With Gellert and Winter providing a one-two scoring punch for the Crimson and Prasse-Freeman running the show at point, the stingy Harvard defense took care of the rest, holding Washington & Lee to just nine points in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

"We decided to increase our backcourt pressure," Gellert said. "We got after their guards with a full-court press and just got a bunch of steals. I think that frustrated them a lot."

The first half was the Dan Clemente show. A power forward with a strong inside game, Clemente showed why he may be well on his way to an All-Ivy League selection at season's end.

Clemente was 7-of-13 from the field with two three-pointers in the first, giving Harvard the early advantage with his deadly shooting. Long, the only senior from last year's team who saw substantial playing time, added nine points of his own in the first 20 minutes. Long also made his only three-point attempt.

Freshman center Onnie Mayshak started along with Merchant, making it the first time since March 6, 1993 that the Crimson started two freshmen.

Prasse-Freeman added some juice to the Crimson's half-court oriented offense when he entered the game after seven minutes.

"My role is just to come in and run the show," Prasse-Freeman said. "I wasn't too worried about the whole freshman thing. Once you get on the court, it's just basketball. We've all been dreamed about Division I-A ball, and this was our chance."

Harvard quickly pushed up the tempo once he entered the game.