M. Cagers Forced to Eat Quaker Oats

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--As the Harvard men's basketball team's defense goes, so goes everything else.

If the Crimson's opponent has a high field goal percentage, then Harvard will lose with almost total certainty. It's a law of nature, up there with gravity and taxes.

And last night, against Penn in the Palestra, there was no exception. The Quakers shot an ungodly 57 percent from the field in their 85-68 win, which was a heck of a lot higher than what Harvard usually allows from the floor (41.7 percent).

Even more devastating was Penn's ability to hit three-pointers. Every time a fan in the arena looked up, either Michael Jordan (no relation) or Garett Kreitz was bombing from downtown. The guard tandem hit 9 of 13 three-point attempts over the course of the game, and Kreitz didn't even feel the need to attempt a shot from inside the arc. Well, why would he?

The artillery started early. The Quakers hit their first two three-pointers and seven out of 13 in the first 20 minutes of play. It was no surprise the Crimson trailed at halftime; it was a surprise the game was so close--the best thing Harvard had going for itself was a strong showing on the offensive glass (11 in the first half, 17 on the game).

With 8:41 left in the half, Harvard did tie the game at 20, but then Penn went on a roll again. Kreitz hit three pointers on three consecutive Penn possessions--the last two rolling in and out and in, as if the Palestra hoop was mocking its Northern visitors.

"We thought we had a definite shot, down five at halftime," said Harvard forward Kyle Snowden (16 points, 10 rebounds). "But every time we'd come close, they'd hit another three-pointer."

Such as when a layup by junior Mike Scott cut the Penn lead to three points with 16:55 to play, but then Kreitz, Paul Romonczuk and Jed Ryan combined to score eight points and increase the advantage to 10. Every time Harvard took a step forward, the Penn snipers shot the Crimson back.

"When you give up that many three-point shots, it becomes a frustrating thing." Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said. "[Before tonight] we were doing a very good job. We take pride in how we defend the three-point shot."

Put it this way: 85 points is a heck of a lot for a team to score in the Ivy League. Going into tonight, the most anyone had scored on Harvard was 80 by Boston University, and the average was 62.6. The Quakers were on fire, and the Crimson didn't happen to bring any water.

Tonight, Harvard takes on Princeton, who runs a four-corner, slowdown offense. To beat a team like that, one has to keep composure, to not get down if the other shooters get hot, and above all, to play defense.