Casey’s shot ignited a 23-6 Harvard run over the next 8:04 of play.

Sophomore Christian Webster scored seven of his final 18 points during the stretch, getting four points from the charity stripe.

Van Nest capped off the run with 4:51 left in the half, sinking an open look from the perimeter off a pass from Wright.

The Crimson went into the break with a comfortable 13-point lead, but the Rams threatened early in the second period.

With 17:03 to play, Gaston pulled his team within eight, finishing with a two-handed flush in traffic off an inbounds play.

“He’s a workhorse in there,” Amaker said of Gaston, who led the Rams with 14 points and 10 rebounds. “We were trying to see if we could keep him off the glass.”

But eight was as close as the visitors would get, as Rivard nailed his first of five threes on the ensuing possession, knocking down an open shot from the right corner off a pass from Casey.

“My shots were wide open all the time so I can’t really take credit for them,” Rivard said. “My teammates moved the ball really well.”

Harvard continued to find open looks, connecting from deep four times in a stretch of 2:07 midway through the second period.

“[Fordham] didn’t play that many guys so I think they started wearing down defensively,” McNally said. “And we were just being unselfish and moving the ball around.”

Rivard’s fourth three with 8:19 left sealed the win, putting the home team up by 27.

“We’re all good shooters,” Rivard said. “[The ball] just went in today.”

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.