Harvard Narrowly Misses Double-Digit Comeback in 74-70 Overtime Loss to Northeastern in Division I Opener

After erasing a 17-point second-half deficit with two minutes remaining in regulation, the Harvard men’s basketball team lost 74-70 in overtime on the road against Northeastern.

Freshman guard Jason Singleton made a three-pointer with two minutes left in regulation to give the Crimson (2-1) its first lead of the game, but the rookie missed two free throws with 12 seconds left in overtime to ice the game for the Huskies (1-2) and deny the visitors completion on the double-digit comeback.

“We were knocked back early, we settled in and fought really hard to get back in it, and certainly had a chance to win in regulation,” Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker said. “A tough call at the end on us, and we had opportunities to win it in overtime.”

“Both teams really were trying to win this game, and competing hard to do it, and I’m proud of our guys for the fight that they brought,” he added.

After dropping its first two games on the road, Northeastern tallied a victory in its home opener with four late points from senior guard Mike Loughnane, including a pair of free throws with four seconds left in extra time to secure the win. Sophomore guard Louis Bond recorded seven of his team-high 22 points in overtime. The Huskies’ starters contributed all of the team’s points, and four of the host’s starters played over 40 minutes.

Crimson co-captain forward Thomas Batties II had 17 of his team-high 21 points after halftime as Harvard fell in its first Division I matchup of the season following its two wins over D-III opponents. Singleton added 16 points on six-for-13 shooting, a career high for the rookie in 32 minutes off the bench.

Fueling an 18-2 second-half run, Batties, Singleton, and junior guard Robert Hinton each scored at least 10 points in the half, shooting roughly 50 percent from the field.

With the loss, the Crimson has now dropped three in a row to its rival from across the Charles. Northeastern, meanwhile, secured its first win of the season after losing its first two — one of which was a matchup against No. 9 Virginia on Friday.

The Huskies struck first on offense with a layup to open a quick 2-0 advantage, and as the first few minutes of the first half ticked away, turnover struggles quickly plagued the visiting team. Four turnovers in the first five minutes kept the Crimson from jabbing back, as the only made shot in the span was a stepback three-pointer by junior guard Ben Eisendrath.

Amaker soon turned his eyes to the youth on the bench, subbing in his talented freshmen duo of forward Julian Adigun and Singleton five minutes into the half. On the team’s next possession, Singleton broke a cold streak with a jumper, cutting Northeastern’s lead to 6-5.

The next several minutes, however, did not get much hotter for Harvard.

The Crimson continued to be inefficient from the field and consistently allowed the Huskies to impede in the paint. Back-to-back shots inside from Bond pushed Northeastern’s advantage to 10-5, and after a Hinton layup, the Huskies made three shots in a row to open a commanding 17-9 lead with 11 minutes left in the half.

A stepback jumper two minutes later by Louisiana State University transfer Rashad King — a preseason All-CAA First-Team selection — extended the lead to 10 halfway through the period.

Singleton made a free throw soon after, and two Northeastern turnovers became Batties jumpers on the other end, cutting the lead in half as Harvard turned the game closed the deficit to 19-14.

Unfortunately for the visiting team, as quickly as it turned into the best of times, it suddenly became the worst of times as the Huskies took back over with a six-point run that extended their lead to 11 points with less than five minutes to play in the first half.

An Amaker timeout shifted the season of darkness into the season of light, however, and an Adigun dunk paired with a second Eisendrath three seemed to give the Crimson an epoch of belief as the break drew nearer.

Then, with two minutes left in the half, the epoch of incredulity slapped Harvard in the face. In the closing moments of the period, Northeastern added two shots in the paint to re-establish a 10-point lead into the break, holding the score at 29-19 as the Crimson stumbled into the locker room.

At the half, both teams were shooting less than 20 percent from the three-point line, but the Huskies held the advantage from the field, shooting 13-for-27 compared to Harvard’s eight-for-26. Most of the scoring came from the starters—with all of Northeastern’s points coming from its starters, and all but three points for the Crimson.

If the first half was the winter of despair, the second half was the spring of hope for the visiting team.

Batties scored Harvard’s first six points in the second half, but Northeastern scored nine straight to extend its lead to 15. The Crimson’s next three points came from free throws, but its struggles from the field helped the Huskies gain a 45-28 advantage — matching their largest lead of the game thus far.

After previously struggling to finish inside, Hinton and Singleton combined for 11 consecutive points, capitalizing on several Northeastern turnovers. Six of the points came in the paint, and Singleton’s three-pointer — the Crimson’s third of the game — cut the deficit to six midway through the second half.

To close its 18-2 scoring run, Harvard brought the margin to 47-46 for the first time since five minutes into the game, thanks to Hinton’s fast-break layup and three-pointer.

Despite Loughnane’s five points re-extending the lead, the Crimson’s starting guards — Eisendrath and junior Tey Barbour — each scored a driving layup. After the teams exchanged blocks, Singleton capitalized on an offensive turnover and scored a fast-break dunk with four minutes remaining.

After a media timeout, Hinton converted a free throw to bring the game within two, but the Huskies won the next possession with a putback dunk.

Batties — who scored seven of his 13 second-half points from free throws — converted twice more on the line, followed by Singleton’s second three-pointer for Harvard’s first lead of the night at 58-57. Sophomore forward Brayden Young reclaimed the lead with a layup; however, his travel turnover on a subsequent defensive rebound gave the Crimson a fighting chance.

With 30 seconds remaining, Batties capitalized accordingly. After the senior missed a three-pointer, Barbour won the offensive rebound and passed it back to Batties, who missed a turnaround jumper but secured another offensive rebound before throwing down the slam a few seconds later to put the Crimson up by one.

After the hosts missed two shots, Barbour failed to seal the game at the line, providing the Huskies one last chance to regroup off a timeout with eight seconds left.

Out of the timeout, Northeastern pushed the ball down the lane and attempted the layup, but Batties swatted his third block of the game toward his teammates, who could not secure possession. In the mix-up, the ball landed back in Husky hands, and senior guard Mike Loughnane was fouled with 0.8 seconds left on the clock.

Down one point, the senior split the pair and tied the game at 60-all as the game went to overtime.

Harvard amassed a three-point lead — its largest of the game — to begin overtime, following a hook shot from Batties and Singleton’s free throw. Bond scored twice from the free-throw line, though Eisendrath’s layup just 10 seconds later reclaimed the visitors’ advantage.

Entering the final minute, however, Northeastern swung the momentum for its own 70-67 lead. King scored a three-pointer, while Bond tallied five additional points.

Fortunately, Barbour’s first three-pointer of the game helped the Crimson equalize with 40 seconds remaining, though Loughnane drove to the basket out of the timeout to reclaim the hosts’ lead.

Despite Singleton’s misses at the line, Harvard secured a final chance from the possession arrow after a called jump ball went its direction. Ultimately, Eisendrath’s layup was blocked, and Loughnane’s final two free throws sealed the Huskies’ 74-70 overtime recovery.

Harvard will conclude its four-game road trip with two games in Washington, D.C., beginning with a matchup against George Washington University (3-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. EST.

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

—Staff writer Uy B. Pham can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at ubp.88. Follow him on X @uybpham.