Crimson Cruises To Easy Victory

Last night’s Harvard men’s basketball game started out just like any other: a pass from sophomore point guard Brandyn Curry into the post to junior co-captain Keith Wright for two points.

But by the time the final buzzer brought an end to the Crimson’s 80-57 trouncing of Fordham (2-4) last night at Lavietes Pavilion, it was clear Harvard (5-1) had relied on an entirely different weapon to put points on the scoreboard.

Instead of relying on its post presence as it has throughout the season, the Crimson let it rain from beyond the arc, finishing with 15 three-pointers—two shy of the program record set in 2002. Five different Harvard players connected from deep on the night, shooting a combined 56 percent.

“We had a lot of open looks, and we moved the ball well,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “It was just a nice offensive rhythm.”

Freshman Laurent Rivard led the way, finishing with five treys on the night. After scoring just four points in the first half, Rivard caught fire in the second, notching a career-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

“I love that Laurent really got off tonight because he works so hard and he’s such a great shooter,” junior co-captain Oliver McNally said. “It’s about time something started falling for him.”

The Rams could not keep pace offensively, connecting on just 23.5 percent of its 17 three-point attempts while missing nine free throws.

Fordham finished with just 57 points, its second lowest offensive output of the season. The Crimson, meanwhile, notched its second highest scoring total of the year by shooting at its highest mark from long range.

But despite the lopsided outcome, it took some time for Harvard to take control of the game.

Wright netted three quick baskets to start the contest, but the Rams kept pace in the opening minutes, thanks to a pair of tough finishes in the paint from Fordham’s Chris Gaston. A trey from Alberto Estwick put the Rams ahead 10-6, but the Crimson answered with back-to-back three pointers from McNally and junior forward Andrew Van Nest.

Sophomore Kyle Casey—playing in just his third game since suffering a broken foot during the preseason—brought the crowd to its feet on the Crimson’s next possession, finishing a baseline two-handed slam to put Harvard up 14-10.

But Fordham’s Brenton Butler followed with a runner off the glass and a three to take back the lead.

From there though, it was all Crimson.

After Estwick missed his next three-point attempt, Harvard pushed the ball up the floor, where Curry found Casey open at the top of the key. Without hesitation, Casey let it fly, sinking the deep ball to give the Crimson a 17-15 lead.

“[Casey’s] gaining his rhythm back,” Amaker said. “You just see the growth.”

Casey’s shot ignited a 23-6 Harvard run over the next 8:04 of play.

Sophomore Christian Webster scored seven of his final 18 points during the stretch, getting four points from the charity stripe.

Van Nest capped off the run with 4:51 left in the half, sinking an open look from the perimeter off a pass from Wright.

The Crimson went into the break with a comfortable 13-point lead, but the Rams threatened early in the second period.

With 17:03 to play, Gaston pulled his team within eight, finishing with a two-handed flush in traffic off an inbounds play.

“He’s a workhorse in there,” Amaker said of Gaston, who led the Rams with 14 points and 10 rebounds. “We were trying to see if we could keep him off the glass.”

But eight was as close as the visitors would get, as Rivard nailed his first of five threes on the ensuing possession, knocking down an open shot from the right corner off a pass from Casey.

“My shots were wide open all the time so I can’t really take credit for them,” Rivard said. “My teammates moved the ball really well.”

Harvard continued to find open looks, connecting from deep four times in a stretch of 2:07 midway through the second period.

“[Fordham] didn’t play that many guys so I think they started wearing down defensively,” McNally said. “And we were just being unselfish and moving the ball around.”

Rivard’s fourth three with 8:19 left sealed the win, putting the home team up by 27.

“We’re all good shooters,” Rivard said. “[The ball] just went in today.”

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.