National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Connecticut 61, Harvard 56
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Where: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut
Officials: # Jim Burr, # Jeff Clark, # Matt Potter
Attendance: 9218

Connecticut 61, Harvard 56: Shabazz Napier scored 18 points and the host Huskies stymied the Crimson in the second half to snap a two-game skid in the non-conference finale for both teams.

Ryan Boatright had 14 points and DeAndre Daniels finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots for the Huskies (12-3). Connecticut, which lost its first two American Athletic Conference games before hosting Harvard, was 8-of-14 from 3-point range.

Siyani Chambers paced the Crimson (13-2) with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting - including five 3-pointers - but his teammates combined to go 13-of-45 from the floor. Laurent Rivard chipped in 13 points and Kyle Casey had 10 and nine boards, but Harvard missed the services of leading scorer Wesley Saunders, who was out with a sore left knee.

Casey sparked a 12-0 run midway through the first half and Chambers drained his second 3-pointer of the stanza with three seconds left to put his team up 31-26. Chambers had two more 3-pointers in the early portions of the second half but that was all the Crimson could muster for the first eight minutes as the hosts opened the half on a 15-6 run.

Harvard later went nearly five minutes without a point and Daniels' 3-pointer with under eight minutes left put Connecticut up 48-39. Four straight points by Brandyn Curry and another 3 for Chambers pulled the Crimson within 49-47, but Napier hit back-to-back 3s to push the lead back out to eight points with just over a minute left, enough to survive seven points in the final minute by Rivard.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Harvard was 8-of-30 from the floor in the second half. ... Connecticut owns a 17-2 series advantage, picking up a home win each of the past five seasons. ... The Crimson open Ivy League play Saturday vs. Dartmouth while the Huskies return to AAC action at home against Central Florida.
Top Game Performances
 
Harvard   Connecticut
Siyani Chambers 21 Scoring Shabazz Napier 18
Brandyn Curry 6 Assists Shabazz Napier 4
Kyle Casey 9 Rebounds DeAndre Daniels 8
Siyani Chambers 2 Free Throws Made Shabazz Napier 7
Laurent Rivard 4 Steals Ryan Boatright 2
Kyle Casey 1 Blocks DeAndre Daniels 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Harvard 56 35.7 9-22 7-10 12 29 3 9 14
Connecticut 61 40.0 8-14 17-25 10 32 9 8 15