Crimson pass 1st road test
AMHERST — After his team lost at home to Northeastern last Friday, Harvard coach Tommy Amaker stressed a need to get tougher.
This was the kind of response he was looking for.
Chris Lewis scored 16 points, Danilo Djuricic added 13, and the Crimson got important contributions from others as they locked down defensively and withstood Luwane Pipkins’ 36 points to squeeze out a 74-71 road win over UMass last night at the Mullins Center.
Staring at a slate of four consecutive road games, Harvard (2-1) knew it needed to play with more urgency, and the Crimson showed it as they brought energy from the jump, fought through foul trouble and staved off a late UMass rally.
“We had to have an edge about us,” said Justin Bassey, who finished with seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists. “We had to come with a certain spirit and a fight about our team, really coming in and working as a collective unit to accomplish our goals, to get a big, gutsy win for us on the road. Guys stepped up.”
Pipkins was UMass’ fuel all night, but his effort wasn’t enough. He didn’t get much help, as no other Minuteman scored more than 11 points, and the Crimson continuously beat them on hustle plays and in transition.
“We didn’t play hard enough,” Pipkins said. “They played harder than us. They wanted it more obviously, and we just laid down and gave it to them.”
Harvard opened a 10-point lead early in the second half, but Pipkins led a comeback. UMass (2-1) took its first lead on Tre Wood’s short jumper (50-49) with 10:55 left, but the Crimson had every answer.
The teams traded blows until Harvard made some plays down the stretch to give it enough distance. Christian Juzang’s threepoint play on a backdoor cut made it 68-63 with 2:34 to play, and Lewis’ layup made it 70-65 with 1:57 left. But Pipkins found Jonathan Laurent for a layup, and Pipkins’ two free throws after being fouled made it a one-point game with 39 seconds left.
UMass opted to play defense on the next possession rather than extend the game, but Laurent fouled Bassey at the end of the shot clock and he made both free throws. The Minutemen then decided to go for two and foul, and Pipkins made a layup before they sent Juzang to the line. He made both and Pipkins missed a prayer at the buzzer.
“Just knowing their team, veteran team, have won championships, they weren’t going to beat themselves,” UMass coach Matt McCall said. “Every single mistake we made tonight, they capitalized on.
“That’s what really good teams do. That’s what veteran teams do.”
Harvard weathered an early storm of foul trouble to stay in front. Bassey was whistled for his third foul on a charge with 11:29 left in the first half. Lewis and Djuricic, who helped give the Crimson a lead with 10 early points, also picked up two fouls.
Still without two of their best players in Seth Towns and Bryce Aiken, others stepped up, particularly Noah Kirkwood. The freshman made his share of mistakes with five turnovers, but his nine points and four assists off the bench were a huge lift. Rio Haskett also made an impact with six points and six rebounds.
“We talk a lot about our bench and our balance, those two B words will be critical for our team and they have been with certain teams, and I think this one will continue to ring true as we go down the road here,” Amaker said. “Having guys that we can rely on and are dependable coming off the bench.”
Said McCall: “It’s a really good game for us to prepare us going forward for A-10 play . . . . It’s a great game for us, and games like this, games early, we’ve gotta find ways to win games like this.”