“The strength of our team is with [Stehle and Cusworth],” Sullivan said. “We have to look at those two on offense more than we have looked at those positions in the past. We weren’t real happy with how much it went in to the post today, but that’s something that just absolutely has to happen for us.”
DOWNRIGHT DEFENSIVE
While the overall team defensive effort may not have been where the squad would have liked, some of the key indicators show that this Crimson team has made some improvements on that side of the floor.
Harvard held McMaster to just 33.9 percent shooting from the field and 31.8 percent from behind the arc. Last year, the Crimson finished last in the league in scoring defense (76.6 points per game) and field goal percentage allowed (46.6 percent).
“Overall structurally, I wasn’t happy with the defense,” Sullivan said. “Was I happy with the field goal percentage [allowed]? Sure. Was I happy with 12 steals? Sure. Just overall, I wasn’t comfortable, because I feel it wasn’t as solid a performance [as it could have been]. But there was a bit of a gap, because we didn’t have a scouting report due to the exhibition setting.”
The combination of Klunick and sophomore guard Jim Goffredo proved especially proficient at pressuring the opposing ball handlers and forcing turnovers. The duo combined for five steals on the afternoon, including one which led directly to a Klunick layup—his only two points of the contest.
But even when they weren’t creating turnovers, they were forcing the Marauders to move the ball up the floor slowly, draining six to nine seconds of the shot clock before McMaster could even get across half court and get its offense set up.
“In the first half, Tyler was able to pressure the ball a little bit better than we were getting before, and the energy level picked up,” Sullivan said. “And Jimmy has done the same thing from time to time. While they’re small, they both have the ability to guard the ball really hard, especially dribblers.”
—Staff writer Michael R. James can be reached at mrjames@fas.harvard.edu.