PROVIDENCE, R.I. – First-year guard
Malik Mack scored a game-high 20 points as Harvard University men's basketball rallied from a 17-point, second-half deficit to take a three-point lead with 18 seconds left before the Crimson fell at Brown University in overtime, 71-68, on Friday night at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
Facing deficits of 50-33 with 11:15 left and 54-40 with 8:21 remaining, the Crimson (14-11, 5-7 Ivy) used a 21-4 run to pull ahead 61-58 with 18 seconds left before the Bears (10-17, 6-6 Ivy) forced overtime and narrowly outlasted the visitors in the bonus session.
Mack posted game highs in points (20), assists (five), and steals (four), reaching the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this year. Sophomore forward
Chisom Okpara scored 15 points – all in the Crimson's second-half rally – junior guard
Louis Lesmond netted 11 points, and senior forward
Justice Ajogbor registered 10 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and a game-high five blocks.
Harvard Highlights
- First-year guard Malik Mack posted game highs in points (20), assists (five), and steals (four) while adding four rebounds. He scored over 20 points for the eighth time this season, netted double figures for the 20th time, and distributed five or more assists for the 12th time.
- Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara tallied 15 points and five rebounds, finishing in double figures for the 15th time this season. Okpara scored all 15 of his points in the second half, making 6-of-9 field goals and 2-of-4 3-pointers.
- Junior guard Louis Lesmond registered 11 points, four boards, and three steals, scoring in double figures for the 13th time on the year.
- Senior forward Justice Ajogbor totaled 10 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and a game-high five blocks. He scored in double figures for the seventh time this year and blocked three or more shots in a game for the 11th time.
- Junior guard Tyler Simon added six points, six rebounds, and a career-high four assists.
- In the second half, Harvard shot 57.7 percent from the field (15-of-26) and 66.7 percent from 3-point distance (6-of-9).
Gallery: (3-1-2024) Men's Basketball at Brown
How It Happened
- After trailing 14-4 at the 10:42 mark of the first half and 22-8 at the 5:29 mark, the Crimson used an 8-1 run to pull within 23-16 with 1:17 to go until halftime. Mack scored 12 points in the first half as the Crimson trailed 28-19 at the break.
- Okpara netted the Crimson's first seven points of the second half as Harvard trimmed the margin to 31-26 with 17:54 remaining in regulation. The Bears countered with a 17-5 run to move ahead 48-31 with 12:51 to play in the second half.
- A 7-2 spurt from the Crimson, including a 3-pointer from first-year Xavier Nesbitt pulled Harvard within 52-40 with the hosts maintaining a 54-40 edge with 8:21 in the second half.
- Harvard answered with a 21-4 run to pull ahead 61-58 with 18 seconds left.
- A 3-pointer from Lesmond prior to a four-point play from Simon sparked the run, bringing the Crimson within 56-49 at the 5:39 mark.
- With Brown remaining ahead 58-49 with 4:46 left, Harvard scored 12 straight points to take its 61-58 advantage. Six points from Okpara, two free throws from Simon, a layup from Ajogbor and a pair of free throws from Lesmond made up the run as Harvard took its first lead since it was 4-3 at the 17:30 mark of the first half. A 3-pointer from the Bears with five seconds left sent the game to overtime.
- Lesmond opened the bonus session with a 3-pointer to give Harvard a 64-61 edge before a dunk from Ajogbor put the Crimson back up 66-64 with 2:21 on the clock.
- After Brown went ahead 67-66 with under a minute to play, the Crimson could not score on its next two possessions.
Next Up
Harvard plays at Yale tomorrow – Saturday, Mar. 2 – at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+). The Crimson then competes at Dartmouth on Tuesday, Mar. 5 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) in its regular season finale.
