Rookie Shows 'Worth as M. Hoops Rolls

So far, the biggest standout from Harvard coach Frank Sullivan’s recruiting spree is the one who stands biggest.

Seven-foot rookie center Brian Cusworth continued his fast-track development on Saturday, scoring eight of Harvard’s final 13 points off the bench to help the Harvard men’s basketball team fend off host Stony Brook, 56-45.

Cusworth finished with nine points, including six during a decisive 11-1 Crimson run to end the game, and five rebounds. Harvard senior All-Ivy guard Patrick Harvey led all scorers with 15 points and classmates Brady Merchant (14 points) and Sam Winter (10 points) also reached double figures to pace a well-balanced Crimson attack.

The win improved Harvard (2-1) to 2-0 on the road this season. Stony Brook (1-2) was the first of three America East foes the Crimson will play this season. The second, B.U., visits Lavietes Pavilion tomorrow night.

Moments before Harvard’s game-clinching spurt, Stony Brook forward Mike Konopka (13 points) drained a free throw to complete a three-point play and cap a 17-5 run that put the Sea Wolves ahead 42-41.

That’s when Cusworth—who logged most of his 14 minutes in the second half—reentered the game. After Winter hit a layup on the game’s next possession to put Harvard back in the lead—this time for good—Cusworth converted a jumper to stretch the lead to three.

A dunk by Stony Brook’s Jairus McCollum narrowed Harvard’s lead to one, 45-44, but Cusworth accounted for half of the Crimson’s remaining points to ice the victory.

“He’s coming along real well,” said Harvey, whose three-point play with 2:03 remaining in regulation extended Harvard’s lead to seven. “I think what the coaches really like is his athleticism. He brings shot blocking ability to our team.”

Cusworth, who impressed in last week’s loss to Holy Cross with an emphatic dunk and two blocks, was the only non-senior on the floor for Harvard during Saturday’s final, crucial moments.

“I just felt really comfortable playing out there with the other four seniors,” said Cusworth, who relieved ineffective senior Brian Sigafoos (3 points in his last 30 minutes). “They were poised down the stretch and really confident with how the game was going.”

“All I’m trying to do is work hard,” Cusworth added. “The scorers are already there for us. I got used to being my team’s leading scorer last year in high school, but the coaches here aren’t looking for that. They’re looking for somebody to be strong on defense, aggressive on the boards and make the hustle plays like blocking shots and taking charges.”

Three games into the season, Cusworth is by far the Crimson’s most meaningful contributor among its seven freshman, averaging 15 minutes per games. No other rookie has averaged four. Freshman forward Zach Martin, who was arguably the most heralded recruit entering the year, has yet to log a minute of court time.

“Initially, when I first came in here, I thought the other guys were just on a whole other level than me. I was worried about my spot on the team,” Cusworth said. “But after five weeks of preseason, I started learning the system and my confidence got higher.”

“[On Saturday], I really felt like I could contribute,” he added.

Harvard held Stony Brook—who missed their final 11 shots Saturday—to just 32.7 shooting overall. That marked the third straight game Harvard has held its opponent under 40 percent shooting from the field, an encouraging sign in the wake of the graduation of Drew Gellert ‘02, the Crimson’s all-time steals leader and its premier defensive stopper a year ago.

“It’s more of a team effort this year,” Harvey said of the Crimson’s approach on defense. “Drew was definitely our go-to guy on defense last year, but without him, more people are working hard on defense to chip in.”

Harvard opened the game with a 10-0 outburst, spearheaded by seven quick points from Merchant. The Crimson shot 5-for-8 from the three-point line en route to building a 28-19 halftime lead.

The Crimson’s hot shooting cooled off after the break, as Harvard converted just 11-for-29 from the floor, including just 1-of-8 from downtown. The only three-pointer to fall was Harvey’s—his third of the game—and it was enough to push Harvard’s lead to 36-25 with 14:59.

That’s when Stony Brook made its charge, only to be upended by Harvard and its fast-emerging center.

And, at the rate that Cusworth continues to improve, the Sea Wolves probably won’t be the last Crimson foe to suffer such a fate.

—Staff writer Brian E. Fallon can be reached at bfallon@fas.harvard.edu.