Crimson Struggles Continue
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – More and more, Harvard’s devastating loss against Princeton last Friday looks like a turning point in their season, and not in a good way.
The Crimson came into that game at 4-2 in Ivy League play, very much in the race. It looked like they would make the next night’s matchup with Penn a showdown among the top two teams, as they had the lead late in the game. Then came the turn: Princeton scored the game’s final seven points for a 60-59 win.
The next night, Harvard never stood a chance as Penn scored the game’s first 11 points en route to another win, and on Friday night the Crimson just never showed up against a Brown team that has struggled for most of the season (although they are showing some good progress of late). So on Saturday night, in came Yale, which was fresh off a loss at Dartmouth on Friday night and had struggled to win at Harvard in recent years.
After the Crimson scored the game’s first four points, the Bulldogs took over and never trailed once they gained an 8-7 lead in a 77-66 win. It is Harvard’s fourth straight home loss as they now prepare to travel to Penn and Princeton next weekend.
Harvard was never really out of it until the second half, as Yale broke a 39-39 tie with ten straight points and had answers for every run Harvard tried to make. Eric Flato (19 points) hit several daggers from long range, while Dominick Martin had what head coach James Jones said was “a quite 26 (points) and 11 (rebounds)” for his third double-double in four games. The 26 points is a career high, and he got them steadily throughout the game.
“For us, it was just a discouraging weekend, a discouraging follow-up to a difficult game last night,” said Harvard head coach Frank Sullivan.
The Crimson got off to a good start, scoring the game’s first four points and pushing the Bulldogs once they got the lead. But senior leader Matt Stehle (six points on 1-11 shooting) never got untracked, the Crimson made several careless plays on the offensive end that hurt them, and they allowed Yale to shoot over 49 percent from the field, leading to a formula for another defeat.
“I think our defense both nights, and especially tonight, was soft near the rim area,” said Sullivan.
Harvard was thought to be the best contender to knock off Penn in the Ivy League, but now the Crimson are 4-6 and were mathematically eliminated with Saturday’s loss. Sullivan said they had a good week of practice after last weekend’s losses, but the end result wasn’t there for them this weekend in two games that they should have won if they were to have any remote chance.
“I think, after having such a good start to the season and playing well most of the season, handling disappointment has become a chore right now,” said Sullivan. “For us, I think that’s the next step, to get over disappointment, not let it manifest itself in any way, shape or form, whether it’s bad performance or bad body language.”
Now the Crimson have to go on the Penn/Princeton trip next weekend, one that is as difficult for teams now as it usually is. They won’t be going on a good note, although they can certainly make the race interesting with a win or two over the Ivy League leaders.
Yale, meanwhile, is still barely in the race mathematically. The Bulldogs continue to get better as the season goes along, with the development of their guards being a key. They also got a good night off the bench from freshman Ross Morin (eight points on 3-3 shooting and six rebounds in 18 minutes), who looks like he will help keep the frontcourt at a high level in the times ahead along with junior Casey Hughes, who for a stretch was clearly the best player on the floor.
Other Notable Games
Northern Iowa 65, Bucknell 61 (2 OT): Bucknell had this one, but couldn’t seal it. It’s a good win for the slumping Panthers, who had lost two in a row and three of five since they cracked the top 25.
Kent State 80, Butler 76 (OT): Another matchup that turned out well, this was a back-and-forth game. Butler had won eight of nine before this loss, while the Golden Flashes have now won six of seven.
Oklahoma 83, Iowa State 82: The Cyclones needed this one and blew it. At 4-8 in Big 12 play and with 11 losses, their only route to the NCAA Tournament now looks to be the conference tournament.
Hartford 52, Binghamton 46: The Hawks move into third place in America East with their third straight win, this one coming on the road behind 16 points and 17 rebounds from double-double machine Kenny Adeleke.
Charlotte 81, Fordham 75: A big second half carried the 49ers to their fifth win in six games, keeping them alone in second place in the Atlantic 10. The Rams, meanwhile, have lost two in a row after four straight wins.
Wagner 64, Quinnipiac 60: After looking great in non-conference play, the Seahawks have hit a funk in NEC play, as this win snapped a seven-game losing streak. They almost made it eight, trailing 36-22 at the half before turning it on in the second.
Arkansas 85, Florida 81 (OT): The Razorbacks now have the signature win that they’ve been lacking. Ronnie Brewer made all the big plays like an All-American to put them over the hump.
Connecticut 81, West Virginia 75: Suddenly, the Mountaineers are in a slump with three straight losses after being the last team to stay undefeated in Big East play.
Michigan State 90, Michigan 71: The Wolverines continue to flounder, losing a game they certainly could have used as a quality win. That’s before we get to the rivalry aspect of this game, which counts most for the natives.
Saint Joseph’s 57, Rhode Island 55: This matchup continues to provide some nail-biters, although a little less is at stake now than in other recent meetings with both schools in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic 10.
Alabama 92, Tennessee 79: The Crimson Tide remains a hot team, as Ronald Steele (22 points) and Jermareo Davidson (17 points, 14 rebounds) lead them to a quality win over the Volunteers.
Minnesota 74, Iowa 61: The Golden Gophers play spoiler again at home, this time with the Hawkeyes after already dispatching Indiana and Michigan State.
Gonzaga 79, Loyola Marymount 70: Adam Morrison does it again, this time to the tune of 37 second half points en route to 44.
Notre Dame 102, Seton Hall 91: A huge win for the Fighting Irish behind 36 from Chris Quinn. It helps get them back on track, but more importantly, is a win against a team ahead of them in the standings, which should be even more of a confidence boost.
Arizona State 65, California 64 (2 OT): The Sun Devils play spoiler with this one, knocking off the first place Golden Bears. UCLA can take sole possession with a win at cross-town rival USC on Sunday night.
Columbia 65, Princeton 64: What happened to Columbia this weekend? The young Lions knocked off both of the Ivy League leaders on consecutive nights.
George Mason 70, Wichita State 67: This win is the highlight of the CAA’s 6-2 showing in the BracketBusters event. The Patriots look better and better for an at-large NCAA bid if they should falter in the CAA Tournament, and the conference’s showing should only help in the attempt to get a second team in the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse 79, Louisville 66: The first half of this game was ugly, and let’s just say that you could see exactly why these are two floundering teams. Then Syracuse decided they would be the team to play the better basketball and broke it open in the second half.
Marquette 84, Pittsburgh 82: Another big win for the Golden Eagles, putting them in a pretty good position entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
