Though most of Norman’s positive play consisted of relative intangibles, Norman got the attention of the entire crowd when he slammed the dagger into Columbia’s heart. Cusworth rebounded a missed free throw and fired the ball cross-court to a wide-open Norman, who caught the ball and threw down a spectacular two-hand reverse jam to electrify the crowd and give the Crimson a 65-58 lead with 3:45 remaining.

DOING THE DIRTY WORK

Senior Graham Beatty played just seven minutes but gave the team some great energy off the bench. He had an assist and three offensive rebounds.

“Graham, even though he got into foul trouble, really contributed,” Sullivan said. “His presence, his strength, his three offensive rebounds were really big.”

Early in the first half, Beatty had one of his best offensive possessions of the season. He had an offensive rebound and kept alive two other misses that his teammates corralled. Harvard did not score on the possession, as Rogus missed three three-pointers and Michael Beal missed a jumper, but Beatty’s hustle seemed contagious.

Beatty was one of a number of bench players who came up big for the Crimson. Sophomore Jim Goffredo nailed four threes for 14 points total, and Beal had nine points, six rebounds, and four assists in 18 minutes.

—Staff writer Stewart H. Hauser can be reached at hauser@fas.harvard.edu.