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Following consecutive defeats in conference play, the Crimson (9-6, 0-2 Ivy) traveled to the “Cathedral of College Basketball” — the Palestra, home of all things college basketball in Philadelphia — in a highly anticipated conference matchup against the Penn Quakers (9-8, 1-1). Harvard’s trip proved successful, earning an exhilarating 70-61 victory over the Quakers and moving up to fourth place in the Ivy League standings. Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara led the Crimson’s effort, scoring a game-high 18 points. Junior guard Louis Lesmond and freshman guard Malik Mack contributed timely buckets en route to 17 and 16 point performances, respectively.
“I’m proud of our team,” said Harvard assistant coach Mike Sotsky. “We really targeted trying to limit their three-point shooting. They’re a very tough team… we were going to need to match that on the backboard which I think we did for the most part.”
Penn opened the scoring with a triple by junior forward Nick Spinoso. After trading baskets, Okpara found Lesmond, the Paris native, for an open three-pointer to tie the game 5-5. The Parisian then caught fire, knocking down two more from downtown and attacking the basket to give the Crimson a 15-9 advantage. Lesmond’s hot shooting became contagious as Harvard connected on eight consecutive field goals, extending its lead to 24-16. Both offenses stalled for a minute, leading to a wise Crimson timeout.
Following Penn free throws, Mack provided a spurt on offense, converting on a deep three-ball and drawing a foul on another attempt from behind the arc. Harvard’s defense then tightened, causing eight consecutive misses. The Quakers found most of their offense from the free-throw line, entering the bonus with seven minutes left in the first half as they trailed 29-20. Despite the foul trouble, Harvard remained aggressive as Okpara imposed his presence in the paint with back-to-back baskets including a difficult and-one, increasing the lead to 34-20.
A three-point shooting display ensued, beginning when Mack found first-year forward Thomas Batties II for an open triple. This was followed by consecutive triples by Okpara. A final three pointer by Mack ended the Crimson’s scoring as Harvard went into halftime sporting a 46-26 lead. The Crimson surpassed their season average of 7.5 three-pointers per game, converting nine in the first half — more than Penn would tally during the entire game.
A sense of urgency proliferated through the Quakers’ bench leading to a full court press and renewed defensive vigor. This resulted in back-to-back forced turnovers and transition baskets, fueling a 9-0 run to start the second half. “We certainly need to improve against pressure… the game got more interesting which is a credit to [Penn],” Sotsky said.
Mack restored Harvard’s offensive mojo, converting a tough jumper to momentarily quiet the raucous Palestra crowd. However, he quickly neutralized those points by committing a technical foul on Spinoso, narrowing the score to 48-37. Following a tough layup in traffic by Okpara, Harvard’s defense stiffened once more, forcing a turnover and triple off the turnover forced by sophomore guard Chandler Piggé, extending the margin to 53-37.
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The game script flipped with the turnover, with the game turning from an offensive battle into a defensive showdown. The Quakers’ suffocating defense forced a 6:48 scoring drought, but Penn could not take advantage as their offensive woes continued. A Lesmond three pointer ended Harvard’s drought, preserving a 56-42 lead. With nine minutes left in the contest, Penn ramped up the aggression, drawing fouls and forcing turnovers en route to a 13-3 Quakers run encapsulated by a Harvard turnover off an inbound pass.
The score stood 59-55 as the Palestra rocked with Penn fans hopeful for an amazing comeback. Piggé sliced through Penn’s interior defense for a basket, temporarily silencing the crowd. Both teams’ defenses stood tall, forcing each other into shot clock violations. The teams traded jumpers, followed by a Penn timeout with Harvard leading 63-57 and 1:52 left of game time.
Out of the stoppage, senior forward Justice Ajogbor dealt a crushing block on Spinoso, and Harvard bled out precious seconds, crushing Penn’s comeback chances for good. More free throws and baskets left the final score at 70-61.
Harvard’s defensive prowess limited Penn’s star tandem of Spinoso and first-year guard Tyler Perkins to a combined 7-24 shooting performance. Mack’s performance in this game helped earn him Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the sixth time. He is averaging 19.8 points per game, which ranks second among all active D-I freshmen. The victory marked Harvard’s first over Penn since February 22, 2020. The Crimson return to Lavietes Pavilion to host Yale on Saturday, January 27th.
—Staff writer Oscar E. Mercado can be reached at oscar.mercado@thecrimson.com.
