In the ensuing timeout, Sullivan drew up a play in which Harvey would first look for his own shot and pass to captain Dan Clemente on the wing as a second option. Harvey, seeing an opening in the paint, kept the ball and sealed the win with his 12-footer.

Despite occasionally sloppy play throughout the game, Harvard shot 57.1 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.

The Crimson was paced offensively by Clemente, who poured in 20 points on 7-for-17 shooting, and by Harvey, who notched all 14 of his points in the second half. Sophomore center Brian Sigafoos also chipped in 12 points and six rebounds in only his second start this season, and sophomore point guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman dished out eight assists to complement his nine points on the night.

Defensively, Gellert led the way with five steals as Harvard set a school record with 20 steals against the Hawks. In addition, Sigafoos and sophomore forward Sam Winter each blocked two shots.

The Hawks were led by 18-point efforts from both Storpirstis and freshman point guard Ryan Stys. Hartford shot a healthy 52.1 percent from the field despite dropping its seventh straight game.

Harvard trailed by as many as five points, at 29-24 with 5:21 remaining in the first half, and led by as many as 16 when a Clemente lay-up pulled the Crimson to 65-49 with 8:56 left in the second half.

The win gives Harvard a strong 7-5 record against non-league competition and an impressive 5-0 record against America East teams. Given last year's poor 0-4 showing against America East, this season's marked improvement prompted Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan to quip after the game that Harvard should petition the NCAA for the America East tournament bid.