CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball cut a 15-point second-half deficit down to two points and gained possession with a chance to tie before the Crimson dropped a 68-65 decision to Brown University on Saturday night at Lavietes Pavilion.
The Crimson (12-11, 3-6 Ivy) took a 34-33 edge early in the second half before the visiting Bears (12-10, 5-4 Ivy) used a 16-0 run to pull ahead 49-34 with 11:49 remaining. Trailing 54-39 with 9:00 left, Harvard whittled the margin to 56-51 with 3:46 to go behind a 12-2 run and then to 67-65 with six seconds left, scoring 12 points in the final minute. The Crimson regained possession with a chance to tie before a final 3-point attempt did not fall.
Senior guard/forward
Chris Ledlum posted a team-high 13 points and six rebounds, senior guard
Idan Tretout netted 12 points with three boards and two assists, and first-year forward
Chisom Okpara tallied 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
Harvard Highlights
- Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum posted a team-high 13 points and six rebounds, while making 3-of-6 3-pointers – despite picking up his second personal foul at the 8:39 mark of the first half and his fourth foul at the 15:40 mark of the second half. He scored in double figures for the 21st time this season and led the Crimson in scoring for the 18th time.
- Senior guard Idan Tretout registered 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while making 5-of-10 shots from the floor. Tretout scored in double figures for the ninth time this season and for the sixth time in Ivy League play.
- First-year forward Chisom Okpara tallied 11 points, a team-best eight rebounds, and two assists, while connecting on 4-of-6 field goals. He scored in double figures for the seventh time this year.
- Sophomore guard Evan Nelson contributed nine points, five rebounds, and a team-high three assists, while making 2-of-4 3-pointers.
- Junior guard Sam Silverstein added six points and five rebounds, senior guard Luka Sakota scored six points, junior forward Josh Hemmings chipped in four points and three boards, and junior forward Justice Ajogbor netted four points.
Gallery: (2-4-2023) Men's Basketball vs. Brown
How It Happened
- The Crimson used a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer from Ledlum and jumper from Ajogbor to pull within 10-9 at the 12:31 mark of the first half.
- After the Bears moved ahead 17-11, Harvard scored five straight points, including two field goals from Tretout, to trim the margin to 17-16 with 4:51 left in the half.
- Harvard then used an 8-2 burst, including a 3-pointer from Sakota, to knot the score at 24-24 with 1:19 left until the break. Brown took a 28-26 edge into the locker room.
- The Crimson took the lead early in the second half, moving ahead 29-28 and 34-33 with 17:24 to play as Ledlum and Nelson each hit 3-pointers. Brown then used a 16-0 run to move ahead 49-34 with 11:49 remaining.
- Five straight points from Okpara stopped the run and brought Harvard within 49-39 with 10:20 left before Brown pushed the margin back to 54-39 with 9:00 to play.
- The Crimson countered with a 12-2 run, pulling within two possessions at 56-51 with 3:46 to go. Hemmings and Silverstein both made layups to start the run before Ledlum sank a 3-pointer and Tretout converted a layup. Okpara capped the streak with an old-fashioned 3-point play.
- After Brown stretched the margin back to nine points at 60-51 and then 62-53 with 1:09 left, the Crimson made a final rally inside the final minute to gain possession with a chance to tie.
- Harvard used a 9-3 run in a span of 45 seconds to pull within 65-62 with 14 seconds left. After a layup from Okpara made it 62-55 with just under a minute to play, a 3-pointer from Nelson with 37 seconds to go made it 63-58 prior to a layup from Ledlum that cut the deficit to 64-60. A layup from Tretout brought the score to 65-62.
- After the Bears made two free throws, Sakota knocked down a 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to bring Harvard within 67-65. Following a 1-of-2 free throw trip from Brown, Ledlum caught a baseball pass in the frontcourt with Harvard down three at 68-65, but his 3-point attempt at the buzzer did not fall.
Next Up
Harvard closes a three-game homestand when it hosts Penn on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion.