Highly-touted recruit Laurent Rivard had the best game of his rookie season so far, shooting 5-of-8 from behind the three-point arc to lead Harvard in scoring with 21 points.

Last night’s Harvard men’s basketball game started out just like any other: a pass from sophomore point guard Brandyn Curry into the post to junior co-captain Keith Wright for two points.

But by the time the final buzzer brought an end to the Crimson’s 80-57 trouncing of Fordham (2-4) last night at Lavietes Pavilion, it was clear Harvard (5-1) had relied on an entirely different weapon to put points on the scoreboard.

Instead of relying on its post presence as it has throughout the season, the Crimson let it rain from beyond the arc, finishing with 15 three-pointers—two shy of the program record set in 2002. Five different Harvard players connected from deep on the night, shooting a combined 56 percent.

“We had a lot of open looks, and we moved the ball well,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “It was just a nice offensive rhythm.”

Freshman Laurent Rivard led the way, finishing with five treys on the night. After scoring just four points in the first half, Rivard caught fire in the second, notching a career-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

“I love that Laurent really got off tonight because he works so hard and he’s such a great shooter,” junior co-captain Oliver McNally said. “It’s about time something started falling for him.”

The Rams could not keep pace offensively, connecting on just 23.5 percent of its 17 three-point attempts while missing nine free throws.

Fordham finished with just 57 points, its second lowest offensive output of the season. The Crimson, meanwhile, notched its second highest scoring total of the year by shooting at its highest mark from long range.

But despite the lopsided outcome, it took some time for Harvard to take control of the game.

Wright netted three quick baskets to start the contest, but the Rams kept pace in the opening minutes, thanks to a pair of tough finishes in the paint from Fordham’s Chris Gaston. A trey from Alberto Estwick put the Rams ahead 10-6, but the Crimson answered with back-to-back three pointers from McNally and junior forward Andrew Van Nest.

Sophomore Kyle Casey—playing in just his third game since suffering a broken foot during the preseason—brought the crowd to its feet on the Crimson’s next possession, finishing a baseline two-handed slam to put Harvard up 14-10.

But Fordham’s Brenton Butler followed with a runner off the glass and a three to take back the lead.

From there though, it was all Crimson.

After Estwick missed his next three-point attempt, Harvard pushed the ball up the floor, where Curry found Casey open at the top of the key. Without hesitation, Casey let it fly, sinking the deep ball to give the Crimson a 17-15 lead.

“[Casey’s] gaining his rhythm back,” Amaker said. “You just see the growth.”