Harvard Men's Basketball Orchestrates Twenty Point Comeback in 86-75 Win Over New Hampshire

Facing its first true test of the 2025-26 campaign, the Harvard men’s basketball team (2-0) reversed a 20-point deficit in an 86-75 come-from-behind victory over New Hampshire (1-2) on Sunday. The Crimson’s starting five — who all scored in the double digits — accounted for 84 of its 86 points.

“You have to have a team that shows character to pull one out like that,” head coach Tommy Amaker said. “These guys have shown a lot.”

Senior guard Chandler Piggé paced the team with an efficient 23 points and 6 assists on 8-11 field goal shooting, and sophomore guard Rob Hinton added 22 points. Sophomore guard Austin Hunt chipped in with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and three assists.

The Wildcats began the game on fire from beyond the arc. UNH guard R.J. Kennedy subbed in less than three minutes into the game and immediately drained two three-pointers in his first three possessions on the floor, giving the Wildcats a 13-6 lead. After Harvard clawed its way back to 13-11, the Wildcats went on a 15-2 tear and took a 28-14 lead into the second media timeout.

When the first half buzzer sounded, UNH led 48-32. The Wildcats, who led by as many as 20 in the first period, were shooting 9-14 from deep, and guard Jack Graham was 4-4 on three-pointers. From this moment, though, the tide began to slowly turn.

Harvard came out of the break in a full-court diamond press look. While the Wildcats broke the press and earned an open layup on the first possession of the half, Harvard’s defensive intensity was clearly different.

“We needed to show ourselves and our opponent that we were coming,” Amaker said. “We’re here, we’re alive, we’re fighting, and we’re going to come.”

After that layup, the Crimson stormed back. Harvard went on a 17-0 run between the 19:47 and 14:45 mark of the second half, capped off by a corner three from in front of the Crimson bench by junior forward Thomas Batties II to cut the lead to 50-49. From there, the teams battled back and forth until a jumper by UNH forward Belal El Shakery (19 PTS, 8 REB) cut Harvard’s lead to 72-71 with 3:08 to go in the game.

On the other end, sophomore guard Tey Barbour drilled a contested three pointer to make the score 75-71 with 2:51 left. Then, at 77-73 Harvard with 1:19 to go, Barbour ran a pick and pop with Hinton and got free on the right wing to drill a dagger three. As UNH came down the court looking to quickly cut into Harvard’s seven point lead, Piggé picked El Shakery’s pocket and went coast-to-coast for a two-handed slam that put the icing on the cake of Harvard’s comeback victory.

One key storyline was Barbour’s (14 PTS, 4-6 3PT) clutch shooting. Barbour has begun this year 8-13 from three (62%) after shooting 31% from deep last year. His teammates praised his offseason work on his shooting.

“Definitely not an anomaly. Tey is one of our best shooters, put in a lot of work this offseason, and gained a whole bunch of confidence as well,” senior guard Greg Cooper said. “He really brings the energy, and those shots from him mean a little more to us.”

Piggé, a Crimson Sports editor, filled in to lead Harvard’s offense at point guard in sophomore guard Ben Eisendrath’s absence. Eisendrath logged just seven minutes after suffering an early-game injury, but Piggé did everything he was asked of in his unconventional role.

“Chandler does everything. I mean, there’s nothing that he doesn’t do that we don’t rely on and count on,” Amaker said. “He’s the voice in the huddle, he’s the leader on the floor, he guards their best offensive players.”

“It’s insane what we ask of him, but he’s producing,” Amaker added. “It’s crazy.”

Thomas Batties II celebrated his birthday with a strong second-half showing. After going scoreless in the first half, Batties II had 12 second half points and played a huge role in Harvard’s comeback surge.

“I’m just very thankful,” Batties II said. “I’m glad we could get a win on my birthday.”

The highlight of the afternoon came after the game ended. The Harvard parents section, seated behind the team’s bench, surprised Batties II by serenading him with an impromptu “Happy Birthday” song led by Amaker. Batties II could not mask his smile.

“It was great to get that support,” Batties II said. “Coach Amaker told me he’s never done that with anybody in the program, so it made me feel a little bit special.”

Harvard concludes its three-game homestand to open the season on Tuesday, when they take on Northeastern (1-1) at 7 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with a radio stream on WHRB’s website.