NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Junior guard
Louis Lesmond and sophomore forward
Chisom Okpara each scored 11 points, but Harvard University men's basketball fell at Yale University, 80-60, on Saturday night at the John J. Lee Amphitheater inside Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
Closing out its final Ivy back-to-back of the season, the Crimson (14-12, 5-8 Ivy) remained within 30-27 with 4:17 to play in the first half before the Bulldogs (20-8, 11-2 Ivy) took a 44-30 lead at halftime and maintained a double-digit edge in the second half.
Lesmond scored in double figures for the 14
th time this season while Okpara finished in double figures for the 23
rd time. First-year guard
Malik Mack distributed five assists – his 13
th game with five or more assists this year – and senior forward
Justice Ajogbor blocked three shots – his 12
th game with three or more blocks this season.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior guard Louis Lesmond scored 11 points, made 3-of-5 3-pointers, and grabbed five rebounds. He scored in double figures for the 14th time this season and hit three or more 3-pointers in a game for the 12th time.
- Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara netted 11 points alongside three rebounds and two assists. He finished in double figures for the 23rd time this season.
- First-year guard Malik Mack tallied eight points, six rebounds, and five assists. He distributed five or more assists in a game for the 13th time in 2023-24.
- Junior guard Denham Wojcik scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting while junior guard Tyler Simon netted seven points on 3-of-3 shooting.
- Senior forward Justice Ajogbor notched seven points and a game-high three blocks. He blocked three or more shots in a game for the 12th time this year. Ajogbor moved into sixth place on Harvard's single-season blocks list with 53 blocks on the year.
- Sophomore guard Chandler Piggé and first-year forward Luca Ace-Nasteski each grabbed six rebounds.
Gallery: (3-2-2024) Men's Basketball at Yale
How It Happened
- After Yale opened the game with an 18-3 lead at the 14:09 mark of the first half, the Crimson responded with a 14-1 run to pull within 19-17 with 9:51 to go until halftime. Mack started the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play before Simon scored seven points.
- A dunk from Ajogbor kept the Crimson within 23-21 before two buckets from Wojcik and two free throws from Okpara allowed Harvard to stay within 30-27 with 4:17 to play until the break. The Bulldogs closed the half on a 14-3 run despite a 3-pointer from Mack to take a 44-30 edge into the locker room.
- In the second half, the Crimson used a 7-0 run with two free throws from Lesmond, a jumper from Mack, and 3-pointer from Okpara to trim the margin to 55-44 with 13:03 remaining. Yale scored the next 10 points to move ahead 65-44 with 9:11 left.
- Inside of the final eight minutes, Lesmond hit a pair of 3-pointers, first-year guard Xavier Nesbitt connected on a triple, and Wojcik scored back-to-back baskets.
Postgame Quotes
- "We've had a tough weekend. We had a tough loss last night, and certainly we tried to come here with a spirit to fight and claw. They are an outstanding team. They have great balance. I thought they played exceptionally well. They got it going and put us in a hole really early." – Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
- "I was proud of a few of our guys who played late in this game when the game was decided, but they really competed hard. Luca did a tremendous job of showing his mettle here tonight." – Coach Amaker
Next Up
Harvard plays at Dartmouth on Tuesday, Mar. 5 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) in its regular season finale.
