"Senior Night" at Lavietes Pavilion meant much more than an emotional pre-game ceremony on Saturday night.

Two weeks after suffering the season-ending loss of captain center Paul Fisher to mononucleosis, the remaining members of the class of '99--point guard Tim Hill, shooting guard Mike Beam, center Bill Ewing, and guard Chris Dexter--went toe-to-toe on consecutive nights with the Ivy's national powers, pulled off the biggest upset in Harvard basketball memory and emerged having equaled the school record as the winningest four-year class in history, with 56.

The deep, talented class took a season fraught with injury and frustration and validated its claim to be considered among the best classes ever to don the Harvard uniform.

Though these players will likely bring home at least one win next weekend and in doing so amass more wins than any other Harvard class, the two most successful campaigns of the past four years were 1996 and 1997. Then, the current seniors played in the shadow of the '97 class, which included the likes of Harvard's all-time rebounding leader, Kyle Snowden.

The current crop certainly has succeeded on paper, but several disappointing setbacks earlier in the season prevented the team from cementing its place in history. Saturday provided the defining moment to do just that.

"This was the only team we hadn't beaten in my four years," Hill said. "We couldn't have asked for a better night."

Sophomore forward Dan Clemente may be the most potent Crimson scoring threat, and he certainly made the most dramatic bucket of the night against Princeton--a 26-foot explosion that spotted Harvard a three-point lead with 1:47 left in regulation--but the forward was marked by opposing coaches all weekend, and contributed just two baskets after halftime on Saturday.

Similarly, freshmen guards Drew Gellert and Patrick Harvey have greatly increased their role in the Crimson backcourt since the exam break. The two notched 11 rebounds and five steals in the two games.

However, it was the seniors who produced in crucial areas to put Harvard over the top.