Kirkwood starts to shine as Crimson cruise

With some of its best players out, Harvard has had to rely on some different names through the first month of the season.

Noah Kirkwood has made perhaps the biggest impact so far for the Crimson. While the freshman has made a strong first impression, it’s not anything his coach hasn’t seen before.

Fresh off being named the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week, Kirkwood continued the hot start to his freshman campaign, scoring a career-high 20 points as Harvard held off a late rally from Holy Cross to come away with a 73-62 victory last night at Lavietes Pavilion.

Robert Baker added 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals off the bench for the Crimson (4-3), who snapped a four-game losing streak in its series with the Crusaders (4-3).

“I’m very impressed, but to be very honest, I’m not surprised,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said of Kirkwood, who played last season at Northfield Mount Hermon. “We’re pleased and impressed in some ways but not surprised because what we think we were getting when we were able to come here and decide to be at Harvard. He’s a pretty talented kid.”

In a team-high 26 minutes, Kirkwood went 7-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and used his 6-foot-7, 215-pound frame to make plays. He said he’s still getting adjusted to the pace of the college game, but gaining confidence with every game.

“It’s been a journey, I won’t lie,” Kirkwood said. “I feel like the transition from high school to college is a lot different. Some of the things you can do in high school, you just can’t do here, so I’ve learned that the hard way. But I feel like each game I’ve kind of grown from that . ...

“I’m learning each and every day. So far, it’s been great, and I hope I can just move from this game and keep on going.”

Kirkwood made two consecutive triples as Harvard built its largest lead of the game at 19 with 8:30 to play. But Holy Cross fought back and went on a 12-0 run. Jacob Grandison’s 3-pointer with 4:21 to play to cut the Crimson’s lead to seven, forcing Amaker to call timeout.

But Harvard responded well. On a broken play, Kirkwood made a driving layup to kickstart a 7-0 run for the Crimson. The Crusaders never got it closer.

With Chris Lewis out for a second straight game with a minor injury, Baker stepped up off the bench and provided energy. He scored six consecutive points in the first half, which included a steal and fast-break layup, as Harvard built a double-digit lead. In the second half, Baker finished a pair of alley-oop slams off lobs from Spencer Freedman.