clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Harvard Defeats Princeton, 79-67, To Clinch Share Of First Ivy League Title

Kyle Casey scored a season-high 24 points as the Harvard Crimson defeated the Princeton Tigers, 79-67, to earn at least a share of the university's first ever Ivy League title in Cambridge on Saturday night.

Oliver McNally had 15 points and was 10-for-10 from the free throw line for Harvard (23-5, 12-2 Ivy), which shot an impressive 60% on 24-of-40 shooting from the field. Keith Wright totaled 13 points and a team-high five rebounds and Brandyn Curry added 10 points and 10 assists for the Crimson.

Harvard held a 37-36 edge entering halftime and outscored Princeton 42-31 in the final half to seal the win. The Crimson finished with 21 rebounds, 13 assists, eight blocks, five steals and 11 turnovers.

Dan Mavraides scored a game-high 25 points for the Tigers (23-6, 11-2 Ivy), who made 44.1% of their shots on 26-of-59 shooting. Kareem Maddox had 14 points and six rebounds off the bench and Ian Hummer added 12 points for Princeton.

Following the loss, Princeton controls its own destiny, as a win on Tuesday against Penn would make the Tigers co-Ivy League champions with Harvard, according to ESPN Boston.

Should Princeton beat Penn on Tuesday, the Ivies would consider Harvard and Princeton co-champions, but the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament would go to the winner of a one-game playoff, likely at a neutral site on Friday or Saturday. It would be the seventh playoff in Ivy history, and the first since Yale, Penn and Princeton were tied at the end of the 2001-02 regular season -- the only three-way tie in conference history.

There is also a chance that the Ivies could get an at-large berth, though that's never happened before.