‘You’re Never Down, You’re Never Out’: Harvard Erases Seventeen Point Deficit In 87-80 Overtime Win Over Princeton

After trailing by seventeen with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation play, Harvard pulled off an 87-80 overtime victory over Princeton in front of a sold-out Lavietes Pavilion crowd on Saturday, picking up its first win over the Tigers since 2020 in improbable fashion.

The Crimson (9-8, 2-1 Ivy) finished regulation on an 11-0 run — which was stretched to 20-0 in the first few minutes of overtime — over the Tigers (6-12, 2-1). Sophomore guard Robert Hinton paced the Crimson in scoring with 27 points on 12-for-19 shooting, and 19 in the second half, including the equalizing dunk with just thirteen seconds remaining in regulation.

“Really proud of the effort from our team,” coach Tommy Amaker — who has gone 29-6 in overtime games at Harvard — said. “You have to have the spirit, the energy, the belief, and the fight to pull off a win like that, and we had that tonight.”

Entering the afternoon clash set to kick off a three-game Ivy League homestand, most sportsbooks billed Harvard as a small favorite against a Princeton team that was disappointing in out-of-conference play but was coming off wins against Penn and Yale.

The game began evenly matched. Both teams scored on nearly exclusively layups and three pointers in the opening spells of the match, with Princeton taking a 14-12 lead into the second media timeout.

After a defensive period from both sides, a dunk from junior forward Thomas Batties II — which brought his tally to eight points — with just under seven minutes to go in the half cut the Tigers’ lead to 21-17.

Princeton responded with a 14-4 run highlighted by four three-pointers, including three from freshman guard Landon Clark, who played alongside 2025 NBA first overall pick Cooper Flagg on AAU team Maine United in high school, and entered the half leading 43-30.

The beginning of the second half brought more success for the Tigers, who entered the third media timeout leading 65-48 with just over seven minutes to play.

Batties came out of the break and knocked down two free throws, followed by a layup by captain guard Chandler Piggé, but Princeton still held a 68-52 lead with less than six minutes to play.

Back-to-back layups by sophomore guard Austin Hunt gave life to Harvard, but the Tigers continued to respond. However, Princeton’s last resistance to the numerous attempts by the Crimson to cut into the lead came with 2:51 to go, when two Tigers’ free throws extended its lead to 72-61. From there, it was all Harvard.

Hinton put in layups on two consecutive possessions — including one highlight reel play where he switched the ball from his right hand to his left mid-air to free up space — then assisted Piggé on a catch-and-shoot three from the right wing, which reduced Princeton’s advantage to 72-68 with 1:55 left in regulation play.

A layup by sophomore guard Tey Barbour cut the lead to two, and Hinton tied the game with a rim-shaking two-hand slam dunk with 13 seconds remaining on the clock.

While Clark got a good look at a potential game-winning runner on the left side for Princeton on its final possession, the Tigers remained ice cold as his attempt didn’t fall.

Harvard continued its hot streak to start overtime, as Batties drilled a top-of-the-key three and Hunt went two-for-two on free throws to give Harvard a 77-72 lead. Then, Piggé threw down a fastbreak right-hand slam, Hinton put in a tough layup from the right side, and Harvard’s tally of unanswered points had reached 20.

By the time a Princeton free throw finally ended the team’s scoring drought with 1:34 to go in overtime, the game was out of reach. Harvard had successfully pulled off a shocking comeback win over the program that has won at least a share of the Ivy League’s regular-season title in three of the last four years.

“The only way to describe it is ‘Ivy League basketball,’” Piggé said in a postgame interview with ESPN. “You’re never down, you’re never out, and we showed we’re a team that can be resilient.”

Piggé, a Crimson Sports staff writer, stuffed the stat sheet once more, playing 43 minutes and finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Batties had 18 points and nine rebounds.

This was not the Crimson’s first time pulling off an unlikely comeback in its home arena. In November, Harvard erased a twenty-point first-half deficit in its 86-75 win over New Hampshire.

“When Lavietes is rocking, we have one of — if not the best — gyms in the country,” Piggé said.

While many students have still not returned to Cambridge from the winter recess, the noise generated by the 1636 raucous fans on Saturday afternoon — apparent both in the gym and on ESPN’s coverage of the game — provides backing for the claim made by Piggé.

Fortunately for the Crimson, Saturday’s game was the start of a three-game homestand. Harvard returns to action on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when it takes on Penn (9-7, 2-1) at 2 PM.

—Staff writer Samuel S. Rudavsky can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @samrudavsky.