Casey, who shot 4-of-9 from the field on the night, knocked down a pair of three-pointers, including one with 6:07 to play in the first half that ended a 9-0 UConn run and brought Harvard within six.

“Kyle should be able to be an inside-out player for us, which is what’s done,” Amaker said. “I thought he played very hard and fairly well. He made some perimeter shots, which is something we’re going to need to stretch the defense against any opponent.”

Perhaps even more impressive than his final stat line, Casey managed to stay out of foul trouble throughout the contest despite playing a season-high 33 minutes.

MISFIRING

With Wright and the Crimson’s post offense limited by UConn’s size up front, Harvard needed a strong shooting performance if it was going to come away from Storrs with a victory.

But Harvard, which has been plagued by shooting woes all season, continued to struggle on Thursday, as the Crimson shot just 7-of-21 from beyond the arc.

“With their perimeter players, I thought they increased the pressure, forced us into some bad things, some quick things,” Amaker said.

Through nine games, Harvard has yet to shoot over 40 percent from deep on a single night, a feat it accomplished 14 times a season ago.

Wings Christian Webster and Laurent Rivard, the Crimson’s leaders in made three-pointers this season, connected on just 4-of-14 attempts.

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