Lead..

Although the Harvard men's basketball team went into the half with a 36-30 lead, the Crimson (4-5, 1-0 Ivy) lost to cross-town rival Northeastern (2-5) on Saturday, falling 72-63 at the Lavietes Pavilion.

With the defeat, Harvard dropped below the .500 mark for the first time this season.

The Crimson led by as much as seven points in the second half, but its lead was negated when Northeastern went on a 15-2 run with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

The turning point of the contest came 15:21 minutes into the second half when Husky sophomore guard Jean Bain connected with freshman forward Toby Brittian on an alley-oop.

Brittian's thunderous dunk over the heads of the Harvard defenders seemed to squash the Crimson momentum, and succeeded in silencing the partisan crowd. Additionally, the slam was the final blow to an already tired squad.

"I think that fatigue entered in," Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. "We gave up the baseline."

With only 3:52 left, the Crimson found itself down by nine, after Brittian drained a jumper. The youthful Harvard squad's defense deserted it down the stretch. Harvard was outscored by the Huskie's in the second half, 42-27.