Through one half, Harvard amassed a 36-29 lead on favored Cincinnati. The Crimson (a 12-seed) lead their fifth-seeded Bearcat opponents courtesy of some quality perimeter shooting. This is probably the model that Harvard coach Tommy Amaker had in mind when going up against a more physical opponent, though it’s a strategy that’s obviously easier said than done. Harvard highlights have come mostly from their outside shooting, though there was also a quality dunk in there, too.

Laurent Rivard paced the team in the opening half, sinking all three of his attempts at threes. The 6’5″ senior guard is critical to the success of the team, so his early success was a major factor in building the early lead. Here are some first half Harvard highlights, showing four of the six threes that the Crimson knocked down:

Also, here’s a nice dunk that Harvard got in transition: