M. Hoops Ends 2003 With First Win

The Harvard men’s basketball team finished 2003 on its highest note of the season, finally picking up its first win Tuesday at San Jose State after opening the campaign with 11 consecutive losses.

Prior to the victory, the Crimson had dropped three games over the winter break, losing heartbreakers at Northeastern and at home against Rider before being thrashed at No. 5 Stanford, 100-59.

Junior guard Kevin Rogus led Harvard, averaging 17.25 points per game over the four contests, while sophomore forward Matt Stehle averaged 15.75 and went 15 for 17 from the free-throw line.

Harvard 58, San Jose St. 53

The Crimson recovered from its loss to Stanford by avoiding what would have been the first season-opening, 12-game losing streak in school history. But it certainly wasn’t pretty.

Harvard had to overcome tying a season high with 25 turnovers and going without a field goal for over seven minutes of the second half to snap its 13-game losing streak.

The Crimson never trailed in the first half, leading by as many as 10 points and taking a 30-24 advantage into the locker room.

Stehle led four Harvard starters in double figures with 14 points on six-of-seven shooting, while junior captain Jason Norman, Rogus and sophomore point guard Michael Beal chipped in 11 each. Norman also hauled down eight rebounds and made three steals.

Stanford 100, Harvard 59

Harvard managed to hang with Stanford for a while and only trailed 30-27 at one point, but the Cardinal’s size eventually won out in the Dec. 28 meeting.

Stanford’s frontcourt outscored the the Crimson big men 73-29 for the game. The Cardinal held a 46-2 advantage in the paint after halftime.

“The issue for us was we couldn’t stay with them inside at all,” Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said. “Our starting frontcourt couldn’t rebound the basketball with them, we didn’t have the speed to stay with them in conversion and we were ineffective in guarding them inside the rim.”

Rogus led the Crimson with a game-high 22 points.

Harvard went 14 for 14 from the free-throw line, turing in its first perfect showing from the charity stripe this season.

Rider 101, Harvard 95 (OT)

The Crimson had a chance to pick up its first win on Dec. 22, but Rogus had his three-pointer at the buzzer blocked and the Broncs went eight for eight from the field in the extra session to seal the victory.

“We didn’t play any defense in overtime,” Stehle said.

Harvard battled back from two different 11-point deficits to tie the game—the second time riding the backs of a pair of unlikely contributors in its recovery.

Sophomore forward Luke McCrone scored six of his career-high 16 points during an 8-0 Crimson run as freshman guard Ko Yada directed the Harvard offense.

McCrone shot seven for eight from the field in just 15 minutes of action.

Stehle turned in his—and the Crimson’s—second double-double of the season, recording career highs with 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in a career-best 39 minutes while converting all 10 of his free throws.

Rogus led Harvard with 26 points.

But the Crimson couldn’t contain Rider guards Jerry Johnson and Robert Taylor, who combined to torch Harvard for 49 points on 20-of-33 shooting.

Northeastern 61, Harvard 58

BOSTON, Mass.—Northeastern point guard Jose Juan Barea returned from arthroscopic knee surgery earlier than expected and dished out a game-high eight assists while adding 14 points in the Dec. 19 win.

The Crimson was hurt by a 6:33 second-half field-goal drought, but also by its big men finding themselves in foul trouble.

Stehle, in particular, was limited to just three minutes in the first half after picking up two early fouls.

“Matt clearly has to learn how to play with one foul early in the game,” Sullivan said. “He really makes our team offense a lot easier…He’s had too many games for us right now where he’s only played half the game…He can’t be a 20-minute player.”

Stehle still tied Beal for the team lead with 13 points.

Meanwhile, Northeastern power forward Sylbrin Robinson corralled 13 rebounds—eight on the offensive end—and blocked four shots.

Harvard also went just two for 19 from three-point range, including a zero-for-10 performance in the second half.

Rogus went one for nine from behind the arc and was held scoreless after halftime after leading all scorers with 10 first-half points.

—Staff writer Alan G. Ginsberg can be reached at aginsber@fas.harvard.edu.