Harvard had one last shot to get a win, against San Jose State, before the Ivy season started. Despite committing 25 turnovers and shooting a dismal 3-15 from three, the Crimson managed to hold off the Spartans for a 58-53 win.

But the win was not enough to break Harvard out of its late-game woes. The Crimson held double-digit leads in each of its first four Ivy contests, but only managed to win one.

Sandwiched between the blowouts at the hands of Penn and Brown was the Princeton game, one which the Crimson led by six late in the second half, only to watch the Tigers slowly whittle away at the advantage and force overtime.

Heading into the matchup with Yale, Harvard had been in a position to win five of its seven Ivy contests, but had just one victory to show for it.

But against the Bulldogs, the Crimson didn’t crack down the stretch. Six threes by junior guard Kevin Rogus kept Harvard alive in the waning minutes, and a crucial block by Beal iced the game. With the loss, Yale’s hopes of competing for an Ivy title were dashed. The Crimson would down Cornell in the same manner one week later, ending the Big Red’s title hopes as well.

“[Beating Cornell] was a terrific win based on playing the toughest team, on the road, on the toughest weekend of the year,” Sullivan said.

Harvard went on to drop the final four games of the season, with only the loss to Princeton coming by less than double digits. The final game against Penn provided a high note, as Rogus set the single-season three-point record with 74 conversions.

Unlike last year, this squad will remain fully intact heading into next year. The Crimson will also regain the services of Cusworth, who will be returning to school in the fall. And if the luck returns to Lavietes Pavilion, maybe a few of the bounces will go to the Harvard side as well.

Before the final matchup with the Killer P’s, Norman said, “We’ve been coming together as a team all season and now we want to send a message to the Ivy League.”

Next year, the Crimson will get that chance.

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