With 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime, it was Bryce Aiken’s time to shine.
The sophomore point guard dribbled the ball up court, faked out a defender, stopped and drilled a 3-pointer to push Harvard past UMass, 70-67, in overtime on Saturday afternoon.
Final/OT
| 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UMASS (1-1) | 25 | 33 | 9 | 67 |
| HARV (2-0) | 29 | 29 | 12 | 70 |
After a pair of Aiken free throws put Harvard ahead, 58-55, with 12 seconds remaining in the second half, the Minutemen called a timeout.
Out of the break, Luwane Pipkins drilled a make from beyond the arc to knot the score at 58.
Aiken missed a layup with time expiring to send this one to an extra frame.
UMass, despite trailing by as much as four in overtime, would not go away. After another pair of Aiken free throws made it a 67-64 score in favor of Harvard, UMass opted for another timeout.
Eerily similar to the final second of the second half, Pipkins tied it up with a 3-point jumper with eight ticks to go. Unfortunately for UMass, that was too time for Harvard, as Aiken hit the game-winner.
Aiken poured in a career-high 30 points to lead all scorers. Chris Lewis added 15 points and Corey Johnson scored 10 for Harvard.
Pipkins led the UMass offense with 23 points and Rashaan Holloway added 15 points to complement a game-high nine rebounds.
Up next for UMass is the Barclays Center Classic where it will meet Niagara (1-0) on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Harvard will hit the road for a date with Holy Cross on Thursday at 7 p.m.
