CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Round one of the Ivy League battle for the top went to the home team, as tends to happen. Harvard, a young team that has grown up a lot during the season, used a big second half to knock off Princeton 69-57 and go up by a game in the all-important loss column. While they played like a championship-caliber team, Harvard knows a lot of basketball is still left to be played. With that, as well as the past as a guide, Harvard will take nothing for granted right now.
Ivy League play is just past the halfway point, but already is looks like it will once again be a two-team race between the teams that battled in Lavietes Pavilion on Saturday night. Both entered the night two games up in the loss column over everyone else in the league. That’s not the case now and not just because of this game’s result, as Cornell also won to go to 5-3, a game behind Princeton in the loss column for second place. Cornell has come to life in Ivy League play after some struggles in non-league play, but there’s every reason to think this will come down to Harvard and Princeton.
There are still three weekends left, but this win may put some pressure on Princeton. While both teams got clipped by another team already, they know it’s possible another team could beat them before these teams meet again. Because they respect each other, they feel like they can’t let up.
“I would say it puts pressure on us, but we don’t want to let up at all,” said Harvard sophomore Kenyatta Smith, who capped a big weekend with 14 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots on Saturday and should be the league’s Player of the Week.
“I think Harvard’s a good enough team where you don’t want to put it in their hands and see what happens, you want to put it in your own hands,” said Princeton’s Ian Hummer. “They’re coming to our place, we have to play a little better.”
The first half was very evenly-played, with defense carrying the day in the first few minutes before the offenses took over. Both teams shot at least 50 percent from the floor, including from long range, and most of the statistical categories were pretty even. It was in the second half that things changed, and it happened right away.
Harvard picked up the defense right away as Princeton made just one of their first eight shots while Harvard started to open up the lead. They won the first four minutes that many talk about, and ran the lead out to double digits. After that, they never let Princeton get much momentum to mount a rally. Every time the Tigers seemed ready to make a run, Harvard had an answer to not let one get started.
“Basketball is sometimes a game of momentum swings, and I just felt it was in their corner all night,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson.
Smith had a lot to do with the defense, as he blocked 16 shots in two games this weekend. He just missed a triple-double on Friday night with 20 points, 10 blocked shots and nine rebounds, and on Saturday he was a presence besides the six blocks. The potential was always there, it was just a matter of him getting the minutes for it.
“Kenyatta Smith, with his performance, has really energized our team and propelled us for the last couple of games,” said head coach Tommy Amaker.
Amaker felt they defended the perimeter much better in the second half, and some of that might have come from Smith. Princeton shot just 31 percent in the second half and went 1-6 from long range after they shot 52.4% in the first half and made three of five from three-point land.
In theory, Harvard has the easier road the rest of the way, though both have road-heavy slates remaining. Each has just two home games left, as Princeton already played Penn at home. Harvard is also younger, but the Crimson aren’t playing like it. In addition, getting these wins can only give this team more confidence.
“Now that we’re able to put together a complete weekend, this is definitely going to give us confidence in the future,” said Smith.
These two teams will meet again in less than two weeks in Jadwin Gymnasium. Chances are, more will be on the line that night. It will be a familiar setting since these two teams have been meeting with a lot on the line for three years now. They know what to expect the game to be, as well as what they must do in the interim. Harvard has the temporary edge now that they have taken the first meeting.
