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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior forward Mike Christensen (Reston, Va.) scored a game-high 18 points, and junior guard Tyrece Gibbs (Brockton, Mass.) added 16 points and seven rebounds, but the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team was handed a 72-67 loss by Harvard University on Nov. 28 at Lavietes Pavilion.

The loss snaps the Wildcats’ three-game winning streak and puts their record at 3-2, while the Crimson improve to 3-4.

Tyrece Gibbs

After a Gibbs layup with just over one minute left in the game cut Harvard’s lead to 70-67, a missed layup by Evan Harris gave the ‘Cats a chance to tie the game. UNH called timeout with 14 seconds remaining, and broke the huddle looking for a three-point play. When the Wildcats were denied the 3-point shot, freshman Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass.) drove to the hoop for a two-point basket, hoping to draw the foul. Abreu missed the layup, however, and Christensen’s missed tip with four seconds left sealed the win for Harvard.

Abreu was the third Wildcat to score in double digits, chipping in with 10 points and six rebounds.

The Wildcats, who were outshot 47 percent (24-51) to 39 percent (22-57) from the field, led for most of the first half. After Gibbs led the game off with a 3-pointer, UNH held a lead, which never grew to more than four points, until a Harris bucket with 6:37 remaining in the half put the Crimson up, 23-22.

Harvard followed with an 8-0 run, culminating with a Harris free throw that put the Crimson on top 33-25 with 3:41 left in the first frame. That lead, which UNH would cut to four (37-33) heading into the break, was Harvard’s largest of the contest.

Gibbs netted 12 of his 16 points in the first half.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the second half, with Harvard leading most of the way, but never by more than the five points that were the difference in the game.

The Wildcats led as late as 4:09 left in the game when they went on top, 61-60, and tied the game for the 13^th time at 65-all on a Christensen trey with 2:35 remaining, but a layup by Harris and a 3-pointer from Drew Housman gave the Crimson the lead for good.

UNH lost despite forcing 22 Harvard turnovers and outscoring the Crimson, 20-13, in points off turnovers. The Wildcats themselves turned the ball over 20 times. The ‘Cats were outscored in the paint (34-24) and in points off the bench (49-18).

Harris led Harvard with 18 points, while former Wildcat Dan McGeary tallied 11 points in his first matchup against his old team.

The Wildcats return to action Saturday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m. when they travel to take on the University of Rhode Island. The team returns home for a 7 p.m. tilt with Northeastern University on Monday, Dec. 3 at Lundholm Gymnasium.