NEW BRITAIN, Conn.—Bills-Oilers ’91, 49ers-Giants ’01, Mets-Red Sox ’86: all memories of some of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

For Harvard athletics, moments that even compare to these are either non-existent or, at best, few and far between.

Last night, however, in a small gym in New Britain, Conn., the Crimson men’s basketball team did just this, playing a game for the record books. And although it does not hold the same gravity of history’s greatest, the team’s improbable 72-65 18-point comeback victory over Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) was, if not anything else, miraculous.

COMEBACK KIDS

Things looked bleak for the Harvard men’s basketball team midway through the first half.

The game appeared to be over, as Harvard fell behind 29-11 with nine minutes to play in the beginning frame.

But something was stirring in the Derick gym. As the Blue Devil’s offense slowed down, and the Crimson woke up behind the combined efforts of senior center Brian Cusworth and sophomore forward Evan Harris, the stir became a rumble.

And after Jeremy Lin hit a diving jump shot with one second left on the shot clock to tie the game at 50-50 midway through the second half, it was crystal clear: Harvard’s comeback was on.

Before last night, the Crimson’s largest comeback over the past three years came last year in its win at Columbia. The gap the Crimson made up that night: 10 points.

Against CCSU last night, Harvard fought back from an incredible 18-point margin to muster its improbable 72-65 victory.

"It’s a confidence builder, since I’ve been here every time we get down big, we don’t muster much of a comeback," sophomore guard Drew Housmann said.

"But today we kept playing hard."

In the second half, the guards picked up where the big men left off, as Housmann nailed two threes on back-to-back possessions, followed by a running three from captain Jimmy Goffredo to first tie the game at 48-48. After Lin’s running lay-up, sophomore guard Andrew Pusar’s coast-to-coast steal turned lay-up put Harvard up 52-50, and, from that point on, the team never looked back.

EVAN DA MAN

Last night proved to be an up-and-down night for the Crimson.

The team was down 18, fought back to within six, was down 10, and then finally surged ahead.

Despite these highs and lows, one thing did remain constant for Harvard: sophomore forward Evan Harris.