ITHACA, N.Y. – Sophomore guard
Tey Barbour scored a game-high 16 points, sophomore guard
Ben Eisendrath tallied a career-high 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists, but No. 2 seed Harvard Men's Basketball fell to No. 3 seed Penn in overtime, 62-60, in the semifinals of the 2026 Ivy League Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Cornell's Newman Arena.
In a game that saw eight ties and four lead changes, the Crimson (17-12) took a 51-46 lead with 4:19 left in regulation before the Quakers (17-11) sent the game to overtime tied at 53-53. In overtime, the Crimson knotted the score at 60-60 on a layup from Barbour with 20 seconds left before Penn scored the game-winner with five seconds remaining.
Barbour hit four 3-pointers as part of his 16-point effort while Eisendrath connected on 7-of-11 field goals as part of his 15-point day. Senior guard
Chandler Piggé contributed nine points, six rebounds, and six assists, junior forward
Thomas Batties II added eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds, and sophomore guard
Robert Hinton added six points, eight boards, and three assists.
Harvard Highlights
- Sophomore guard Tey Barbour scored a game-high 16 points, including hitting four 3-pointers, alongside four rebounds and two blocks. He finished in double figures for the 22nd time on the season. Barbour finished the season with 78 made 3-pointers, marking the third-most in a single season in program history.
- Sophomore guard Ben Eisendrath matched his career high with 15 points to go with six rebounds and a game-high six assists, while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-2 from 3-point distance. He scored in double figures for the seventh time on the year.
- Senior guard Chandler Piggé contributed nine points, six rebounds, and a game-high six assists.
- Junior forward Thomas Batties II added eight points, a career and game-high 11 rebounds, and two blocks.
- Sophomore guard Robert Hinton chipped in six points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
- Harvard held a 44-31 advantage in rebounding.
- All three of Harvard's matchups with Penn this series came down to a one-possession difference.
- The Crimson moved to 1-2 on the season in overtime contests. Harvard is now 29-8 in overtime under head coach Tommy Amaker.
- Harvard finished the year 6-2 in road/neutral games against Ivy League opponents. Both setbacks came against Penn.
- The Crimson played its first game at Ivy Madness since 2019 and qualified for the event for the first time since 2020.
Gallery: (3-14-2026) Men's Hoops vs. Penn at Ivy Madness
How It Happened
- The two teams stood tied at 10-10 at the 15:06 mark of the first half with Barbour and Batties II each hitting 3-pointers in the opening five minutes. The Quakers then used an 8-2 spurt to pull ahead 18-12 with 11:00 to go in the first half.
- After Penn pulled ahead 27-18, Barbour and Batties II connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to bring Harvard back within 27-24 with 51 seconds left in the opening half. Penn remained ahead 30-26 at the break.
- The Crimson used a 10-0 run early in the second half to turn a 32-26 deficit into a 36-32 lead with 15:50 to go. Piggé scored four points during the run while Barbour made a 3-pointer.
- Back-to-back baskets from Eisendrath kept the Crimson up 40-36 with 13:26 left in regulation.
- Harvard remained ahead 44-39 before the Quakers netted five straight points to knot the score at 44-44 with 8:04 to play.
- With the score even at 46-46, Eisendrath went on a personal 5-0 run, hitting a corner 3-pointer before converting a driving layup to stake Harvard to a 51-46 edge with 4:19 left. The Quakers responded with five straight points to tie the game again at 51-51 with 2:30 to go in regulation.
- Eisendrath put Harvard back in front 53-51 on a jumper with 1:12 on the clock before Penn scored with 55 seconds left in the half to send the contest to overtime tied at 53-53.
- After Penn scored the first five points of overtime, Barbour knocked down a 3-pointer to bring Harvard within 58-56 with 3:18 left in the bonus session.
- Inside of the final 30 seconds, Barbour converted a layup to knot the score at 60-60 with 20 seconds to go before the Quakers scored the game-winner with five seconds left.
Postgame Quotes
- "It was a very tough loss. For the third time in our games against have been literally this tight and competitive – somewhat of the proverbial rock fight. It was very difficult for both teams to score. Both teams really competed very hard and played tough defense. You give all the credit in the world to their team, their coaching staff, and Fran, and the job they have done." – Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball
- "I'm proud of our team. I'm proud of this year but certainly a tough ending for us here this afternoon." – Coach Amaker
- "Something that I always tell the team before we go out on the court is that we are blessed and highly favored. Even at halftime if we may be down, I will tell them that we are blessed and highly favored, and even when it doesn't come out in our favor, I will say that we are blessed and highly favored. That's how I would describe my time here. Four years ago, I was at Phillips Exeter Academy coming away from Germany, and Coach Amaker took a chance on me. I'll be forever grateful for him, the staff, and this team for believing in me as a captain and as a leader." – Senior guard Chandler Piggé
