DURHAM, N.H. – Junior guard
Chandler Piggé totaled 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals, first-year guard
Robert Hinton scored a team-high 15 points to lead four Crimson in double figures, and Harvard Men's Basketball used a second-half surge to beat the University of New Hampshire, 72-62, on Sunday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium.
In a game that saw 17 lead changes and nine ties, the Crimson (3-7) used a 19-6 run late in the game to turn a 54-53 deficit with 4:05 remaining into a 72-60 advantage with 10 seconds left as the visitors topped the Wildcats (2-11) in their last game prior to the finals break for the fall semester.
Piggé netted his 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with his team-high nine boards and game highs in assists (five) and steals (four). Hinton paced the Crimson in scoring for the sixth time on the season with his 15 points while senior guards
Louis Lesmond (season-high 13 points) and
Evan Nelson (10 points, four steals) joined the duo in double figures.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior guard Chandler Piggé totaled 14 points, nine rebounds, a career and game-high five assists, and season and game-high four steals, while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor. He scored in double figures for the seventh time this season, while leading the Crimson in rebounding for the eighth time on the year.
- First-year guard Robert Hinton scored a team-high 15 points with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He hit 5-of-11 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws, while finishing in double figures for the seventh time on the year. Hinton paced the Crimson in scoring for the sixth time this season.
- Senior guard Louis Lesmond netted a season-high 13 points, shooting 4-of-7 from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point distance, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He scored in double figures for the second time in his last three games and for the 24th time in his career.
- Senior guard Evan Nelson registered 10 points, a career and game-high four steals, three rebounds, and two assists, while connecting on 2-of-3 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws. He scored in double figures for the fifth time this year.
- First-year guard Tey Barbour added seven points, sophomore forward Thomas Batties II chipped in six points and four boards, and sophomore guard Xavier Nesbitt scored five points on 2-of-2 shooting.
- For the game, Harvard held a 19-2 edge in fastbreak points, while making 24-of-28 free throws (85.7 percent).
- In the second half, the Crimson shot 59.1 percent from the field (13-of-22), while leading in bench points (18-8) and fastbreak points (12-0).
Gallery: (12-8-2024) Men's Basketball at New Hampshire
How It Happened
- Harvard jumped out to an early 14-11 lead at the 13:26 mark of the first half behind 3-pointers from Lesmond and Piggé and a 3-point play from Nelson.
- A 9-2 run that included five points from Nesbitt helped the Crimson extend its lead to 23-15 with 5:46 to go until halftime.
- After UNH pulled ahead 25-23 with a 10-0 run, a 3-point play from Hinton prior to buckets from Piggé and Nelson allowed Harvard to gain a 30-29 edge at the half.
- With the two teams trading baskets to open the second half, a dunk from Piggé following a steal gave Harvard a 39-38 lead with 14:30 to play before a 3-point play from Lesmond kept the Crimson ahead 42-40 with 12:28 left.
- A 3-point play from Barbour, driving layup from Hinton, and dunk from Lesmond allowed Harvard to remain ahead 53-50 with 5:28 remaining.
- After UNH pulled ahead 54-53 with 4:05 to go, Harvard responded with a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer from Lesmond to re-gain a 61-54 advantage with 2:33 to play. The streak started an extended 19-6 run that pushed the Crimson's margin to 72-60 with 10 seconds remaining. A dunk from Hinton highlighted the stretch, while Harvard made 10-of-12 free throws inside of the final four minutes.
Postgame Quotes
"I thought that we had a really good focus. We had a good practice coming into this. We talked about being deserving. You have to be deserving of victory before you can get it. I thought we were deserving, especially in the second half." –
Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
"Chandler is so reliable and dependable. When you can think about that, not just for a basketball player, but a human being, you've got a lot right there. He does everything for us. He's our most valuable, our most important – but most importantly – he's our most reliable and dependable player." – Coach Amaker
Next Up
Harvard hosts Furman University on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion.
