Harvard was overmatched from the tip against Arizona, as the athletic Wildcats sprinted out to a 17-2 lead and never let the Crimson back in. Mark Lyons was unstoppable, scoring 27 points on 12-17 shooting. Harvard struggled to find open looks all day, shooting an icy 27.6% from the field. Wes Saunders, who has carried the load for the Ivy champs all season, could not find the bottom of the net on this day, going 1-11.
While Thursday”s stirring victory came on the wings of some
hot three-point shooting from Laurent Rivard and Christian Webster, the sharpshooting duo only found nylon on three of 13 attempts. Arizona, on the other hand, was hotter than Florida Gulf Coast”s coach”s wife, shooting 9-15 from deep and comfortably holding the Crimson at bay for the entire second half. The Harvard run that Ivy fans have learned to expect never materialized, and the
Crimson were eliminated after a historically successful campaign, especially considering the circumstances in which it commenced.