In the second half, it was more of the same. A combination of solid interior play by Okolie, Saunders, sophomore Zena Edosomwan combined with a collective defensive rebounding effort forced Cornell to settle for low percentage shots. Saunders alone was responsible for 10 defensive rebounds, as he fell just short of his career high of 12.

DON'T BLINKAs the clocked expired in the first half, junior captain Siyani Chambers broke down his defender to hit the layup and send the Crimson into the locker room trailing 24-21.

Previously, Harvard’s offense had struggled. No fast break points, five turnovers, and 31 percent shooting from the floor character a forgetful first half for the Crimson on offense.

Nonetheless, things changed ever so quickly for the home team. Saunders opened up the second half with five straight points, hitting a tough bank shot from the left side and then draining a three on the next possession.

“I just wanted to come out and give the team an energy boost and lead the way,” Saunders said. “That was a good start and my teammates just found me, they had confidence in me to keep giving me the ball.”

In just 1:12, Cornell had lost its lead that it had worked the entire first half to build. But things would only get worse from there for the Big Red.

Over the next eight minutes, Harvard would go on a 24-2 run, extending the lead and making it a 45-26 game. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the Crimson had taken what looked like a potential upset and turned it into a blowout.

During that run, Chamber’s ability to push the pace and find both Miller and Saunders in transition was crucial in breaking down the Cornell defense.

—Staff writer Andrew Farber can be reached at andrewfarber@college.harvard.edu.