Rivard's 17 Leads Harvard to Easy Win Over MIT

The Harvard men’s basketball team did not extend a very warm greeting to its neighbors from MIT, welcoming the Engineers (9-2) to Lavietes Pavilion with a 26-point drubbing yesterday afternoon.

Using a balanced offensive attack and an active defense, the Crimson (9-3) jumped out to an 18-point lead at the half and cruised to an 84-58 victory in front of 1,153 fans.

“I was really impressed with our first half defensively and the energy that our players played with,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “I thought we were active, and I think we had a great deal of intensity and energy about us.”

Freshman sharpshooter Laurent Rivard led Harvard in scoring for the second consecutive contest, finishing with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor. Five Harvard players managed to reach double-figures in scoring, including junior co-captain Keith Wright, who recorded his fifth double-double of the season by the end of the first half.

Wright—who had 13 points and 11 rebounds at the break—finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes of play.

“I thought Keith Wright in particular was outstanding,” Amaker said. “To have a double-double in the first half, but more important and even more impressive was his effort on defense. I thought he was very active, and I thought it became a little contagious for our team.”

After the Crimson fell behind by a point early in the first period, Wright played a critical role in helping Harvard regain and extend its lead. Thanks in large part to six points and four rebounds from Wright, the Crimson rattled off a 15-2 run midway through the first period to capture a commanding 12-point lead.

After MIT’s Will Tashman’s put-back layup with 13:35 left in the first half put the Engineers up 12-11, junior co-captain Oliver McNally ignited the Harvard run, cutting to the basket from the left wing and floating the ball off the backboard into the hoop to take back the lead.

The Crimson forced MIT’s Mitchell Kates into a tough shot on the Engineers’ next possession, and Harvard sophomore Christian Webster corralled the missed attempt. Rivard attacked the rim on the ensuing Crimson possession, getting to the line and sinking two shots to give Harvard a three-point lead.

Wright brought the crowd to its feet moments later, faking a handoff to McNally to shake his defender away, taking one dribble to the basket, and finishing a one-handed jam over the Engineers’ Tim Donegan.

With the Harvard lead at five, Tashman attacked the Crimson basket, but sophomore Kyle Casey stepped in to take the charge.

On the other end, Casey found Rivard under the basket for an and-one layup that put Harvard up by eight. Tashman answered with a jumper from the left elbow for two of his game-high 19 points, but the Crimson then extended its lead to 12 off four free throws and a layup from Wright.

Harvard’s advantage grew from there, reaching a high of 19 before the end of the first period.

“We played a number of players and we kept that energy up,” Amaker said. “I think we wore them down.”

Casey—making his second start of the season—had an explosive start to the second half, throwing down a pair of two-handed slams in the first six minutes of the second frame.

Casey’s first flush came after the MIT defense left the 6’9” forward wide open under the basket, but Casey displayed his athleticism on his second dunk, slicing through the defense and finishing the slam in traffic.

“It was good to see some bounce back in Kyle,” Amaker said. “You can see how bouncy and athletic he is. He gives us some of those spectacular plays that can be very uplifting for our ball club.”

Harvard’s lead continued to grow, as the Crimson started to get hot from deep, connecting on four threes in the second half. Rivard led the way, shooting two-of-three from beyond the arc in the second frame.

“[Rivard’s] the best shooter on our team,” Wright said. “If he’s open, we’re always looking for him.”

Rivard’s second trey, which came off a pass from sophomore point guard Brandyn Curry in transition, put the home team up by 28 with 10:37 to play. The Crimson’s lead never dipped below 24 for the remainder of the contest, holding the Engineers—who were playing without their leading scorer Noel Hollingsworth—to a season-low 58 points.

“I think it was necessary to come out here and definitely pick it up defensively—that was really the main focus,” Wright said. “When you play hard, things tend to go your way.”