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Harvard Falls in NIT First Round to Oklahoma State
Complete Men's Basketball Final Release in pdf format
Courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Kyle Casey led the way with 13 points, while Keith Wright and Laurent Rivard tallied 10 points apiece, but the Harvard men's basketball team dropped a game in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) to Oklahoma State, 71-54, at Gallagher-Iba Arena Tuesday evening.
Brandyn Curry chipped in with six assists, while Oliver McNally scored nine points.
The Crimson, which was making the program's first appearance in the NIT, concludes its season with a 23-7 overall record. Marshall Moses (18 points, eight rebounds) and Reger Dowell paced the offense for OSU, which advances to the second round with a 20-13 mark.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 9-2 lead, but a layup by Wright at 16:34 snapped a 7-0 run for OSU, making it 9-4. Wright made a steal at midcourt moments later and McNally netted a basket on the break to get the Crimson within three, 9-6. With 13:32 left in the first half, Harvard's Matt Brown drilled a trey from the wing to cut the deficit to six, 15-9. Wright drilled two free throws to get within nine, 24-15, with just under 10 minutes to go in the first half. The Cowboys, which hit 11 of its first 16 shots (.688), opened up a 29-15 advantage until Wright hit a basket with 7:58 to go.
Rivard buried a triple with 6:12 remaining, pulling Harvard within 13, 33-20. Christian Webster added a layup as Harvard continued to chip away, 34-22. Curry added a 3-pointer of his own with 3:34 left, keeping Harvard within 12, 37-25. Heading into the break, Harvard trailed, 41-27, with Wright pacing the Crimson with eight points. Curry added five assists in the first stanza, but Harvard shot only 42.3 percent from the floor (11-of-26), compared to OSU's 55.6 percent clip (15-of-27). The Cowboys also led in rebounds, 17-9, after the first 20 minutes.
With Harvard down 18, 45-27, Christian Webster made Harvard's first basket of the second half, hitting a 3-pointer from the left wing. Casey added a two-handed dunk on the break on the Crimson's next possession, as Harvard got within 13, 45-32, with 16:26 remaining. McNally drained a trey with just over 15 minutes left, making it 47-35, as Harvard continued to find its rhythm on offense. Casey dunked the ball again on a fastbreak to get cut the deficit to just 10, 47-37, with 14:11 to play. Moments later, Wright scored on a layup, capping a 7-0 Harvard run, 47-39, but the Crimson could not get any closer.
Casey found McNally with a nice give-and-go play with 8:48 left, getting Harvard within 13, 54-41. Rivard hit another triple with 5:46 left, making it 60-45 in favor of OSU. On the Crimson's next possession, Casey made a jump shot over two defenders, getting Harvard back within 13, 60-47. Rivard and Casey made consecutive layups near the three-minute mark to keep pace with the Cowboys, 64-51.
The Cowboys owned a 31-23 advantage in rebounds for the game and held the Crimson to just 40 percent shooting (22-of-55). Casey paced Harvard with seven rebounds, while Rivard connected on two of Harvard's six 3-pointers.
