NOTEBOOK: Bears Return Favor in Last-Minute Thriller

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—It would have been difficult to imagine an ending more dramatic than the finish from the last time Harvard and Brown faced off, but the finale on Friday night might have topped it.

In their last meeting, the Crimson stormed back from as many as 14 points down and won the game, 64-63, on a free-throw by junior forward Jeremy Lin with no time remaining.

On Friday, the Bears exacted revenge.

Though Harvard led by six with fewer than two minutes to play, Brown chipped away at the lead and found itself with a chance to win on the final possession.

Trailing by one, the final seconds ticking down, Bears forward Chris Skrelja fed teammate Garrett Leffellman on the right wing. Leffellman, who had been cold shooting the entire game—going 0-5 behind the arc up until that moment—launched a fade-away three-pointer with a hand in his face. The ball fell through the net, delighting the crowd and sending the Crimson home with a gut-wrenching loss.

Both meetings between these two teams could not have been any closer. Although one game ended on a clutch free-throw and the other on a desperation heave, each game was actually decided by which team made the hustle plays.

“Our inability to come up with a defensive board, not get a loose ball, that’s the difference,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “We weren’t able to do it and left the door open for them to make a play, like they did.”

Brown dominated the Crimson on the glass, gathering 46 rebounds, including 14 offensive boards, while the Crimson managed just 31 rebounds, four on offense.

“It was hustle plays,” said captain Andrew Pusar of the difference in the two meetings. “They were the first one to get that ball that was a 50-50 ball, and when they come away with that, they create a lot of extra opportunities for themselves and gained some momentum and some confidence. Unfortunately, that’s on us.”

BEAR ATTACK

The best player on the court Friday night was Bears forward Matt Mullery. The junior dominated in the post, scoring 21 points on 9-of-9 shooting and snatching 20 rebounds, a new career high.

“He put in a great performance,” Amaker said. “To get 20 rebounds is an incredible stat line. If one kid gets 20 boards, that’s saying a lot.”

Mullery filled out the rest of the stat line with four assists and three blocks.

“I played a lot of minutes, that certainly had something to do with it,” Mullery said. “I was just going after the ball on every possession, keeping the motor going.”

Mullery used his full arsenal of moves in the post against a thin Harvard front-line. He mixed in a steady stream of back-downs with spin moves and hook shots, always finishing with a feathery touch. Towards the end of the first half, the 6’8 junior even stepped behind the three-point line and buried a trey.

“He played a really great game,” Pusar said. “He works hard for position, he finishes well. He did a lot of damage on us. He certainly earned everything he got, so hats off to him.”

BLOCK PARTY

The first half provided much excitement, as the Crimson put on a shot-blocking exhibition.

A few minutes into the game, Leffelman tried to bank in a lay-up, but senior forward Evan Harris rose and swatted the attempt just before it reached the backboard.

Towards the end of the first half, Harris struck again. This time, Brown guard Adrian Williams tried a floater in the lane, but Harris spiked the ball back, igniting a fast break.

The most sensational play came moments later when Bears guard Peter Sullivan tried driving in the lane. Freshman Max Kenyi rotated on defense and jumped in the air to meet Sullivan. He cleanly blocked the ball into the backcourt before both he and Sullivan crumbled to the floor.

“Max has the potential to make some pretty jaw-dropping plays,” Pusar said. “It’s a good sign for the future when you have that type of athleticism on the roster.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.