But Harvard struggled holding onto the ball in the early going, opening the game with four straight turnovers.

MIT took advantage, building its 10-0 lead behind the play of Kates, who knocked down a jumper, finished a layup, and hit a three-pointer on his first three shots.

Harvard co-captain Christian Webster entered the game for sophomore center Kenyatta Smith with 16:25 to go, which helped jump-start the Crimson offense.

The senior wing got to the free-throw line with 14:44 to go, giving Harvard its first points of the game off a pair of free throws.

On the Crimson’s next possession, Saunders found Webster under the basket, and the senior finished an up-and-under layup to pull Harvard within six.

Travis scored the Crimson’s next four points by cleaning up freshman point guard Siyani Chambers’ miss and finishing a layup off an entry pass from Webster.

Saunders evened the score on a transition basket with 10:36 to go, and Smith gave the Crimson its first lead one possession later with a hook shot.

Harvard extended its advantage to as many as eight in the first half and went into the break with a 31-26 lead.

“We had a little jitters,” said Saunders, who scored eight first-half points. “I think we just had to settle down and get into the rhythm of the game, and everything kind of worked its way out.”

The Crimson opened the second frame with a 6-0 run to go up 11, and its lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.

In his collegiate debut, Chambers finished with nine points, three assists, and two turnovers in 36 minutes.

Rivard was the only player to play more minutes for the Crimson, shooting three of seven in 37 minutes.

Also making his first career start, Smith recorded eight points, eight rebounds, and five blocks in 21 minutes.

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