Harvard needed to shoot well to keep up with Dartmouth’s free-wheeling barrage from outside. The Big Green, which runs a Princeton-style offense that uses screens to free up shooters along the perimeter, launched almost two-thirds of its attempts from the three-point line. Dartmouth converted 50 percent of those tries (14 for 28).

Big Green guard Mike McLaren (21 points) inflicted the most damage, hitting five of his six threes during a back-and-forth second half that saw seven lead changes.

But Dartmouth’s shooting tapered off as Harvard pushed its lead to nine, 65-56, behind a 9-2 run. Harvey had five points and Winter (15 points) added four during the spurt, while Dartmouth missed all four of its field-goal attempts, each of them from behind the arc.

But the Big Green responded with a run of its own, highlighted by two fearless treys by freshman Calvin Arnold, a contender for Ivy Rookie of the Year. The second of those buckets trimmed Harvard’s lead to two with 30 seconds left.

Give Dartmouth’s shooters an inch and they’ll take a three. But of all the activity happening beyond the arc Saturday, the Big Green’s most consequential three-pointer was the one that wasn’t.

When Harvey hit only one of two free throws with 10 seconds left, Dartmouth remained within one possession of the lead. The Big Green raced down the floor in eight seconds and Harris got off a good shot, but unleashed it just inside the arc. After Harvey inbounded the ball, Merchant held onto it as the final ticks expired.

For the game, the Crimson grabbed 13 offensive rebounds compared to just one by Dartmouth. That helped Harvard to a 9-0 advantage on second-chance points. Overall, the Crimson outrebounded the Big Green 35-25, with Sigafoos and Winter each corralling 11 boards.

—Staff writer Brian E. Fallon can be reached at bfallon@fas.harvard.edu.