Men's Cagers Win Big

If there was ever an exhibition game to be satisfied about, then yesterday's Harvard men's basketball game was it.

Playing McMaster University at Lavietes Pavilion, the Crimson was simply looking to gain some consistency for its upcoming season and to start off in the right direction. Anything beyond that would be great, but not expected.

Well, surprise of surprises, Harvard ended up zooming out of the gate against its Ontario counterparts and never looked back. The final score read 85-47, but suffice it to say that the game was a complete and utter domination.

"We pretty much accomplished a lot of what we've been working on in the last couple of weeks," sophomore guard Mike Scott said.

And then some.

Harvard played some of its best basketball in recent memory, showing a synthesis of offense, defense and poise that belies its 6-20 record last year. The Crimson shot over 10 points better than the Marauders from the field (50.8 percent to 37.3) and outre-bounded them, 44-26. Three-pointers also went Harvard's way (9-for-15 to 2-for-13).

In other words, it was a classic fanny whipping.

"We guarded well on defense, and we stayed out of foul trouble," Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said. "We met our objectives."

Things began quickly for the Crimson. With the game tied early on, senior forward Mike Gilmore (13 points) hit the first of his three treys on the day, sparking a 12-3 Harvard run and effectively setting the tone for the day.

The Crimson produced this run by beating the Marauders at what they did worst. Harvard forced run-loving McMaster to work out of a half-court offense--the Marauders were mis-matched and were forced into many turnovers. On the offensive end, McMaster had to extend its guards and forwards to cover Harvard's three-point shooters, which opened up lanes for easy layups.

"McMaster had lived on the fast break, on getting the ball into the lane," Sullivan said. "That's exactly what we worked on [in practice]."

Defense was certainly Harvard's focus on the day. It was on that side of the floor that the Crimson had many of its problems last year, fouling as much as 30 times a game and giving up huge shooting percentages.

And it was on the defensive end that Harvard was at its best yesterday. The Crimson swiped the ball away 14--led by junior Chris Grancio and Gilmore with three--and only committed 16 fouls on the day, most of which came late in the game during garbage time.

"Defense is our first goal--we concentrate on defense," Scott said. "We know our offense is going to take care of itself."

Considering yesterday's show, there is little reason to doubt Scott. Junior forward Kyle Snowden, as he did much of last year, led the Crimson in scoring (16 points) and rebounding (11 boards). And freshman point guard Tim Hill contributed 10 points and seven assists and was generally quick enough to keep McMaster off guard.

Technically, it was an exhibition. But to Harvard, it turned out to be a showcase. McMaster  47 Harvard  85

HARVARD, 85-47 at Lavistes Pavillion McMaster  26  21  --  47 Harvard  44  41  --  85

McMaster: Olauson 0-0 0-0 0; Johnson 6-9 1-2 13; Wesolowski 1-7 0-0 3. Channer 8-18 1-2 17; Osei-Tutu 0-1 1-2 1; Girolametto 1-3 0-0 3; Restic 1-1 0-0 2, State 0-2 0-0 0; Piccini 1-2 0-0 2; Spithoff 0-0 0-0 0; Akrong 1-2 2-5 4; Storry 0-0 0-0 0; Newton 0-6 2-2 2. TOTALS 19-5 1 7-13 47. Harvard: Domian 3-8 0-1 7; Hill 3-5 3-4 10; Gilmore 4-9 2-2 13; Beem 2-3 1-1 6; Dexter 0-0 0-0 0; Weaver 4-8 2-2 11; Scott 3-6 0-1 7; Snowden 7-12 2-3 16; Grancio 4-7 0-0 9; Fisher 3-7 0-0 6; Ewing 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 33-65 10-14 85.

HARVARD, 85-47 at Lavistes Pavillion McMaster  26  21  --  47 Harvard  44  41  --  85

McMaster: Olauson 0-0 0-0 0; Johnson 6-9 1-2 13; Wesolowski 1-7 0-0 3. Channer 8-18 1-2 17; Osei-Tutu 0-1 1-2 1; Girolametto 1-3 0-0 3; Restic 1-1 0-0 2, State 0-2 0-0 0; Piccini 1-2 0-0 2; Spithoff 0-0 0-0 0; Akrong 1-2 2-5 4; Storry 0-0 0-0 0; Newton 0-6 2-2 2. TOTALS 19-5 1 7-13 47. Harvard: Domian 3-8 0-1 7; Hill 3-5 3-4 10; Gilmore 4-9 2-2 13; Beem 2-3 1-1 6; Dexter 0-0 0-0 0; Weaver 4-8 2-2 11; Scott 3-6 0-1 7; Snowden 7-12 2-3 16; Grancio 4-7 0-0 9; Fisher 3-7 0-0 6; Ewing 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 33-65 10-14 85.

McMaster: Olauson 0-0 0-0 0; Johnson 6-9 1-2 13; Wesolowski 1-7 0-0 3. Channer 8-18 1-2 17; Osei-Tutu 0-1 1-2 1; Girolametto 1-3 0-0 3; Restic 1-1 0-0 2, State 0-2 0-0 0; Piccini 1-2 0-0 2; Spithoff 0-0 0-0 0; Akrong 1-2 2-5 4; Storry 0-0 0-0 0; Newton 0-6 2-2 2. TOTALS 19-5 1 7-13 47. Harvard: Domian 3-8 0-1 7; Hill 3-5 3-4 10; Gilmore 4-9 2-2 13; Beem 2-3 1-1 6; Dexter 0-0 0-0 0; Weaver 4-8 2-2 11; Scott 3-6 0-1 7; Snowden 7-12 2-3 16; Grancio 4-7 0-0 9; Fisher 3-7 0-0 6; Ewing 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 33-65 10-14 85.