Crimson Looks To Sweep Darmouth, Win Third Straight

Harvard (6-11, 1-0 Ivy) will have the chance to complete a season sweep of Dartmouth (5-8, 0-1 Ivy) tomorrow at Leede Arena in Hanover, NH. If the Crimson can do that they will have won three consecutive games for the first time this season.

The match-up will be the second time Harvard and the Big Green have clashed in the past week.

In last Saturday’s meeting, the Crimson trounced Dartmouth, 82-56, to break an agonizing seven-game losing streak. The Big Green, currently on its own four-game losing streak, will be looking for revenge at home where it has sustained a 3-1 record. Dartmouth has not played a game since its loss at Lavietes Pavilion, so Harvard can be assured the opponent will be prepared.

On Tuesday, the Crimson built on its first league win by overwhelming Colgate, 77-57. The contest against the Raiders (8-6) marked the last non-conference game on the schedule. For the rest of the regular season, Harvard will battle Ivy opponents.

If the Crimson hopes to earn its second league victory, it must continue to play strong near the basket. Harvard, which outscored the Big Green 44-26 in the paint, mowed down Dartmouth in the last meeting largely because of dominant inside play.

“We were able to get it in there and score pretty efficiently,” Coach Tommy Amaker said.

The Crimson will also need to keep the Big Green from taking over the offensive glass. When they last met Harvard outrebounded Dartmouth 41-29. The Crimson also dominated the boards against Colgate, outrebounding the Raiders 46-29.

“[Dartmouth has] been the best offensive rebounding team in the Ivies,” Amaker said. “I’m sure they are going to try... to be all over the offensive glass. If they do that, then we’re going to have a long night.”

The key to the Big Green’s rebounding prowess is forward Alex Barnett, who leads the Ivies with 6.9 rebounds per game. Barnett is also the spark for the team’s offense and leads the league with 16.2 points per game. Against Harvard, Barnett poured in 18 points and yanked down seven rebounds.

Despite Barnett’s numbers, the Crimson frontcourt neutralized his impact on the offensive glass and limited the Dartmouth to only five second-chance points.

“Our defense has been the core for us; we’ve turned it up,” Amaker said.

Last game’s suffocating defense created a stream of transition baskets, which amounted to 47 first-half points.

“We have realized how to play fun transition basketball,” Amaker said. “I’m sure from their standpoint, adjusting would be not to allow us to get so many points in transition.”

Harvard, who shot a deadly 51.8 percent from the field against the Dartmouth, has recently transformed into an exciting offensive team.

“We just try to get those easy buckets and pick up momentum that way,” sophomore Jeremy Lin said.

Leading the Crimson’s offense in the first contest with the Big Green was sophomore Pat Magnarelli, who scored 17 points. Magnarelli has been on fire recently, averaging 18.3 points over the past three games. Junior guard Andrew Pusar also added 16 points in the win against Dartmouth

Clutch free throw shooting has been the key to Harvard’s offensive resurrection. Last weekend the Crimson shot 83.3 percent from the line and scored 20 points from the stripe compared to the Big Green’s seven. Against Colgate, the team continued to hit free throws, draining 18 of 21 freebies.

“Using the bonus, getting to the line and then converting, I think that’s a big weapon for our team,” Amaker said.

It seems like the month-long losing streak could actually be a blessing in disguise for Harvard. After two twenty-point wins, the Crimson has generated serious momentum heading into the Ivy League slate.

“I think we all remember what happened after we beat Michigan, so I think that’s why we’re hungry,” Lin said. “No one is getting too overconfident.”

—Staff writer Jake I. Fisher can be reached at jifisher@fas.harvard.edu.