Crimson Wins in Waning Seconds

After junior Jeremy Lin starred in Harvard’s first-ever win over a ranked team, he was bound to garner more attention against Ivy League opponents. Keeping the game close on Saturday at Leede Arena, Dartmouth did everything possible to keep the ball out of Lin’s hands at the end of the game.

No matter, because Lin is not Harvard’s only clutch guard. Freshman Oliver McNally hit two baskets in the last minute and a half, including the last bucket with 12.4 seconds remaining, to seal the game, 63-62, for the Crimson (9-6, 1-0 Ivy). It was the Ivy League opener for both teams, and the Big Green fell to 2-11 overall (0-1 Ivy) in a game that it led by as much as ten points in the first half.

“We got a big confidence boost from the win,” Harvard captain Andrew Pusar said. “We’re on an emotional high from the game at BC, so that was tough, but our ability to grind out a win when we’re not playing our best is a big deal. It shows we’ve improved on the road.”

Harvard was not playing in its usual form in the first half. While it gave up only 17 turnovers in the previous two games combined, the Crimson amassed 12 turnovers in the first half alone on Saturday. Because of that, Harvard only led once in the first period, 34-32, despite making 53-percent of its buckets.

Dartmouth jumped to an early lead thanks to good shooting and Crimson mistakes. When Harvard notched its first tie at 14, with 12:48 left to go in the first period, Dartmouth responded with five unanswered points, closed out by an Alex Barnett dunk. A layup by sophomore forward Clive Weeden with 9:15 left pushed the Big Green lead to double-digits with the score at 28-18, but it did not remain so for long.

Still trailing 30-20 two minutes later, Harvard capitalized on some Dartmouth fouls, making all five of its free-throw attempts in three minutes, including an and-one layup play by Pusar, in a 9-0 run. Fouls by the Big Green during the entire first period countered its hot shooting and allowed the Crimson to keep it close. Harvard ended up shooting 14 of 16 free throws in the first half alone, accounting for nearly half of its first-half points.

“We always have a hard time playing there,” Lin said. “We felt we had more talent than they did, we had a better racket, but it’s hard. It was just a great win.”

The second half was a see-saw ride, with nine lead changes and no team ever leading by double-digits. The Crimson jumped to an early period lead that was quickly stifled by a 9-0 Dartmouth run that brought the Big Green lead to 48-44, its largest margin for the rest of the game.

A 57-53 Dartmouth lead was eclipsed when freshman forward Keith Wright made two shots from the charity stripe and Pusar hit a three-pointer, but a three-point play from Big Green junior Elgin Fitzgerald put Dartmouth on top again, 60-59, with only two minutes to play. Lin drove the ball down the court, dishing it to McNally, who pulled up for a bucket from the elbow, making it 61-60 Harvard.

Big Green star Barnett countered with a jump shot of his own to give Dartmouth a one-point edge with 33 seconds remaining, and Harvard ran the shot clock down as far as it could before McNally made his go-ahead runner shot, putting the Crimson up 63-62. The game came down to the last shot, however, and Barnett put up an off-balance 14-foot jumper in an attempt to draw a foul, but it came up short and the only whistle he got was the second period buzzer.

“One of the things we’ve really benefited from is that [McNally]’s a compeititor, a tenacious team guy,” Pusar said. “He’s always team-first and he’s always about winning.”

Harvard improved its sloppy play in the second half, only giving up five turnovers, but better Dartmouth defense led to a poorer shooting percentage, as the Crimson made only 39 percent of its second-period buckets, including 3-10 from long range.

Both teams knew who the stars were, and both teams made sure to lock those players down on defense. Big Green senior Alex Barnett, who is averaging 18.5 points per game, was held to only 9 points, and Lin, averaging 17.9 points, managed just 10. Both players found a way to make a difference anyway and each led his team in both rebounds and assists. Lin notched his first double-double of the season with his impressive rebound effort, grabbing 11 total boards.

Pusar shined for the Crimson, notching a game-high 19 points on 8-11 shooting. Only junior Dan Biber scored double-digits for Dartmouth, putting up 10 points on 4-5 shooting.

Dartmouth will play two more home games before a rematch at Harvard, while the Crimson take a 13-day break for finals.

—Staff writer Paul T. Hedrick can be reached at phedrick@fas.harvard.edu.