THAT GAI

The explosion that Fairfield had been waiting for all season finally occurred.

After recording just one double-double all season—a 12-point, 12-rebound performance against Elon—Stags forward Deng Gai tore apart the Harvard defense, scoring 23 points and pulling down 13 boards, both season-highs.

“He’s very difficult to guard in the low post because of his quickness,” Sullivan said. “He can also get offensive rebound tip-ins real well. He was certainly a problem for us.”

The 6’9 senior, a native of Sudan, also blocked six Crimson shots, tied for his second-best performance of the season.

“We knew he was a big shot blocker,” Norman said. “We knew he could jump out of the gym...He’s just a complete player, so that was going to be a tough matchup.”

Gai recorded 12 of his 16 first-half points during Fairfield’s 28-7 run that consumed 10 minutes of the first half.

Gai, a preseason first-team All-MAAC selection, declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft last spring, but withdrew a week before the draft took place.

BOARDED UP

For the fifth consecutive game—and the seventh time in eight tries all season—Harvard won the rebounding battle, as the Crimson pulled down 47 boards to Fairfield’s 35.

Harvard recorded 20 of its boards at the offensive end, nearly outrebounding the Stags at that end of the floor.

“We missed a lot of shots,” Norman said of the offensive rebounding effort.

Leading the way for the Crimson was sophomore center Brian Cusworth, who pulled down 13 boards, which tied his career-high.

Stehle also pitched in on the glass, collecting nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

—Staff writer Michael R. James can be reached at mrjames@fas.harvard.edu.