Holy Cross used full-court pressure all game and Harvard’s Wesley Saunders missed a potential game winning shot at the final buzzer as the Crusaders held on to defeat the #25 ranked Crimson 58-57 on Sunday at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Boston.
The Crusaders pressure defense forced Harvard into 24 turnovers, and now the Crimson will see its first ever preseason ranking go away with the loss.
"Our inability to handle the pressure, I thought, was the difference," Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. "Twenty-four turnovers is what jumps off the page. Obviously you're going to have trouble winning with 24 turnovers. ... It was mind boggling that we turned it over in that fashion."
Playing its first game with a national ranking may have factored in to Harvard’s tight play.
"It meant a lot to them and they played like it meant a lot to them," Saunders said about his team’s new national visibility. "We're going to have to get used to that. I mean, we're not going to be Top 25 anymore, but we're still going to have a target on our back every night."
Harvard trailed for most of the game but seized a late four-point lead. It looked at that time that the Crimson would escape with a victory. However, missed shots and turnovers ultimately doomed the defending Ivy League champs. Justin Burrell made two costless throws with about two minutes remaining to give his Crusaders a lead it would not relinquish.
"We just saw them as a great opportunity for us," an excited Burrell said afterwards. "We knew coming into the game that they were a Top 25 team and it was a great opportunity for us to make a statement how we want to play the entire season."
Holy Cross pulled the upset despite shooting only 39% from the field and hitting only 9 of its 17 costless throw attempts. Harvard converted on 44% of its shots, but poor three-point shooting (5-14) and sloppy ball control were too much to overcome.