Harvard blows big lead before beating Dartmouth 62-57 in OT

Jan 21, 2018, 03:00 am

HANOVER, N.H. -- Seth Towns made five 3-pointers and matched his career high with 26 points, Justin Bassey finished with a double-double and Harvard blew a big second-half lead before holding off Dartmouth 62-57 in overtime on Saturday.

Bassey totaled 10 points and 10 rebounds for the first double-double of his career for the Crimson (7-10, 2-0 Ivy League), who saw a 17-point lead evaporate over the final 12 1/2 minutes of the second half.

Taylor Johnson had 19 points and nine rebounds to pace the Big Green (4-11, 0-2), while Chris Knight scored 13 and Brendan Barry delivered 12 points and five assists.

Dartmouth trailed 41-24 before James Foye and Barry hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 24-5 run that saw the Big Green take a 48-46 lead with 21 seconds left in regulation and the ball in their hands. But Corey Johnson swiped an errant pass and fed Towns, who sank both of his free throws after being fouled by Johnson with 2 seconds left, to force overtime.

Harvard reasserted itself in the extra period. Chris Lewis had a dunk, Towns buried a 3, Lewis nailed a jumper and Bassey hit from distance in a 10-2 run that wrapped up the victory.