Harvard Falls Short in Ivy Opener against Dartmouth

Two days after its female counterparts fought for a huge win against Dartmouth on the road, the Harvard men’s basketball team could not find the same success, falling to the Big Green by a score of 76-68.

The Crimson (7-8, 0-1 Ivy) — which was ranked second in the Ivy League preseason basketball poll — could not close out in the second half against a Dartmouth team (7-7, 1-0) that shot 54 percent from the field, the fourth-best mark allowed by Head Coach Tommy Amaker’s team this season.

“Typical, vintage Ivy League game,” Amaker said. “I think the team that’s going to be the toughest and the smartest in the critical moments is going to come out alive.”

Both teams came out of the gate with that typical league physicality, scoring on layups and free throws, with neither side finding a notable advantage over the other.

The teams eventually started to find their shots from deep, trading three-pointers that helped to keep the score tight throughout. Across the first half, the teams shot a combined 11-for-21 on threes, with each side making at least half of their attempts.

The matchup saw small advantages all the way to the halftime buzzer, and as the teams entered the break, the Big Green held a slim — and shaky — one-point advantage over the Crimson.

Harvard came out in the second half to a wobbly start, missing three shots from behind the arc to open the door for Dartmouth to expand its lead. While layups and mid-range jumpers kept the Crimson in the mix, the hosts trailed by eight just seven minutes into the half.

Looking at its largest deficit of the game, Harvard needed its stars to come alive and save the team’s opener.

That’s exactly what they did.

In a quick two-minute stretch, sophomore guard Robert Hinton came through with a layup and an eight-foot jumper, and junior forward Thomas Batties II, along with sophomore guard Tey Barbour, added layups of their own to even the score.

Tied at 55, the two teams battled through tough possessions for the next few minutes, and after a big three-pointer from sophomore guard Austin Hunt, the score sat at 67-65 with the Crimson trailing.

Harvard hopefuls quietly watched what they hoped would be the start of a hot streak for the team’s shooters, but a controversial flagrant call on Hunt enabled the Big Green to tally a couple of free throws to bring it back to a two-possession game. Things quickly fell apart from there for Harvard.

The Crimson went down the stretch and missed its final nine shots after the Hunt three-pointer, and a game that seemed close throughout saw Dartmouth dominate the last five minutes en route to a big road win in its first Ivy matchup.

“We tried to get into position to make a few more plays, a few more shots to kind of get the momentum, but never did get that,” Amaker said.

“It was just all in the flow of tough basketball, and we’re not there,” he added.

Hunt and Hinton each had 16 points, and captain Chandler Piggé, a Crimson Sports Staff Writer, added 14 of his own in the loss. After shooting five-for-10 (50%) from three in the first half, Harvard shot an abysmal two-for-15 (13%) from deep in the second half, well below the team’s season average of 36.6 percent.

The Big Green, meanwhile, was led by guard Kareem Thomas, who was the highest scoring player overall with 19 points on the night. Thomas was one of four Dartmouth players in double-digit scoring and one of seven who made at least half of their shot attempts.

Harvard continues Ancient Eight play in New York, N.Y., on Saturday when it will face off against the Columbia Lions.

—Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at [email protected].