected on 3-of-6 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws. He paced the Crimson in rebounding for the second time this season.
- Senior guard Idan Tretout tallied nine points and five rebounds, while making a season-best 7-of-7 free throws.
Gallery: (2-3-2023) Men's Basketball vs. Yale
How It Happened
- Harvard remained within 12-11 of Yale with 13:47 on the clock in the first half as Tretout scored five of the Crimson's first seven points with a jumper and three free throws. The Bulldogs then used a 7-0 stretch to pull ahead 18-11 at the 12:54 mark.
- The Crimson responded with a 5-1 spurt, trimming the margin to 19-16 with 9:59 left in the half. Ledlum netted three points during the stretch. Yale countered with a 21-5 run, including 11 straight points to end the run, to pull ahead 40-21 with 1:11 to go until the break.
- Tretout hit 4-of-4 free throws inside the final minute of the first half to bring Harvard within 42-25 at the intermission.
- After Yale gained its largest lead at 19 points at 48-29 with 16:25 to play, Harvard began its comeback, whittling the margin to 50-36 with 13:43 to go following a 3-pointer from Ledlum.
- With the Bulldogs maintaining a 54-38 margin with 12:15 to play, the Crimson outscored the visitors 17-6, pulling within two possessions at 60-55 with 3:08 remaining. Ajogbor and Ledlum started the run with layups before Okpara netted the Crimson's next seven points, including hitting a 3-pointer. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Evan Nelson, jumper from Sakota, and three points from Ajogbor capped the stretch.
- After a layup from Ajogbor kept the Crimson within 62-57 with 2:25 left, the Bulldogs scored the game's final six points.
Black History Always
- As part the game, the Crimson participated in the third annual ERACISM "This Game is No Secret" campaign, honoring the legacy of Coach John McLendon by wearing t-shirts with those five words – "This Game is No Secret." Established in 2020, ERACISM is a social inclusion movement committed to bringing forth change, and the event is an opportunity for all to learn more about the iconic Secret Game, in which Coach McLendon's North Carolina College defeated Duke in 1944 in a game that had to be played in secret due to Jim Crow laws.
Next Up
Harvard hosts Brown tomorrow – Saturday, Feb. 4 – at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+/NESN) at Lavietes Pavilion.
