Princeton 69, Harvard 67

When sophomore guard Brady Merchant hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with nine minutes left in the second half, it seemed like the Crimson was on its way to another stunning win.

Merchant's long jumper capped an 18-8 run that left the Crimson well ahead of the Tigers at 54-43.

After barely leading 31-30 at the half, the Crimson had steadily built the double-digit lead, answering every Princeton scoring run with one of its own. As it would turn out, however, Harvard couldn't keep answering all night.

Wente and junior guard Ahmed El-Nokali ignited a pair of 7-0 runs late in the second half that pulled the Tigers to within two points at 60-58. Following a lay-in from sophomore guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman and a fortuitous bounce on a Clemente three-pointer, Harvard led by five points with 2:38 left to play.

Again, Princeton responded with a quick 6-0 run fueled by freshman guard Andre Logan and senior center Nate Walton. Walton, who finished with 16 points on the night, hit a running lay-up with 22.2 seconds left to put Princeton up 66-65.

Unfazed by Princeton's resilience, Harvard marched back down the court and got the ball to its venerable captain. Clemente, with the eyes of 2,195 spectators on his every move, pulled up in the lane and calmly hit a ten-footer to give Harvard a 67-66 lead with only 7.4 seconds left to play.

After a timeout, El-Nokali received the inbounds pass and brought the ball up the court. The 6'4 guard dished the ball off to Wente, who was immediately surrounded by two Crimson players. Wente, running out of time, left his feet, pumped the ball, and released an off-balance shot as the clock expired.