Columbia got within 22-16 with 4:27 left in the half after a Noruwa Agho layup and a Crimmins hook shot over Wright. But the Crimson responded with a 7-0 run capped by a long three from McNally to push the lead to 29-16. The Lions finished the period with an Ampim layup and a Barbour hesitation floater off the glass with four seconds to go, after Webster got caught in the air and threw it away.

Craig and Barbour each had eight points to pace Columbia, while Agho–who scored 27 at Harvard earlier in the year and began the game as the conference’s leading scorer at 16.1 points per game–was held to just seven on 2-of-12 shooting.

Wright led the Crimson with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while McNally added 15 and 6.

Harvard shot 51.3 percent from the field on the evening, compared to 34.0 percent for the Lions. The Crimson was a perfect 18-for-18 from the free throw line and out-rebounded Columbia, 36-18.

“[Coach] wasn’t happy with our rebounding last night,” Curry said. “[He] really challenged [Wright and Casey], and they stepped up to the challenge.”

The victory gave Harvard 20 wins for the second straight year and second time in program history, while pushing it into a first-place conference tie with Princeton with four games remaining.

“I thought there were going to be some twists and turns before this was over,” Amaker said. “We’re going to be focused on what we’re doing and where we are. That’s been our priority, but we’ll see how it’ll all shake out in the end.”