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Harvard (9-14, 4-6 Ivy) and Princeton (17-8, 6-4 Ivy) came into a pivotal Friday night matchup on dramatically different trajectories. The Crimson posted a 2-0 record last weekend, whereas the Tigers went 0-2 in a rare two-game skid under head coach Mitch Henderson. Despite recent momentum, Princeton were 8.5 point favorites at the start of the night, having won seven straight against the Crimson in recent years.

After a hotly contested start to the game, Princeton pulled ahead near the end of the first period. Harvard chipped away at the deficit throughout the second half, but it was ultimately unable to complete the comeback, falling to the Tigers, 76-71. The loss makes the post-season implications for tomorrow’s matchup against Penn even greater, with just four games to play in the Ivy League season.

Neither team could find a bucket for the first minute and a half of the game, until reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Caden Pierce grabbed his own offensive board to open the scoring with a layup.

Freshman guard Robert Hinton then cashed in one of his signature turn-around jumpers to give Harvard its first points, before senior guard Louis Lesmond splashed in the Crimson’s first three of the game.

Harvard gave the Tigers a few extra possessions early on with a pair of turnovers, but leveled the score 7-7 four minutes in after a tough hook shot from Lesmond inside the paint.

Princeton continued a hot start from three point range, knocking down a three to go up, 10-7. Hinton returned the favor with a three of his own from the top of the key, tie game.

Despite co-captain Evan Nelson turning over the ball on the next drive, the Tigers were unable to capitalize, giving up a steal to co-captain Chandler Piggé, who was fed an outlet pass by Nelson to score a contested layup on the break and give Harvard its first lead, 12-10.

Buckets continued to prove hard to come by, with a series of turnovers and good defense from both teams leaving the score tied at 12 a piece almost halfway through the first period.

Princeton’s junior guard Xavian Lee knocked down a few free throws on a shooting foul that occurred with less than a second left on the shot clock, before first year guard Tey Barbour then knocked down a corner three to regain a Crimson lead. Lee responded once again with a three of his own to flip the lead once again, this time, 17-15, Princeton.

As both offenses started to get into a bit of a flow, the teams traded buckets in the paint, neither able to create distance from the other.

It was the Tigers, however, who pulled away for the first time through first-year forward CJ Happy, who went on a nine-point, individual run for the Tigers, before handing the ball to senior guard Blake Peters, who hit a pair of threes to give Princeton its biggest of the night, 37-27.

Harvard was not able to narrow that gap in the last two minutes of the first half, with the Tigers using their momentum to enter the locker room up twelve, 41-29.

The Crimson closed that gap to nine early in the second twice with some nice offense, including an old-fashioned three-point-play from Hinton. With both offenses heating up, the margin stayed at eleven with nearly five minutes played.

After Nelson was fouled on a corner three, he hit all three shots from the line to make it an eight point game. Hinton continued his hot start to the second period with a three on the next possession, cutting the deficit to seven.

The three point barrage from Princeton, however, did not relent, with two more deep shots bringing the lead back to eleven, 56-45. Harvard couldn’t find a footing against the Tiger’s attack until it had become a 17 point game, 62-45.

Sophomore forward Thomas Batties II, who secured Ivy League Player of the Week honors last week for his monster 52 point performance across two games, was held scoreless until nine minutes left in the second, when he opened his account with a cutting layup and a three to score the first points for the Crimson in over four minutes, setting the game at, 65-50, with 7:40 to play.

Hinton continued an efficient game, giving Harvard fans some hope after cutting the lead to eleven with 4:39 to play. With Harvard in the bonus, Piggé whittled away at that lead further, making it a nine-point game with two free throws on the next possession.

Princeton appeared to decide to try to kill the clock early, making sure to use the full time on each possession even if it meant passing up potential scoring opportunities. After a blank from the Tigers, Hinton was able to cut the lead to eight with 2:45 remaining on his third three of the night.

Lee hit a deep three to restore an eleven point cushion for the Tigers. Two more Hinton free throws and a quick two off of a turnover would bring the Crimson back within seven, but with time running dangerously low.

After conceding a bucket, a technical foul on Princeton, combined with a foul on the floor, would give Harvard four free throws to make it a five-point game, 76-71, but the Crimson would run out of time to complete the comeback as the clock expired.

Hinton finished the game with a career high 31 points, on perfect 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range, and 8-of-9 made free throws.

With Brown and Penn securing wins against Columbia and Dartmouth on Friday night, the Crimson still sit one game adrift of fourth place, but now behind both the Big Red and the Bears in that contest. Harvard finishes off its final road trip of the year with a Saturday night game tomorrow against the Quakers, before heading home for the final three games of the season.

– Staff Writer Alexander K. Bell can be reached at alexander.bell@thecrimson.com.