Merchant Leads M. Hoops In Opener

With junior guard Brady Merchant scoring 17 points, including 13 in the first half, the Crimson men’s basketball team (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) used some clutch free throw shooting to win its season opener with a 68-62 defeat of MAAC entry Fairfield Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion.

Crimson captain Drew Gellert said the team expected Merchant to be a presence off the bench, despite his lack of practice time in the preseason due to a knee injury.

“[Merchant] stayed in good shape while he was hurt and he’s been a great player off the bench for us the past couple years,” Gellert said. “We expect him to come out and play well.”

The turning point in the game came with just under two minutes remaining after the Stags (0-1) had pulled to within 58-57. Fairfield forward Deng Gai fouled Crimson senior center Tim Coleman on a lay-up attempt, then threw the ball in anger and drew a technical foul.

Junior guard Patrick Harvey sank the two technical free throws, and Coleman made one of his two to give the

Crimson a four-point cushion. Harvey went on to go 6-for-6 from the line in the last minutes to seal the Crimson victory.

Harvey led Harvard with 19 points and six assists, despite shooting only 3-of-12 from the field. The junior’s biggest contribution came from the free throw line, where he hit all 11 of his attempts on the night after shooting over 80 percent last season.

The Crimson led 39-31 at the break but came out cold in the second half and committed three turnovers and four fouls in the first three minutes. The Stags couldn’t take advantage though, and both teams went scoreless for over four minutes.

Then Harvard got hot from the perimeter and hit three shots from beyond the arc in building its biggest lead of the night, 53-43, with 7:25 remaining.

Down by 10, the Stag defense tightened and forced the Crimson into five turnovers over the next five minutes and went on a 13-4 run to pull within one before Gai’s technical.

Despite some ball-handling problems by the Crimson in the second half, Sullivan was pleased with the team’s composure in withstanding the Stags’ late rally.

“I thought they showed some poise when the game was up for grabs,” Sullivan said. “To get a win like that, with no real scouting report, was real positive for our guys.”

The first half was a seesaw battle in which the teams traded the lead eight times and combined to shoot nearly 50 percent. Fairfield shot the lights out in the opening minutes, connecting on six of its first eight shots, including three three-point baskets.

With the Stags leading 27-24 with six minutes remaining in the half, the Crimson defense stepped up to lead the team on a 15-4 run and an eight-point halftime advantage. Junior forward Sam Winter scored four points during the run, and Merchant added seven points, including a three-point play on a fast break just three seconds before the break.

Merchant came off the bench to shoot 6-of-14 in 25 minutes and lead the Crimson with three three-pointers and three steals.

Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan welcomed the surprising contribution from Merchant.

“He was a great lift off the bench to start the first half,” Sullivan said. “To see him come back after ten days out and score like that was surprising.”

Foul trouble and turnovers plagued the Crimson throughout the second half after Harvard committed only four turnovers and four fouls in the first stanza.

Junior guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman and Coleman both sat with four personal fouls at the five-minute mark, and

Prasse-Freeman later fouled out. Fairfield went to the line 13 times after intermission after attempting no free throws in the first half.

Coleman had a solid return to the starting lineup after sitting out last season, finishing with nine points and a game-high eight rebounds.

To lead Fairfield, Gai, an athletic 6’5 freshman, scored 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and four blocks.

After the game, Merchant said he thought the team had played with a high level of intensity and was beginning to come together as a group.

“We came out with so much intensity tonight that it was fun to play,” Merchant said. “We just need to keep the intensity up, and it’s going to come together for us.”

The Crimson returns to action tomorrow in another non-conference matchup on the road against Holy Cross.