Second-Half Spurt Leads to Win

BOSTON—Once again, Jeremy Lin saved his best for last.

With five minutes left and his team trailing by four points, the co-captain guard singlehandedly outscored Boston University, 11-0, over the next three minutes of play, leading Harvard to its first road victory over the Terriers (2-5) since 1975.

The Crimson’s 78-70 win ended an eight-game losing streak for Harvard (5-1) against its cross-town opponent.

“It feels great to finally be able to get that win—not getting swept in your college career,” senior Pat Magnarelli said.

It was Magnarelli’s classmate, Lin, who prevented the sweep.

Held to just three points in the first half, the 6’3 guard exploded to a 16-point second frame on 4-of-6 shooting.

“He has great stamina,” Crimson coach Tommy Amaker said. “He can go longer, harder than most other people.”

After falling behind early in the second half, Harvard struggled to regain the lead down the stretch, trailing 64-60 with just over five minutes remaining.

Lin cut the lead to two after he was fouled turning the corner on his defender.

BU, which struggled from behind the arc throughout the contest—shooting 25 percent from long range—then misfired on a three-pointer.

Freshman Brandyn Curry dribbled up the court and found Lin on the left wing with just enough space to sink the three that gave Harvard its first lead since the opening minutes of the second half.

This time, the Crimson would not give up the advantage.

Junior swingman John Holland, who led the Terriers with 18 points, did his best to respond, driving to the basket for a lay-up—but not before he was whistled for an offensive foul.

Lin extended the lead to three points for Harvard, hitting two free throws after getting tripped up on his way to the basket.

On the following possession, Lin came away with a steal and darted back the other way, kissing the ball off the glass.

The Terriers marched back up the court, but this time, Curry came up with the steal.

The freshman threw it ahead to Lin, who separated from the crowd and finished with a thunderous one-handed dunk to cap the 11-0 run.

“[Lin’s] ability to stay strong down the stretch—that’s something he brings to the table,” Amaker said.

Clutch free throws from sophomore Oliver McNally in the game’s final minute sealed the deal for the Crimson.

Yet again, Harvard relied on the performance of its bench to outlast its opponents. While the Crimson received 27 points from its reserves, the BU bench contributed only two points.

“Our ability to play a number of players and have the depth really helped us,” Amaker said. “We trusted a lot of players out there.”

Nine players received double-digit minutes for Harvard, compared to just six for the Terriers, who have been plagued by injuries.

“They were definitely fresher,” BU coach Patrick Chambers said. “When we got under the four-minute [mark], we were gassed.”

But for the first 35 minutes, the Terrier starters were more than able to keep pace with the Crimson, dominating much of the game after falling behind early.

Still, Harvard’s persistence won out. Knotted with its hosts at 13 points apiece early on, the Crimson began pounding it inside, relying on the play of its forwards to lead its offense.

Magnarelli, sophomore Keith Wright, and freshman Kyle Casey led Harvard on 9-2 run that gave it a 22-17 lead.

Just minutes later, a five-point spurt from Wright and a three-pointer for Lin gave Harvard a 30-17 lead with 5:37 left in the first half.

But BU closed the gap heading into intermission, going on a 15-4 run to end the half down by only four.

“It was a game of runs,” Amaker said.

The Terriers picked up right where they left off following the break, earning their first lead of the game in the opening minutes off a three-pointer from guard Carlos Strong.

While Boston University held onto the lead for the majority of the second half, the Crimson finally clawed back.

“I thought our kids displayed a great deal of energy and hunger,” Amaker said. “I told our kids when we had the lead finally in the late stages of the game, ‘We have a chance to finish it.’”