Harvard Sets Non-Conference Wins Record in Easy Victory

“It takes five.”

Everyone’s seen those Adidas commercials reminding people that teams—not individuals—win games.

But just in case Seattle University (6-9) missed those ads, the Harvard men’s basketball team (10-3) decided to personally deliver the message to KeyArena in its 92-71 win yesterday afternoon.

The hype leading up to the game focused on the showdown between Crimson co-captain Jeremy Lin and the Redhawks’ Charles Garcia—two do-it-all stars making headlines on opposite coasts. But as the game unfolded, efforts from Lin’s supporting cast carried the day.

In fact, it was sophomore Keith Wright who found the net most frequently in the opening minutes. The forward had been charged with guarding Garcia, and the pair went shot-for-shot.

“I don’t really think about the stats,” Wright said. “I just try to play hard.”

Meanwhile, Harvard was able to weave through the Redhawks’ pressure early, something the team had anticipated prior to the game.

“I think we had a great start,” freshman Brandyn Curry said. “That was one of the keys. Coach said that they’re a scrappy team and we’d have to handle the pressure early. I think we did a great job doing that.”

Before 10 minutes had passed, the Crimson had gained a double-digit lead, one it would never relinquish.

At this juncture, Garcia was struggling to put his shots in the basket while being guarded by freshman Kyle Casey, who shared defensive responsibilities with Wright.

“[Garcia’s] a great player, really big, athletic, can handle the ball,” Casey said. “I think we did a pretty good job. We slowed him down and came away with the victory.”

Meanwhile, Casey was hitting his own shots at the other end of the court.

“I think I just came off the bench and played with a lot of energy,” he said. “I started to play my role even better. We executed our stuff and I just happened to be finishing a lot today.”

Harvard would end the half with a 21-point lead, but shortly after the break, the Redhawks staged a rally. Garcia was hitting his shots and the lead diminished from 21 to 11.

The Crimson quickly righted the ship after taking a 30-second timeout. Quick baskets from Casey and Lin put distance between the squads, and though Seattle would continue to play Harvard even, it couldn’t mount a comeback as the Crimson cruised to a 21-point win.

“We really played exactly how we practice,” Wright said.

Garcia had 19 points, but his efforts were thwarted by the production of Casey and Wright. The freshman matched Garcia’s offense with 19 points of his own, and Wright finished with 16 points and three blocks.

Those two nearly cancelled out the scoring of the Redhawks’ top two scorers: Garcia and Chris Gweth, who scored 17 points. But the Crimson had Lin, who once again led the way with 21 points, four steals, two rebounds, and three assists.

“He was just Jeremy today,” Curry said. “It’s not surprising, it’s not unusual for him, it’s kind of expected. He’s a great player, one the best playmakers in the country.”

Harvard also got production on the perimeter from freshmen Christian Webster, who had 12 points and five assists, and Curry, who had seven points to go with a game-high six assists.

“It’s my job to find the open man,” Curry said. “That’s the other part of getting assists…[My teammates] were making baskets.”

With the victory, the Crimson set a new team record for non-conference wins. Harvard will look to extend that record in its final non-league matchup tomorrow at Santa Clara.

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.