“Bryce is very aggressive and that’s what we need,” Chambers said on Wednesday. “He’s a very aggressive, look to score type guard and I’m more of a try to drive and dish, so we have a good balance going on with both of us.”
Aiken swung the momentum back in Harvard’s direction after hitting a three—the first of the game for either team—with 4:27 remaining in the first half. Prior to the shot, Harvard had fallen into its deepest hole of the game down 23-17, but Aiken’s shot put the game back within one possession, exciting the fans in Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Similarly, Chambers scored under duress when plays collapsed. While his first instinct was to pass—which resulted in a team-high four assists—the senior finished the night with 12 points, which was second only to Aiken.
Chambers and Aiken’s consistency will be key as Amaker toys with the wing position. While Towns started at the three spot, the Columbus, Ohio native got into foul trouble and struggled to find his shot, as he sunk only 3-of-8 from the floor. Sophomore Corey Johnson also filled in at the wing when playing with Chambers and Aiken, but was not his typical three-point-machine self, finishing the day without scoring a point.
WE’RE NOT IN LAVIETES ANYMORE
Compared to other major basketball universities, Harvard basketball home games are typically lacking in pomp and circumstance. There are no loud hype videos, the gym is filled with bleachers rather than seats, and a typical halftime contest usually involves young children racing to dress up in a basketball uniform and sink a layup.
This was not the case at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday afternoon. The 18,000-seat facility, though not packed, had several thousand fans in attendance—including significant crowds of Stanford and Harvard alumni from China and the U.S.
In addition to the local fans and university affiliates, several former professional basketball players were in attendance for the game. Bill Walton, a staff member of the Pac-12, called the game for the ESPN broadcast. Former Houston Rockets Center Yao Ming was in attendance as the Pac-12 donated $10,000 to his youth foundation. Stanford alum Jason Collins—who became the first openly gay professional athlete in any of the four major North American sports leagues in 2013— travelled with the Cardinal throughout the week. Additionally, Harvard alum Jeremy Lin and Brooklyn Nets teammate Brook Lopez of Stanford sent their well wishes to their respective teams as well via video broadcast from New York.
While many of the fans did not align specifically with either the Crimson or the Cardinal, there were loud cheers from the audience anytime a player sunk a three-pointer or slammed a dunk home. Travis was arguably the most popular player as he had several dunks, including one in which he hung with his arm through the rim for several seconds, eliciting the loudest cheers of the day.
“[Being in China has] been an amazing experience for us all the way around,” Amaker said. “Obviously wish we could have come out on the right side of the ledger here in terms of the ‘W’ here this afternoon, but all in all for us to have the opportunity to bring our ball club here, to experience this amazing country and two different cities and just learning about the rich history and tradition here…we’re very lucky.”
–Staff writer Theresa C. Hebert can be reached at theresa.hebert@thecrimson.com.