HANOVER, N.H. – Sophomore forward
Chisom Okpara scored a game-high 25 points, but Harvard University men's basketball fell to Dartmouth College, 76-69, on Tuesday night at Leede Arena in the regular season finale for both teams.
The Crimson (14-13, 5-9 ivy) used a 15-4 run to take a 56-46 lead with 15:27 to go in the second half and maintained leads of 65-60 with 9:21 to play and 67-66 with 5:55 left before the host Big Green (6-21, 2-12 Ivy) came back to take the decision.
Okpara matched his career high with 10 made field goals as part of his game-best 25 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard
Louis Lesmond tied his career high with five made 3-pointers and scored 15 points while first-year guard
Malik Mack netted 10 points, matched his career high with eight assists, and corralled seven rebounds.
The Crimson posted a record of .500 or better for the 14
th time in the last 15 competitive seasons.
Harvard Highlights
- Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara tallied a game-high 25 points and a team-best eight rebounds, while making 10-of-17 field goals to tie his career high for field goals made. He scored in double figures for the 24th time this year, finished with 20 or more points for the ninth time, and led the Crimson in scoring for the 14th time.
- Junior guard Louis Lesmond netted 15 points and matched his career high with five made 3-pointer, hitting 5-of-10 shots from behind the arc. He added three rebounds and three assists. Lesmond made three or more 3-pointers in a game for the 13th time this year and scored in double figures for the 15th time.
- First-year guard Malik Mack scored 10 points, matched his career high with eight assists, grabbed seven rebounds, and made two steals. He distributed five or more assists in a game for the 14th time on the year and paced the Crimson in assists for the 21st time. He finished in double figures for the 21st time on the season.
- Senior forward Justice Ajogbor added six points, five rebounds, and five blocks. He made three or more blocks in a game for the 13th time this season. He finished the year with 58 blocks – the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Ajogbor closed his Harvard career with 97 blocks – the 10th-most in team history.
- Harvard hit 10 shots from 3-point distance in the contest, marking its seventh game on the year with double-figure 3-pointers.
Gallery: (3-5-2024) Men's Basketball at Dartmouth
How It Happened
- Neither team held a lead larger than five points in the first half. A 3-pointer from Okpara staked the Crimson to a 23-19 edge with 11:31 to go in the first half as Harvard took a two-possession lead for the first time.
- With the score tied at 31-31, Lesmond connected on a triple before Mack made a layup to give Harvard a 36-31 edge with 5:32 to go until halftime. A 3-pointer from junior guard Tyler Simon helped the Crimson take a 41-38 lead into the locker room.
- After Dartmouth scored the first four points of the second half, the Crimson used a 15-4 run to pull ahead 56-46 with 15:27 to play. During the streak, Okpara scored seven points, Lesmond hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Ajogbor added a bucket.
- Following nine straight points from the Big Green, a free throw from Okpara and 3-pointer from Mack kept the Crimson up 60-55 with 10:54 remaining.
- Another 3-pointer from Lesmond allowed Harvard to maintain a 65-60 advantage with 9:21 to go before Dartmouth closed the game on a 16-4 run. A layup from Okpara gave the Crimson a 67-66 lead with 5:55 left prior to an 8-0 stretch from the Big Green.
