The Bears stuck around despite shooting just 30 percent in the first half mainly because they were able to grab 12 offensive rebounds and force 13 Harvard turnovers.

“Those were the main themes at halftime,” Sullivan said, “trying to cut down on their defensive rebounding, and taking care of the ball better.”

Harvard limited Brown to seven offensive boards after halftime, and committed only seven turnovers following the break. The Crimson was able to stifle the vaunted running game of the Bears, as Brown was held without a single fast break point.

“When we got into the half-court sets, and we took care of the ball, we were getting easy baskets,” Cusworth said. “That also cuts down on their ability to play their style of game.”

With Brown’s best player held in check, forward Luke Ruscoe’s 11 points and eight rebounds paced the Bears. But neither Forte nor Ruscoe could reverse the offensive doldrums that Brown entered at the critical juncture of the second half—the Bears shot only 2-of-12 from the floor over the game’s final 8:49, missing their chance to make it a contest.

The win was Sullivan’s 150th as Harvard’s coach, and marked the latest the Crimson has been above .500 in league play since the 2001-2002 season.

—Staff writer Caleb W. Peiffer can be reached at cpeiffer@fas.harvard.edu.