Harvard shot 54.5 percent from the field as a team in the first half and outrebounded Yale 24-13. But halftime cooled the team off—especially Prasse-Freeman.

“The second half was a little tougher for him,” Sullivan said in something of an understatement.

Prasse-Freeman didn’t score in the second half, missing all five of his shots.

“Come on, he goes 6-for-7 in the first half?” Yale coach James Jones said of Prasse-Freeman at a post-game press conference. “He’s not that good.

“Now, maybe these guys are that good,” he added, pointing to his own guards, Draughan and Alex Gamboa.

The Crimson opened up a 56-48 edge in the second half, but Yale’s bench, propelled by an inspired crowd, took just two minutes to erase that lead. The Bulldogs’ Scott Gaffield and Paul Vitelli each hit three-pointers and forward Ime Archibong thundered home a dunk to give Yale a 58-56 lead with 11 minutes remaining.

Turnovers and poor shooting plagued Harvard in the second half. In addition to Prasse-Freeman’s woes, senior Patrick Harvey went 3-of-9 from behind the arc. Harvey also turned the ball over an uncharacteristic seven times and went to the free-throw line only once.

Senior forward Sam Winter and Merchant also had a tough evening. Winter couldn’t buy a bucket—he hit his first shot to give the Crimson a 2-0 lead, then missed his last 11. Merchant was limited to 25 minutes as he picked up three first-half fouls.

The early foul trouble also hindered Merchant’s subsequent ability to defend Draughan, who finished with 16 points.

“Early in the second half [the foul trouble] concerned me a little bit,” Merchant said. “But fouls are for coaches to worry about.”

While Merchant’s playing time was limited, Harvey and Prasse-Freeman went the full 40 minutes. Conversely, Yale had nine players who played at least 15 minutes.

“I think the guys on our bench are the best in the league,” Jones said. “Our team depth just wears guys down.”

The Crimson’s 22-point second half was partly a result of its unwillingness to accept charity. Harvard went to the free-throw line only five times in the entire game—making just two—while Yale was a robust 15-of-19 from the stripe.

Brown 91, Harvard 86

Never mind shot-for-shot. The Crimson couldn’t even match the Bears shot-for-shot-for-shot.