“They beat Central Florida and Central Florida came back against us down 17 [at the Battle 4 Atlantis],” Calhoun said. “I told the kids that wasn’t happening tonight.”

But the Crimson battled and hung with the Huskies throughout the first half despite being undersized in the frontcourt and less athletic in the backcourt.

The teams went back-and-forth for the game’s first 12 minutes, with neither team able to take a lead of more than three. Harvard got out to a quick 7-4 advantage on a Webster three and a Curry-to-Casey alley-oop, but UConn came right back with a 5-0 run capped by a DeAndre Daniels long ball.

With 6:44 left in the half, the Huskies opened up a nine-point lead at 28-19 with a 7-0 run that was capped by a Napier jumper. But UConn scored just one more time before the period’s end, and Harvard got back within two on a Webster three and Curry free throw before the break.

“I think we played a tremendous first half,” Amaker said. “[But] they’re very talented, very big. … They’re just almost unguardable.”

The Crimson struggled inside defensively and offensively throughout the night, getting outrebounded 35-28 and outscored 30-18 in the paint. Wright—the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year—in particular had a tough time against projected NBA top-five pick Drummond, shooting just 3-10 from the field.

“They bothered [Wright],” Amaker said. “It wasn’t anything intricate or tricky; they’re tremendous upfront at being shot-deflectors and intimidators.”

But on the whole, the coach believed his team showed a lot of improvement from a year ago, when it lost 81-52 to the Huskies in Hartford.

“I was very pleased with the effort we brought,” Amaker said. “I thought we came here with the idea of winning and we played with that spirit. … [But] we have a long way to go.”

-Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu