NOTEBOOK: Casey's Offense Emerges Against BU

Two seasons ago, senior forward Kyle Casey was the Harvard men’s basketball team’s leading scorer, complementing his post game with the ability to step outside and knock down jumpers. After a year away from the team, Casey has struggled at times to recover that offensive identity, especially with the emergence of sophomore guard Siyani Chambers and junior guard Wesley Saunders as scoring threats. But during Saturday afternoon’s contest against Boston University, Casey put all the pieces together again.

In an intense battle of Boston-area foes, Casey was the Crimson’s most efficient player, scoring 19 points on 13 attempts from the field and grabbing 12 rebounds to help his team outlast the Terriers in overtime, 79-68. From a three-pointer at the top of the key to a powerful finish of a late-game alley-oop, the Medway, Mass., native had his full offensive arsenal on display.

“[Casey] was a big-time competitor for us this afternoon,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “If you look at his numbers and his work on the backboard, he certainly came out and was a rock for us.”

Though he struggled with foul trouble in the first several games of the season, Casey also turned in a solid defensive performance, committing only three fouls in 36 minutes of action and tallying ten defensive boards.

“Kyle is the back line, the voice of our defense, and we rely on him to give direction to our guards and rebound the ball,” Amaker said. “You look at his stat line, and certainly being a local kid, I know how meaningful the game is for him.”

Saturday’s victory must have been even sweeter for Casey given the rough treatment he received from the crowd. The BU student section seemed to single out Casey in particular, hurling taunts about his involvement in the Government 1310 scandal.

RAISING “THE ROOF”

The environment in Case Gymnasium rivaled any the Crimson has seen so far this year, with a capacity crowd coming out to watch the intra-city rivalry. The intensity reached a peak in the last minute of regulation, when a pair of threes by Terriers sophomore guard John Papale shaved a seven-point Harvard lead to one in the span of 23 seconds. The roof almost came off “The Roof” when a lay-up high off the glass from Terriers sophomore guard Maurice Watson Jr. tied the score at 66 to send the game into overtime.

But the Crimson responded calmly in the extra period, hitting the first bucket and then converting 11 of 12 free throw attempts to quiet the crowd and secure a hard-fought victory.

“In the overtime, we stayed together and cut down on the stupid mistakes that we made at the end of the game," Saunders said. “We stuck to the game plan and didn’t do anything beyond ourselves.”

Harvard also locked the Terriers down in the extra session, forcing three turnovers on three consecutive possessions to ice the game.

“I felt like, after John [Papale] hit the first shot after they scored in overtime, they turned up their defense, and we played a little timid,” Terriers forward Dom Morris said. “It was like we didn’t play with confidence.”

SOPHOMORE SHOWDOWN

The tight finish was reminiscent of last year’s matchup between Harvard and BU, which was decided by a game-winning floater from Chambers with four seconds remaining that put the Crimson ahead by the final margin of 65-64.

Though Chambers and Harvard prevailed once again, Watson got the better of the individual matchup between the two sophomore point guards. Watson consistently broke down the Crimson defense with his penetration and scored 14 points on seven-of-12 shooting, including the game-tying lay-in, to go with his game-high eight assists.

“It’s fun, real competitive,” Watson said. “Me and [Chambers] jawed at each other a little bit. He’s a good player, and I’m a good player, and I always look forward to playing against good guards.”

Though Chambers struggled from the field overall, hitting five of his 14 shot attempts, he did connect on three three-pointers and directed the Harvard offense for all 45 minutes, as well as sticking with Watson on the defensive end.

“You have to rely on your help behind you as an on-ball defender,” Amaker said. “Siyani had the bulk of the work today, but Watson is good; he is very difficult. He is quick and can go either way. He is a terrific finisher.”

—Staff writer Andrew R. Mooney can be reached at mooneyar@gmail.com.