NEW YORK, N.Y. – First-year guard
Malik Mack tallied 21 points and seven assists, sophomore forward
Chisom Okpara scored 19 points, and senior forward
Justice Ajogbor posted 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks as Harvard University men's basketball rallied past Columbia University in the second half to take an 80-75 victory on Saturday night at Levien Gymnasium.
Facing a 60-51 deficit with 9:51 to play, the Crimson (13-9, 4-5 Ivy) used an extended 22-6 run to take a 73-66 advantage with 2:31 to go on its way to the comeback win over the Lions (13-9, 4-5 Ivy), moving into a tie for fourth place in the Ivy League standings and capturing the head-to-head tiebreaker against Columbia behind its season sweep of the two-game series.
Mack totaled a team-high 21 points, a game-best seven assists, four rebounds, and a team-high three steals while Okpara netted his 19 points on 5-of-8 field goals, 2-of-2 3-pointers, and 7-of-8 free throws. Ajogbor posted his second collegiate double-double on his 13 points and 11 rebounds, while making a career-high six blocks. Junior guard
Louis Lesmond rounded out the Crimson's four double-figure scorers with 11 points and three made 3-pointers.
Closing out its first away Ivy back-to-back of the year, Harvard beat Columbia for the second time this season after rallying from a 20-point deficit to beat the Lions on Feb. 2 in the teams' first meeting of the year in Cambridge.
Harvard Highlights
- First-year guard Malik Mack totaled a team-high 21 points, a game-best seven assists, four rebounds, and a team-high three steals, while hitting 8-of-8 free throws. He scored over 20 points for the seventh time this season and in double figures for the 18th time in 19 games, leading the Crimson in scoring for the 10th time this year. He dished out five or more assists for the 10th time in 2023-24 and for the sixth time in Ivy play.
- Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara netted 19 points on 5-of-8 field goals, 2-of-2 3-pointers, and 7-of-8 free throws alongside two assists. He scored in double figured for the 20th time in 21 games played this year.
- Senior forward Justice Ajogbor posted his second career double-double behind 13 points and 11 rebounds, matching his career high in boards while setting a career high with six blocks. He scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and notched three or more blocks for the eighth time in 2023-24. For the weekend, he averaged 4.5 blocks per game after swatting three shots at Cornell on Friday night.
- Junior guard Louis Lesmond scored 11 points, hit three 3-pointers, and grabbed four rebounds. He finished in double figures for the 12th time this year and canned three or more 3-pointers for the 11th time this season.
- Sophomore guard Chandler Piggé added eight points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
- Harvard persevered through a game that saw 12 ties and 10 lead changes.
- The Crimson swept the season series with Columbia, 2-0, after rallying from a 20-point deficit to beat the Lions, 62-59, on Feb. 2.
Gallery: (2-17-2024) Men's Basketball at Columbia
How It Happened
- Neither team held a lead larger than five points in the first half in a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes. The Crimson held early leads of 13-12 at the 10:34 mark and 17-16 at the 9:17 mark of the first half.
- After Columbia moved ahead 32-27 with 5:30 left in the first half, a pair of 3-pointers from Lesmond helped knot the score at 34-34 with 3:34 to go until the break. The Lions held a slight 38-37 edge at the intermission.
- Following a 3-pointer from Mack to open the second half, Columbia used a 10-0 run to pull ahead 48-40 with 14:49 left.
- Facing a 53-44 deficit with 12:22 remaining, the Crimson responded with a 7-0 burst, including a dunk from Ajogbor and 3-pointer from Okpara to cut the margin to 53-51 with 10:54 to go. The Lions countered with seven straight points to re-take a 60-51 edge with 9:31 to play.
- Harvard answered with eight consecutive points, coming within one at 60-59 with 7:09 to go. Lesmond started the run with a trey before a layup from Mack and dunk from Ajogbor capped the streak.
- Trailing 63-59 at the 6:43 mark of the second half, Harvard used a 14-3 run to claim a 73-66 lead with 2:31 left. Okpara scored the final six points of the run on a 3-pointer and three free throws after drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt.
- The Crimson converted 7-of-8 free throws inside of the final 1:10 to seal the win.
Postgame Quotes
- "It's just trust. Trust in our teammates. Trust in our principles. Trust in our coaches' plan and really trust each other." – Chisom Okpara
- "I like a quote, 'You don't rise to the level of the occasion, you fall to the level of your habits.' We trusted our habits. We trusted our coaching plan. When you face adversity, just continue on." – Chisom Okpara
Next Up
Harvard hosts Princeton on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and Penn on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) in its final home games of the regular season at Lavietes Pavilion.
