“It was a fitting exclamation point to his career,” Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said of Merchant’s effort.
With the game out of hand in the final minutes, Sullivan gave his seniors the opportunity to leave the court to applause from the appreciative fans. Prasse-Freeman, who started every game he played in four years, and Winter left to standing ovations.
When Merchant’s time was up and his record-setting night was announced, the captain cried upon returning to the bench and embracing his teammates. Meanwhile, Harvard fans chanted “Brady! Brady!” as he slowly left the court.
“It was an emotional moment,” Merchant said. “It’s been the best four years of my life.”
Yale 95, Harvard 82
The Bulldogs overpowered the Harvard defense, winning their sixth straight game against the Crimson convincingly, 95-82, Friday night.
In a rivalry game covered nationally by the YES cable network, Norman and freshman center Brian Cusworth had career nights. Norman shot 8-of-11, including three three-pointers, to finish with a career-high 20 points. Cusworth had 16 points in only 19 minutes of action.
But the story of the evening was Yale guard Chris Leanza, who exploded for 19 first-half points and was unguardable for long stretches. He scored half of the Bulldogs’ points while Yale built a 38-30 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs came out of the break strong as well, scoring nine points in three minutes to extend their advantage to 13.
“Our first three or four possessions [of the second half] were abysmal,” Sullivan said.
Harvard did its best to chip away at the lead but was unable to come any closer than eight points for most of the half.
Yale’s best player, guard Edwin Draughan, broke out of a first-half slump with 11 second-half points, and—like Brown the next night—the Bulldogs used the free-throw line to their advantage.
After a relatively clean first half that saw Yale go to the line only three times while the Crimson was shut out, the Bulldogs made 28 second-half trips against Harvard’s nine. With Yale shooting better from behind the arc, the trips to the line were a killer for Harvard.
“We were unable to generate any stops,” Sullivan said. “We can’t play a 90-point game against Yale.”
An inspired late run by the Crimson made Yale coach James Jones look foolish, but it wasn’t enough for Harvard to reclaim the lead. With nearly three minutes remaining and a 17-point advantage, Jones pulled his starters. Almost immediately, the Crimson began nailing three-pointers while the Bulldog bench players flubbed possessions. Harvard pulled to within 89-82 with a minute left before Yale’s regulars came back to finish the Crimson off.
Harvard’s sub-.500 finish was its first in three years, and its sub-.500 Ivy record came after four identical 7-7 finishes. The 4-10 conference record also ties the 1994-95 mark as the second-worst of Sullivan’s 12-year tenure. The Crimson’s only league wins came via sweeps of Ivy doormats Dartmouth and Columbia.
Sullivan located the turning point of the season at the critical four-game road swing right after January exams, when Harvard could not beat the league’s top teams on the road and the Crimson’s top player, senior guard Pat Harvey, was declared academically ineligible.
“Our confidence may have been shaken. The team weathered it pretty well,” Sullivan said of that crucial juncture. “And if anything, they’re guilty of trying too hard.”
—Staff writer Rahul Rohatgi can be reached at rohatgi@fas.harvard.edu.