NOTEBOOK: Hot Pursuit Helps Housman

BURLINGTON, Vt.—Drew Housman had the game of his season last night. And he can send a thank-you note to the opposition.

Working against an over-aggressive defense that pressured him on nearly every possession, Housman burned the Vermont Catamounts for 25 points on 7-of-19 shooting in leading the Crimson to an emotional 84-76 road win in a hostile road environment.

Housman poured in 15 points after halftime, including a crucial layup in traffic with 1:53 remaining in overtime that gave Harvard a 76-71 lead. The sophomore added five assists, five rebounds, and three steals in what may have been the Crimson’s biggest win of the season.

“Their strategy was to pressure up me and try to get me to turn the ball over,” Housman said. “When teams are pressuring you that much it’s easy to just give them one move and go around them.”

Spurred on by a home crowd that seemed more full of middle-aged men than college students, Vermount aggressively defended Harvard’s perimeter attack.

The strategy helped to contain the long-range jumpshooting of captain Jim Goffredo, who finished with 18 points on just 5-of-12 shooting and 2-of-7 from behind the arc. But it also opened up driving lanes for Housman, who used a steady diet of pump fakes and pull-up jumpers to break down Vermount in a game that amounted to a war of attrition.

“If they’re gonna play me up that tight, I’m definitely going to try to take over,” he said.

Housman logged a total of 40 minutes, but Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan was hesitant to remove his point guard.

At one point in the second half, Sullivan lifted Housman and deferred point guard duties to freshman Jeremy Lin. Lin was called for a five-second violation, after which Sullivan immediately substituted Houseman back into the game.

“I’m just so impressed with Drew’s line tonight,” Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. “He’s played a lot of minutes this week, he’s done a lot of studying this week, and to see him just gut it out, to me, was just terrific.”

ON THE ROAD

Harvard faced probably its most hostile environment of the season. Many of those in attendance were apparently unafraid to voice their opinions. At times, observers might have thought that there were 2,000 amateur refs and coaches in the building. The fact that the game was locally televised only added to the intensity.

“This is probably one of the more hostile environments,” Goffredo said.

The energy rubbed off on both teams, who seemed visibly over-excited at times. Harvard finished with 21 turnovers and 21 fouls. Vermont, despite being at home, fared no better, finishing with 28 turnovers and 28 personal fouls.

But Harvard toughed it out.

“Seeing that many people cheer against us was just motivation,” said Lin, who played key minutes in the overtime to help break a Vermont full-court press.

“To see us come on a run,” he said, “and [the crowd] just basically [going] home with nothing to cheer about, you have to try your best to remain calm in those situations.

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Center Brian Cusworth fouled out with 1:25 left in the overtime. But he had already left his stamp on the game.

Despite matching up against a 6-foot-11, 270 pound behemoth in Vermount center Chris Ohm, the 7’0, 255-pound Cusworth pulled off a spectacular double-double, scoring 25 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, and hitting shots on three consecutive possessions late in the second half to help force overtime.

“I was able to get some close looks at the basket, and I told my teammates I was just gonna work my ass to get position,” Cusworth said.

“And they found me in the right place at the right time.”