Saunders finished the contest with team-highs in rebounds and assists, with nine and six, respectively, and tied for the team-high in points with 15.

On the other side of the court, MIT also relied on its lengthy wingman to shoulder the offensive burden. Junior guard Justin Pedley scored the first bucket of the game—a jumper from about a foot and a half behind the three-point line—and kept gunning the rest of the night. The marksman finished the contest having shot more than one-third of the Engineers’ field goals, going 7-for-16 in 39 minutes of play.

The play of the night, however, came from an unlikely source in an unlikely way. With Harvard up 17 and 11 minutes to go in the matchup, rookie Chatfield intercepted an errant MIT inbounds pass and sprinted up the court. The 6’4” guard reached the paint and took off, elevating for a two-hand dunk to the approval of both his teammates and the crowd.

Ultimately though, for the Crimson, Friday’s win marked just the first box to check off in the four-month grind that is the collegiate basketball season. And for a team with ever-climbing aspirations, there is no time to dwell on an opening-night victory.

“It was good to get the first game out of the way,” Saunders said. “MIT is a good team…and they forced us into a good game. So it was a good way to start off the season but [now we’re onto] Holy Cross.”

—Staff writer Juliet Spies-Gans can be reached at juliet.spiesgans@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @JulietSpiesGans.