With seniors Kenyatta Smith and captain Steve Moundou-Missi patrolling the lane, no shot went uncontested. Smith finished the night with four blocks.

“It’s definitely a big confidence booster when those guys are back there cleaning up shots,” said Saunders. “You can pressure the ball knowing that if you get beat, they have your back.”

While statistics might not show it, junior co-captain Siyani Chambers and sophomore Corbin Miller both played excellent help defense, sliding into the lane to either poke at the ball or force an extra pass. Harvard combined for eight steals, guarding the perimeter with excellent mobility and only allowing for two made three-pointers.

“[Coach Amaker] always preaches defense,” said Saunders. “That is always our calling card…. It was a key tonight to stop the shooters, and we did a good job of that.”

Harvard held Northeastern to just 46 points, its lowest total of the season, and sent it only its second loss.

"I thought we showed a tremendous commitment to defense,” said Amaker. “I thought we came with a resolve defensively especially against a team with [Scott] Eatherton on the inside.”

Though Northeastern’s senior Eatherton did manage to drop a game-high 16 points, only one other Husky would reach double digits on the night.

Though Harvard maintained a double-digit lead throughout the majority of the night, white jerseys were constantly on the floor and scrambling for loose balls. On two separate occasions, Chambers dove to the ground for steals that he didn’t come up with, setting the tone of the game with his constant aggressiveness.

Similarly, while Harvard allowed 15 offensive rebounds, that number can be quite deceptive. Many of Northeastern’s boards came off of errant or altered shots that were deep in the shot clock, as the Huskies all crashed the boards.

In addition, as Northeastern sent five guys to the glass, Harvard’s offensive rebounds resulted in long outlet passes and easy layups on the other end for eight fast break points.

LIGHTING UP LAVIETES

Maybe it was the pregame speech from Coach Amaker, maybe it was the result of a thrilling win just a couple days ago over UMass, or maybe it was the presence of the Harvard football team in the student section. Whatever it was, the Crimson came out Wednesday night against Northeastern a newfound energy.

With students packing Lavietes for the first game since Thanksgiving break, Coach Tommy Amaker’s squad put on a show in the opening ten minutes of the contest. After trailing to UMass (5-2) at the end of the first half just four days ago, Harvard wanted no part of that on Wednesday night.

Flawless execution, quick ball movement and smart shot selection paved the way to a 10-0 lead for the Crimson out the gate. Defensively, regardless of whom Amaker put on the floor, all five Harvard players were engaged and active.

“We talked about starting the game off and getting out to a good start, which we did,” said Amaker. “We have taken that to heart and that has been very important to us."