CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Men's Basketball will close out its weekend in the Washington area when it plays at American University on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C. with the Crimson coming off its stay at the Veterans Classic on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy.

What to Know

• From Nov. 7-8, the Crimson took part in the Veterans Classic – Navy's 11^th annual men's basketball event honoring veterans of all service branches. During its time on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Crimson gained a sense of aspects of the life of a Midshipman with a campus tour, ate lunch with all 4,400 Midshipmen, and spent an evening event with Navy veteran and Paralympic gold medalist Brad Snyder.
• In the Crimson's season and home opener, first-year guard Robert Hinton scored a game-high 27 points in his collegiate debut, and Harvard beat Marist (Nov. 4), 79-66. As a team, Harvard shot 62.5 percent from the field (30-of-48) with six different student-athletes scoring at least eight points.
• First-year guard Robert Hinton has averaged 26.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game to open the year, while shooting 64.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point distance. Hinton ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game (26.5) and first in field goals made (20). He made an immediate impact in his debut, scoring 27 points on 9-of-12 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws vs. Marist (Nov. 4). He then dropped 26 points and eight boards at Navy (Nov. 8). Hinton collected multiple accolades in the preseason, including Blue Ribbon Ivy League Newcomer of the Year, a spot on Jon Rothstein's "20 Under the Radar Freshmen for the 2024-25 Season," and inclusion in ESPN's "newcomer impact rankings for 2024-25." In July 2024, Hinton helped the Chinese Taipei national team claim a silver medal at the William Jones Cup in New Taipei, Taiwan.
• Junior guard Chandler Piggé has notched 12.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 69.2 percent from the field. Piggé ranks third in the Ivy League in rebounds per game (8.5). He registered 16 points and eight rebounds at Navy (Nov. 8). Piggé tallied game highs in rebounds (nine) and assists (three) to go with eight points against Marist (Nov. 4). He posted 8.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game last winter, while shooting 81.8 percent on free throws. In Ivy only play, he stood fifth in the league in steals per game (1.4) and 10^th in rebounds per game (5.2). He scored in double figures in each of eight games. Piggé posted his first collegiate double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds at Massachusetts (Nov. 17). He dropped a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws with five rebounds at Rice (Nov. 10).
• Sophomore forward Thomas Batties II has averaged 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from 3-point distance. Batties II scored a career-high 17 points and posted career highs in 3-pointers made (five) and blocks (four) at Navy (Nov. 4). He notched eight points, four boards, and two blocks in the season opener against Marist (Nov. 4). He registered 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on the 2023-24 season. Batties II totaled three double-doubles on the year and won Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Jan. 2. He notched back-to-back double-doubles with 11 points and 10 rebounds against both Iona (Dec. 30) and Albany (Jan. 2). He posted another double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana (Nov. 26).
• Senior guard Evan Nelson has contributed 7.0 points and 3.5 assists per game on the year, while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor. He scored eight points and hit two 3-pointers in the season opener against Marist (Nov. 4). He returned for the Crimson after missing the 2023-24 season due to injury. Nelson played in all 28 games with 26 starts as a sophomore in 2022-23, starting the last 26 games of the season. He averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 28.9 minutes per game as a sophomore, while shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point distance and 81.0 percent from the free throw line. Nelson ranked third in the Ivy League in assists per game (3.4) and scored in double figures eight times.
• Sophomore forward Luca Ace-Nasteski netted nine points on 4-of-6 shooting against Marist (Nov. 4). He compiled 2.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game a season ago. He notched 11 points in his collegiate debut vs. UMass Boston (Nov. 6). He went for eight points and six boards vs. Albany (Jan. 2).
• Senior guard Louis Lesmond averaged 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season, while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point distance. He ranked fourth in the Ivy League in total 3-pointers made (64) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.4). Lesmond made three or more 3-pointers in each of 13 games on the year and scored in double figures 15 times. Lesmond netted a career-high 17 points and five made 3-pointers at Penn (Jan. 20) after scoring 16 points vs. Albany (Jan. 2). Lesmond posted 15 points and hit five treys at Dartmouth (Mar. 5). He notched 14 points and made 4-of-7 3-pointers at UMass (Nov. 17) and scored 14 points and hit 4-of-8 triples vs. Dartmouth (Feb. 10).
• Harvard welcomes seven first-years to the program this season. The Class of 2028 includes guard Tey Barbour (Manassas, Va.), forward Leo Byrne (Stockholm, Sweden), guard Dutch Dowdell (Holladay, Utah), guard Ben Eisendrath (Los Angeles, Calif.), guard Robert Hinton (Los Angeles, Calif.), guard Austin Hunt (Marlborough, Mass.), and forward Kenan Parrish (Pittsboro, N.C.).
• Harvard trails American in the all-time series, 1-3. Last season, the Crimson topped the Eagles, 80-75. Prior to that contest, the last meeting between the two teams came in the 1988-89 season.

Next Up

Harvard closes out a four-game road swing with games at Northeastern on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7:00 p.m. (NESN/FloCollege) and at Colorado on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+).