Free Throws, Rebounding Hurt Harvard at Lehigh

BETHLEHEM, Pa.—It might be time for Harvard to remember that the best things in life are free.

After an auspicious 5-0 start, the Crimson has dropped three straight and had its free throw percentage drop nearly six points in that span. Harvard led the league in accuracy from the stripe with a 79 percent success rate after five games, but has since seen Columbia pull ahead by a slim margin.

The Crimson shot just 6-of-9 from the line against Lehigh.

“We couldn’t get to the free-throw line today,” Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said. “On the road, that can become very, very frustrating.”

Freshman point guard Drew Housman, who started the season 21-for-25 from the line, has hit just 2-of-8 free-throw attempts during the last three contests. Senior forward Zach Martin has connected on just one of three opportunities after starting 5-for-5 on the year, and freshman forward Evan Harris has hit 9-of-14 attempts from the stripe over the last two games.

ON THE REBOUND

Lehigh owned the boards throughout Saturday’s contest, pulling down 42 rebounds to Harvard’s 30. The rebounding troubles exacerbated the shooting woes that the Crimson experienced against the Mountain Hawks.

Harvard won the battle of the boards in four of its first five contests, but has lost it two of the last three times out.

“There’s no formula,” captain Matt Stehle said. “There’s nothing coach can teach us to work on. It’s just toughness and playing more as a team.”

The Crimson has had great difficulty with athletic forwards who can rebound out of position. When the rebounds come off short and the name of the game is boxing out, Harvard dominates the glass. But when the misses bounce far from the hoop—as can happen in facilities with harder rims—quicker and tougher opposing teams claim the majority of the boards.

“I wouldn’t look too much into [the rims],” Stehle said. “But it’s probably good for a couple rebounds a game.”

BALANCING ACT

Through six games this season, the starters for the Crimson accounted for 62 of the 72 points that Harvard scored per contest.

In the two games junior center Brian Cusworth has missed with injury, the bench has averaged 18 points per game, but the Crimson offense has posted an average of only 60 points in each.

“We got some good help from the bench,” Sullivan said. “There were some good bright spots there, but just not enough consistency over the whole game.”

While Stehle has stepped up his production in Cusworth’s absence, the other three starters (Housman, senior guard Michael Beal, and senior guard Jim Goffredo) have all seen their scoring numbers fall in that span.

“I think [the problems] start down low,” Stehle said. “We haven’t done a good enough job posting up down low and giving the guards enough of an outlet. When the big men are getting out-toughed, and they’re pressuring the guards, there’s not much you can do.”

According to Sullivan, Cusworth will be re-evaluated by the medical staff next week and his status for the Long Island game on Wednesday is not yet known.

One of the primary factors behind the drop in output is the fall in field goal percentage. The Crimson has connected on 43 percent of its attempts this season, but hit just 34 and 36 percent against BU and Lehigh, respectively.

THREE FROM THE CORNER

Stehle took over as the team’s scoring leader with his 13-point performance against Lehigh. He has averaged 14.3 points per game over the first eight contests, while Goffredo trails just 0.4 points behind...Sophomore forward Brad Unger pulled down a career-high six rebounds against the Mountain Hawks, while junior guard Ko Yada tied career highs in minutes, threes, and points...The Crimson’s three-game losing streak is its first since Dec. 1-7, 2004, when Harvard suffered road defeats against New Hampshire and Maine before returning home and getting trounced by BU.

—Staff writer Michael R. James can be reached at mrjames@fas.harvard.edu.