Duke Decimates M. Cagers In Durham, N.C., 118-65

Well, what did you expect?

The Harvard men's basketball team performed admirably Saturday night, but fell to defending national champion Duke, 118-65, in Durham, N.C.

Against all odds, the Crimson did well in some areas and narrowly avoided being doubled in points.

Harvard came out fired up, looking for some experience against the best team in the country. After eight minutes of play, the Crimson was only three points down, 15-12. But the Blue Devils reeled off 19 unanswered points to begin the avalanche and seal the obvious.

Harvard's attack was led by guard Matt McClain. His 15 points and 60 percent shooting from the field were the high points of what existed in the Crimson's offense. His three-for-four shooting from the three point line was another glimmer of light in what was a very dark game.

Freshman point guard Jared Leake poured in a highly respectable 14 points, but endured turnover difficulties against the top-ranked Duke defense.

Matching up against Blue Devil point guard Bobby Hurley is a tall order for anyone, but especially difficult for a freshman.

Leake's 10 turnovers displayed the fact that the turnover bug still plagues Harvard's offense. The 26 team turnovers were high, but against possibly the best defense in the country, not as painful.

The Best

"I felt we saw the best team in the country, certainly the best defensive team in the country and two of the best players in the country," Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said.

Those two players, Duke's center Christian Laettner and point guard Bobby Hurley, saw limited action. Laettner played just 15 minutes, but still managed to pocket 10 points. Hurley played 23 minutes, and eked out 13 points.

The Blue Devil offense was led by the Hills: both Thomas and Grant Hill scored 17 points while shooting a combined 15 for 18.

Duke's vastly superior shooting percentage, 68 percent as opposed to Harvard's 45 percent, was the key to the Blue Devil's overwhelming victory. Duke's inside game was also a bit more dominant than the Crimson's.

While the Blue Devils shot 41 free throws, Harvard managed to go to the charity stripe only eight times. And they only made two of those shots, for a pathetic 25 percent free throw percentage.

"Our players viewed this game as a challenge, and Harvard kids are always up for a challenge," Sullivan said.

Harvard's star forward Ron Mitchell got in early foul trouble, eventually fouling out with 8:42 left. Limited playing time allowed Mitchell to rack up just seven points and four rebounds for the game.

The Crimson's leading scorer, Tyler Rullman (14.0 points per game), was held to only eight points. His four rebounds and 50 percent shooting were solid, however.