Webster’s 29 Points Lead Harvard Hoops Past Mercer on the Road

While the marquee event of Saturday took place at Harvard Stadium, the Harvard men’s basketball team traveled south to Macon, Ga., and managed to ruin another school’s weekend festivities.

Led by sophomore guard Christian Webster’s career-high 29 points, the Crimson (2-1) defeated Mercer (1-2) Saturday afternoon, 75-69, spoiling the Bears’ homecoming in the process.

“Coming into this environment, we knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, it was going to be a very tough opponent,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “A challenge for us as far as homecoming, all the energy and festivities surrounding it.”

A University Center crowd of 2,934 saw Webster go 7-of-11 from the field while sinking 12 free throws in 39 minutes of action. His final tally represented the most points for a Crimson player since Jeremy Lin ’10 scored 30 at Connecticut last December.

“He’s a lot more composed on the offensive end, he attacks a lot more, and he’s a lot smarter with his decisions when he drives this year,” sophomore guard Brandyn Curry said. “I’ve definitely seen a lot of improvements in his game from the summer.”

The wing’s efforts were bolstered by a typically solid performance by Curry, who collected 13 points and six rebounds in the win.

And after going a combined 2-for-19 from the field in the first two games of his career, rookie wing Laurent Rivard continued to fire away, accumulating 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting to become the only other double-digit scorer for Harvard.

The backcourt trio of underclassmen—who each nailed three triples—played a crucial role in stifling a comeback bid by the Bears. After Webster’s 19 first-half points had helped give his team a 37-27 halftime advantage, Mercer took its biggest swing at its visitors early in the second frame.

The Bears stepped up the defensive pressure from the first whistle, forcing six Harvard turnovers in the half’s opening five minutes.

The Crimson’s errant passes and wild dribbling, combined with several coast-to-coast layups by senior guard Jeff Smith, helped Mercer break out on a five-minute 15-2 run to go ahead, 42-39—the host’s first lead since midway through the first period.

But the young Crimson squad responded quickly to make sure the deficit would not last.

“We also knew that that run was coming, so we just kept our composure and battled back,” Curry said. “Especially with that vibe, they were definitely going to have a run at some point, so we dealt with that run...and regained control.”

Following a pair of Webster free throws, Harvard retook the lead on a three-point play down low by junior co-captain Keith Wright. The big man’s only points of the game gave his team a 43-42 advantage with 14:39 to play, and the Crimson would not trail again the rest of the way.

Repeated dribble-drive penetration by Curry and junior co-captain Oliver McNally leading to kickouts beyond the arc helped keep the Bears at bay, as Harvard shot a season-high 42 percent from the three-point line.

“We moved it well, then we made some open shots,” Amaker said.

Most of the offensive damage was done by the hot-shooting Rivard, Curry, and freshman Ernest Rouse (six points). Wright—the squad’s leading scorer entering the game—was saddled by foul trouble and double teams all game.

“He had two huge games against Holy Cross and George Mason, so we kind of figured that they were going to double team him in the post,” Curry said. “He didn’t force shots; he kicked the ball out...He didn’t try to do too much, and we picked him up.”

The Crimson’s other three big men combined for just five points; Mercer easily outscored its opponents in the paint, 32-10.

But the Harvard guards proved to be the difference. With just under three minutes to go, Curry went left at the top of the circle and threw the ball back across his body to Rivard on the right wing, who drained his final trey of the day to seal a six-point Crimson win.

The victory improved Harvard to 4-0 all time against the Bears.

—Staff writer Dennis J. Zheng can be reached at dzheng12@college.harvard.edu.