M. Hoops Tops Huskies, 68-61

By MARTIN S. BELL

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Barring injury, captain Andrew Gellert will end the season as the Harvard men’s basketball team’s all-time leader in steals. Last night against Northeastern, he stole victory from the grasp of his own foul-line woes.

After missing two free throws while the Crimson clung to a two-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Gellert swooped in from the foul line to collect his own rebound. Falling out of bounds, Gellert tossed a desperate pass behind his back and into the arms of junior Pat Harvey. Harvey nailed the open three-pointer to seal a 68-61 win for the Crimson at Lavietes Pavilion.

“The defense just collapsed on him, and I was pretty much out on the wing by myself,” Harvey said. “Right where I wanted it.”

Harvey—whose dagger with 1:10 remaining was his first shot attempt in the second half—led the Crimson (3-1, 0-0 Ivy) with 24 points. Senior Tim Coleman added 12 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season as the Crimson shot a sizzling 54.5 percent for the game.

For his part, Gellert helped run the offense quietly but effectively, finishing the game with seven points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists. He also helped prevent Northeastern (0-5) from getting much out of its offense, racking up four steals.

The Huskies—who had trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half—stormed all the way back on the strength of an aggressive zone defense and the sharp second-half shooting of freshman Aaron Davis. After shooting 1-for-7 in the first half, the 6’3 guard hit six of his nine second-half attempts, including a three-pointer that brought Northeastern within five with 4:00 left. Coleman fouled Northeastern’s Cornellius Wright after missing a shot on the next possession, and Wright made both free throws to reduce the Harvard lead to 62-59.

Gellert made one of two free throws the next time down the floor, but Davis was fouled by junior forward Sam Winter on the next possession. He hit both free throws to cut the lead to two and set the stage for Gellert’s heroics.

Gellert drove into the lane, tossing up a layup as he made contact with Wright. As the whistle blew, it appeared that the shot would fall, but freshman forward Graham Beatty tipped the ball in while it was above the cylinder. He was called for offensive goaltending, and Gellert missed both free throws.

But Gellert didn’t give up on the play, and his pass to Harvey transformed him from a potential scapegoat to a hero in a matter of seconds.

“He’s the best,” Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. “He felt bad because he missed it, but he wasn’t gonna let the play end with a miss. He’s probably one of the most determined, competitive guys we’ve had here in a long time.”

Following Harvey’s shot, junior point guard Elliot Prasse-Freeman stole the inbounds pass with just over a minute remaining. The possession ended with two Harvey free throws, and redeemed what had otherwise been a difficult evening for Prasse-Freeman (0 points, 3 assists, 5 turnovers).

After jumping out to a 28-9 lead in the first half, the Crimson let the Huskies sneak right back into the game after Northeastern switched from a man-to-man scheme to a zone defense.

“We weren’t together at all in terms of our player and ball movement, and our guys were very frustrated by that,” Sullivan said of his team’s reaction to the switch.

While the zone created several open shots for Harvard, it also led to a smattering of Crimson turnovers. The Huskies turned a 34-24 halftime deficit into a 40-39 lead after several transition baskets. At one point, the Crimson coughed up the ball on three straight possessions, each of which led to baskets at the other end.

Harvard committed 22 turnovers overall.

“We weren’t moving around much on offense,” Harvey said. “We were too perimeter-oriented, settling for jump shots instead of getting the ball down low.”

Sullivann attributed the lull to the team’s practices.

“Not to make excuses for the guys, but it’s really just lack of practice time,” Sullivan said. “We’ve gone through 10 days with only nine guys. You can try and use your imagination, but it’s hard to prepare for the zone that way.”

If Harvard’s ability to overcome adversity and the trap left Sullivan satisfied, the Crimson’s play in the paint left him beaming. Harvard established a strong defensive presence in the paint early in the game as Coleman and Winter harassed the Huskies down low. Northeastern shot 34.6 percent in the first half.

“Right now, we’re playing about as well as we could play, given practice time,” Sullivan said. “Our field-goal defense is better right now than it’s beeen in a couple of years.”

The Huskies shot over 50 percent in the second half, but most of those came on transition scores in the up-tempo offense that brought the Huskies back from the early deficit.

Notes

Wright suffered abdominal pains after the game and collapsed on the pavement on his way to the team bus. He was taken to an area hospital...Junior Brady Merchant continued his efficiency off the bench, scoring nine points in 13 minutes...Freshmen Jason Norman and Kevin Rogus both saw action in addition to Beatty.