NEW HAVEN, Conn.—Harvard’s season was hanging in the balance. Yale forward Jordan Gibson’s layup at the end of the first half made the score 34-25 in the Bulldogs favor. The Crimson labored for much of the opening period, scoring just five points over the final 10 minutes of the frame.

“I can’t repeat it,” joked Harvard coach Tommy Amaker of his halftime speech. “I wasn’t pleased with the latter part of the first half and how we played.”

Whatever Amaker told his players apparently made an impression as the Crimson opened the second half on fire.

The run began with a drive and finish by freshman forward Kyle Casey. His classmate in the backcourt, Brandyn Curry followed with a layup and then a deep three-pointer.

Next, co-captain Jeremy Lin scored six straight points. His first bucket came when Casey found him on a backdoor cut, and he finished with a reverse layup. Minutes later, Lin buried shots on consecutive possessions. The senior standout grabbed a defensive rebound and took it coast-to-coast for an uncontested lay-in, before driving into the middle of the lane for a floater.

A lefty hook from co-captain Doug Miller and a three from the left corner by freshman forward Christian Webster capped the 18-4 run and turned a nine point deficit into a five point lead.

“I thought our kids responded very well,” Amaker said. “I was very pleased to see how we came out in the second half and inched our way back in it and made it a game. It was an incredible basketball game from that point forward.”

SPICY CURRY

After Lin fouled out with 1:15 remaining in regulation, Harvard needed someone to step up and run the offense.

Curry proved he was up to the task. The freshman’s ability to create looks for his teammates and score himself was instrumental to the Crimson’s win.

“Bradyn in particular was outstanding with his play, with handling the ball and scoring,” Amaker said. “We needed all of that.”

At the start of overtime, Curry drew a foul on a drive and knocked down both free throws to give Harvard an early lead. The next time down the court Casey and Webster missed in the paint, but Curry raced to the weak side where he grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the put back.

“I just felt that I had to be aggressive—a little bit more aggressive—and just make plays for my teammates, and get us the win,” Curry said.

Under the freshman’s direction, the Harvard offense did not skip a beat. It was able to build a four-point lead and induce the Bulldogs to foul for the final minute of the game.

“As a matter of fact, I think their offense is better without [Lin] sometimes,” Yale coach James Jones said. “I wasn’t surprised one bit that they were able to make shots.”