Saunders carried the Crimson offensively for much of the period, scoring 11 of his team-high 18 points in the final frame. The wing was most effective getting to the free-throw line, where he knocked down 10-of-11 attempts.

“I thought Wesley did a terrific job overall,” Amaker said. “I thought his body of work this morning was outstanding.”

With 6:38 to go, Saunders gave Harvard its first lead in more than 10 minutes, finishing a transition layup in traffic to put the Crimson up, 56-54.

The Minutemen responded, taking back the lead with 5:19 remaining off a Raphiael Putney triple. But Webster answered on the other end with his lone basket of the period, a three-pointer from the corner to put Harvard up one, 60-59.

Saunders and sophomore Steve Moundou-Missi each knocked down a pair of free throws to extend Harvard’s lead to five with 1:21 to go, but the Crimson couldn’t hang on.

Making his first collegiate appearance against a Division I opponent, Chambers finished with 14 points, seven assists, and one turnover in 40 minutes.

Chambers was also tasked with defending Williams, a preseason pick for the Atlantic 10 first team. Williams was limited to 12 points on 6-of-15 shooting, but the junior dished out a game-high 10 assists.

Morgan paced the Minutemen with a game-high 19 points, while Putney added 13.

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