The Crimson Edges Out Marist in Dramatic Defensive Battle

In a gritty, low-scoring showdown that tested its endurance and its execution, Harvard men’s basketball (4-1, 0-0 Ivy) escaped McCann Arena on Sunday evening with a 56-54 win over Marist (2-2, 0-0 MAAC). After defeating Army on Saturday, the Crimson found a way to secure its second straight road victory, relying on late-game poise from captain Chandler Piggé and sophomore guard Robert Hinton to close out the Red Foxes.

The first half was an offensive slog. Both teams played aggressive defense, clogging the lane and forcing the opposing offense to make risky looks. Harvard’s 2-3 zone held Marist in check inside, while the Red Foxes disrupted the Crimson’s rhythm on the perimeter. Shots simply weren’t falling on either side. Each team shot under 30 percent in the opening frame, and Marist eeked out a narrow 24-23 lead as the players headed into the halftime break.

Harvard’s few bright spots in the first half came from its guards: Hinton mixed in a clean pull-up jumper and executed drives that drew contact, earning him free throws, while Piggé provided an early spark from beyond the arc.

Harvard opened the second half with noticeably more energy. A 9-3 run, highlighted by Piggé’s high-low finish, Hinton’s steady trips to the line, and sophomore Tey Barbour’s midrange floater, pushed the Crimson ahead 34-29, extending its lead to the largest of the game.

Sophomore guard Tey Barbour protects the basketball from a Marist defender By Courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications

However, Marist responded, fueled by hot shooting from sophomore Parby Kabamba and strong interior passing. The Red Foxes clawed back, narrowing the deficit on the scoreboard.

The two teams traded baskets in what became a physical, defensively oriented game. Each possession felt like a battle. Players on both sides flung their bodies on the floor to grasp for loose balls. Defensive efforts forced shot-clock violations, and rebounds were contested.

There were only a handful of whistles to slow the pace and allow either side to catch its breath.

With just under two minutes to go, Marist’s graduate student, Rhyjon Blackwell, drilled a deep three to give the Red Foxes a 54-51 lead, briefly silencing the Harvard bench.

Harvard’s captain rose to the occasion, delivering the answer for his team. Coming off a screen, Piggé, a Crimson Sports Staff Writer, cut from the right wing and buried a three to tie the game with 35.8 seconds remaining, drawing contact on the release, earning a foul, and sending the Crimson’s bench into wild cheers.

Harvard men's basketball captain and Crimson Sports Writer, Chandler Piggé, stares down the basket as he preps for a free throw in the game against Marist By Courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications

“Tey [Barbour] draws a lot of attention,” Piggé wrote after the game. “I knew if I could pop, I could probably be open. I just had to shoot the shot with confidence. Glory to God that the shot went in and that we were able to get the win.”

Though Piggé missed the potential four-point play at the line, Harvard’s defense held firm on the next possession. After forcing a turnover, the Crimson regained control with eight seconds remaining on the clock and a tied scoreboard.

Marist was whistled for a foul, sending Hinton — last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year — to the free throw line. The sophomore calmly sank both shots, giving Harvard the lead with 5.1 seconds left.

Marist’s final chance came up short as senior Jaden Daugherty slipped on a drive, sealing a hard-fought 56-54 victory for the visiting team.

The Thomas G. Stemberg ’71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball, Tommy Amaker, praised his team’s composure down the stretch.

“It was a great job by our guys with a gutsy, grind-it-out kind of win on the road, which makes it incredibly hard,” Amaker wrote. “There were some theatrics at the end with both teams giving it to one another, and we were lucky enough that Chandler made an incredible three while getting fouled. The free throws from Robert, defense, a number of things we had to do to win it.”

Piggé led the way for Harvard with 14 points and seven rebounds, hitting three of five from deep and finishing in double figures for the fifth straight game. Hinton added 13 points, seven boards, and went ten-for-12 from the line, while Barbour chipped in ten points and matched the team high with seven rebounds. Sophomore Ben Eisendrath contributed six points and two steals, and junior forward Thomas Batties II added five points and four assists of his own. The Crimson shot 78 percent from the line, including an 82 percent mark in the second half, while forcing 11 turnovers and holding Marist to just 37 percent shooting from the field.

“It was one of those kinds of games that could have obviously gone either way,” Amaker wrote. “Really proud of our guys for this back-to-back, being able to do it on the road in this fashion on a second night says a lot about their toughness and character.”

For Piggé, the message was simple: stay solid.

“Marist is a very good team. We knew that coming in,” the captain wrote. “That was what Coach told us coming out of the locker room.”

The victory marked Harvard’s second straight win on the road and continued a strong start to the season. After finishing just 5-10 in away games last year, the Crimson showed resilience in closing out another tight contest in enemy territory. The team will look to build on its momentum when it returns home to Lavietes Pavilion next weekend, aiming to keep its defense sharp and its confidence high as the non-conference slate rolls on.

“We just wanted to be set and solid in everything. There were some points where they went on a run, but we continued to stay persistent, and ultimately that got us the win,” reflected Piggé.