CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – First-year guard
Malik Mack scored a game-high 19 points, but Harvard University men's basketball dropped an 89-76 decision to Cornell University on Saturday night at Lavietes Pavilion as both teams played in the second night of the first back-to-back weekend in Ivy League play.
Hosting the third contest in a four-game homestand, the Crimson (11-8, 2-4 Ivy) remained within 38-35 at halftime and pulled within 66-59 with 7:06 to play before the visiting Big Red (17-3, 6-0 Ivy) held on for the road win to remain unbeaten in conference play.
Mack led four Crimson in double figures with his 19 points, hitting 8-of-16 field goals and 3-of-6 3-pointers. Sophomore forward
Chisom Okpara, junior guard
Louis Lesmond, and first-year forward
Thomas Batties II each scored 10 points.
Harvard split its first back-to-back Ivy weekend of the season after the Crimson came back from a 20-point first-half deficit to beat Columbia, 62-59, on Friday night.
Harvard Highlights
- First-year guard Malik Mack scored a game-high 19 points to lead four Crimson in double figures, connecting on 8-of-16 field goals and 3-of-6 3-pointers alongside a team-best three assists. He finished in double figures for the 15th time in 16 games played and led Harvard in scoring for the eighth time this year.
- Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara posted 10 points and a team-high five rebounds, making 5-of-8 field goals. He posted a double-figure scoring effort for the 17th time in 18 games played this season.
- Junior guard Louis Lesmond netted 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting with four rebounds, posting a double-figure scoring game for the 10th time this year.
- First-year forward Thomas Batties II contributed 10 points and made 2-of-4 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws. He scored in double figures for the sixth time in 2023-24.
- Senior forward Justice Ajogbor added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting with four rebounds.
- The Crimson shot 60.0 percent from the field (15-of-25) in the second half.
Gallery: (2-3-2024) Men's Basketball vs. Cornell
How It Happened
- Harvard held an early 11-7 lead following a jumper from Batties II and remained ahead 16-14 following a 3-pointer from Mack at the 12:50 mark of the first half. Consecutive layups from Okpara kept the Crimson up 24-21 with 8:15 remaining in the first half.
- After Cornell moved ahead 36-27, Harvard closed the first half on an 8-2 spurt, pulling within 38-35 at halftime. Mack hit a jumper for the opening half's final bucket.
- A layup from Mack stopped a 7-0 run from the Big Red to open the second half, keeping the Crimson within 45-37 with 17:24 to go.
- With the visitors still ahead 60-45 with 10:48 left, Harvard scored seven straight points to cut the margin to 60-52 with 9:28 remaining. A 3-pointer from first-year guard Xavier Nesbitt capped the run.
- Harvard pulled within seven points at 66-59 with 7:06 to go following five straight points from Lesmond, but the hosts could pull no closer over the final seven minutes.
Postgame Quotes
- "They are really good. On the second night for us, you have to play a lot better and sharper, making threes and taking care of the ball. For our team, in the way that we are constructed right now, with a game like that and the players that they have – they are deep and play a style that is difficult to play against." – Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
Next Up
Harvard closes its four-game homestand when it hosts Dartmouth College on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion.
