M. Hoops Unable to Execute in Crunch

PRINCETON, N.J.—Apparently, it only looked frantic and out of control.

Senior Patrick Harvey’s downcourt-dash-cum-shuffle-pass that led to a turnover with 22 seconds left against Princeton Friday was a drawn-up play, according to Harvard coach Frank Sullivan.

When Princeton center Judson Wallace missed a jumper with 32 seconds remaining, Harvard forward Sam Winter grabbed the rebound. That gave the Crimson, trailing 62-61, the luxury of stalling for a final, game-winning shot.

But the Crimson never got off an attempt. After taking the outlet pass from Winter, Harvey raced the ball up the floor. Caught in traffic near halfcourt, he fired what looked like an improvised pass ahead to Winter, who had gained two steps on Harvey but did not have his balance. Winter promptly fumbled the ball and Harvard lost possession.

Winter was officially charged with the turnover, though he was hardly in position to field a pass when the ball came. Sullivan said the play was planned, just not executed well.

“There just wasn’t good space,” Sullivan said. “The pass was too congested. Sam got caught by surprise; his feet weren’t set. But it wasn’t anything about trying to score quick, it was something we had talked about in the timeout in terms of throwing a lateral pass to Sam and flare screening for Pat to get to the baseline and if nothing shows, bring [the ball] out. We just rushed it a little bit too much and I think Sam got caught very unexpectedly. But [it was] certainly a critical turnover.”

After Winter lost the handle, Wallace pushed the ball ahead to Spencer Gloger, who finished with an easy layup to give Princeton a three-point lead and end Harvard’s chances.

Center of Attention

Gloger, the Ivy League’s second-leading scorer, may have been quieted Friday, but Harvard got croaked at the center position.

Wallace, who averaged just 8.1 ppg entering this weekend, exploded for 20 against the Crimson. He got to the line 12 times, more than anyone else on the floor. He also grabbed nine rebounds, helping negate what figured to be a huge area of strength for Harvard entering the game. Instead, the Crimson (who average a league-best 40 rpg compared to Princeton’s second-worst 30 rpg) finished the game with just a 36-35 edge on the boards.

Most of Wallace’s damage came against Harvard freshman Brian Cusworth. Sullivan—who in the past has expressed a reluctance to play freshmen because of the intricacies of defending against the Princeton system—broke him in gently, at first deploying him alongside sophomore Graham Beatty, who has experience guarding the center spot against the Tigers. Cusworth eventually shifted over and became the Crimson’s best option there once starting five-man Brian Sigafoos accumulated three quick fouls in the first four minutes of the second half.

The same thing happened to Sigafoos against Penn on Saturday and he sat for most of the second half in foul trouble. Prasse-Freeman suggested they missed the veteran in the middle.

“Cusworth is going to be such a great player in this league with his size and athleticism and the jumping ability he has,” Prasse-Freeman said. “But Sigafoos has a little more experience and he’s a bit bigger.”

Trick, but No Treat

Harvey has established a reputation as Harvard’s go-to guy, but given the success he had freeing himself up off screens during the game Friday, guard Brady Merchant was not really a surprise to take Harvard’s final shot.

Needing a three to tie with 13 seconds left, the Crimson called timeout and set up a play to feed Merchant with Harvey as a decoy. Starting out on the right wing, Harvey made a dash towards the baseline, cutting underneath the basket and off a screen. When he neared Merchant, who would have been the second screener, the Crimson captain darted out towards the right sideline.

Prasse-Freeman hit him with the pass and Merchant had a clean look. The shot was accurate but short, clanging the front rim. Wallace grabbed the defensive rebound.

Merchant, who led Harvard with 18 points, was visibly upset with himself after the final buzzer.

“Harvard missed that one shot that you rarely see them miss,” Princeton coach John Thompson III said. “We thought Harvey was going to get the ball, but I wasn’t surprised [Merchant took the shot] because they’re an unselfish team. We came out of the timeout saying, ‘Make sure to do a good job on Harvey. Switch on him if you have to,’ but I wasn’t surprised [Merchant] took it. I was just glad we got the rebound.”

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