In addition to the Crimson's second half 15-0 run, Harvard held Dartmouth without a field goal for the first eight minutes of the first half. Harvard's tenacious defense induced both Dartmouth dry spells and set the tone for the low-scoring affair. During both ineffectual spans for Dartmouth, the Crimson offense capitalized on the Big Green miscues and generated crucial points.

"Those two segments of the game were really momentum-builders and were really effective," Sullivan said.

Another important element for Harvard's success was containing Dartmouth co-captain Greg Buth. The senior guard is the team's leading scorer and came into the game averaging 18.5 points. Harvard's dominant defensive performance limited Buth to five points.

Normally a reliable three-point shooter who finished his sophomore season leading the nation in three-point accuracy, Buth went 0-for-six from beyond the arc. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Buth hit four three-pointers en route to a 24-point performance.

"We were able to keep Buth in check all day long and that was absolutely huge for us," Sullivan said. "As a team, we had a better sense of how important it was to get pressure on him."

With last weekend's win at Dartmouth, Harvard finished a long road trip that included losses at Georgia Tech and Navy and a win at Mercer. The Crimson now returns to the cozy confines of Lavietes Pavilion for the remainder of January. The four-game homestand will begin tomorrow night against New Hampshire and will include Ivy rivals Yale and Brown this weekend.