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The Harvard men’s basketball team picked up this season’s signature win with a 73-71 victory over Princeton on Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion. The win was the Crimson’s first against one of the Ivy League’s three top teams this season and made the Tigers’ quest for an NCAA Tournament bid all the more difficult. If Yale can defeat Columbia Saturday night in New York, the Bulldogs will punch their first ticket to the Big Dance since 1962.

Harvard (12-16, 5-8 Ivy League) will have a chance to claim sole possession of fourth place in the Ancient Eight with a win over Penn on Saturday while Princeton (20-6, 10-2) will need some help from the Lions in order to leave New England with an opportunity to seize a share of the title with a win next Wednesday against the Quakers.

FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING

Senior forward Patrick Steeves was the difference on Friday for the Crimson. Harvard’s sixth man, who did not play a minute in his first three seasons in Cambridge, had his moment in the sun during his penultimate collegiate contest. With the game tied at 71 with 31.7 seconds to go, Harvard coach Tommy Amaker elected to ride the hot hand and called an isolation play for the Montreal native.

Steeves was fouled, nailed the two ensuing free throws, and blocked freshman Myles Stephens’ shot attempt on the other end to secure the victory. The final two possessions were a fitting conclusion to an evening in which Steeves, who scored a game-high 25 points, was consistently the best offensive player on the floor.

“I never would have thought that one year, two years ago, I would be in this position,” Steeves said. “I think it’s more of [Coach] trusting me to make that play than actually making the play.”

After only five points in the game’s first 19:56, the senior drilled a deep three to send the Crimson into halftime with an eight-point edge. As the Tigers clawed back, Steeves was the only Harvard player holding Princeton from a dance with destiny in Hanover.

The Crimson’s most versatile offensive player was tasked with guarding Princeton’s small-ball frontcourt and answered the call on the other end by scoring 15 of Harvard’s first 23 points to start the second half. Of the team’s 10 second half field goals, Steeves was responsible for six. None were as important as the two makes from the charity stripe with the game on the line.

“What an effort,” Amaker said. “I said to our kids, I thought we deserved it, whether or not it would happen for us.”

Against Columbia in January, Steeves and junior guard Corbin Miller missed the front ends of one-and-ones to leave the door open for what would eventually become a one-point Lion victory. On Friday, Steeves made up for it and then some.

If it can take care of its business on Saturday, Yale can thank the Crimson and its unlikely hero for helping to end its 54-year NCAA Tournament drought.

“I have a couple buddies on Yale though so I’m going to make sure to reach out to them,” Steeves said. “They have to take care of their business too. It’s kind of fitting. Dartmouth gave us a chance last year, this year we have to put the scales back in balance I guess.”

HOT START

Whether it was tired legs or shot nerves, the Tigers did not look like the team that outscored Harvard by 16 points in the teams’ first meeting last month. The Crimson, on the other hand, won the opening tip and did not look back, never trailing in the game’s first 20 minutes. The lead peaked at eight with 3:20 to play before the break and once again when Steeves drained a deep three before the halftime buzzer.

“We wanted to play inside-out and that’s what we always try to do, that’s our philosophy and I thought we were really determined to get the ball in the paint, get the ball to the rim and I thought we were good on the offensive glass as well,” Amaker said.

The hosts exploited Princeton’s undersized front line. Both starting junior Pete Miller and backup sophomore Alec Brennan struggled with foul trouble, notching six in just 25 minutes of play. Harvard was patient in its halfcourt offense, which led to open jumpers and quality looks inside. The Crimson finished the frame with 26 points in the paint while making 57.6 percent of its shots. The team only attempted two three pointers but managed to put up 43 points, the most it has scored in a first half this season.

—Staff Writer Stephen J. Gleason can be reached at stephen.gleason@thecrimson.com.