UChicago Men’s Basketball hosted Harvard University this past Sunday at Gerald Ratner Athletics Center in a unique Division III vs. Division I clash to kick off their season. The game marked the 75th anniversary of the only other meeting between the two programs, when Harvard beat UChicago 48–39 in 1951.
The Maroons started off hot, jumping out to an early 9–5 lead behind some strong play from fourth-year guard Phillip Lawrence and third-year forward Daniel Cochran. However, their success was short-lived, as Harvard got a spark off the bench from first-year guards Tey Barbour and Jason Singleton who spearheaded a dominant 20–0 run.
Unable to find any success in the paint, the Maroons were forced to settle for tough three-pointers throughout the first half, resulting in 18 of their 26 first-half shots coming from behind the arc. Despite a big three-pointer from fourth-year forward Noah Pit with two minutes remaining in the half, the Maroons found themselves behind 35–20 heading into the break.
The game threatened to get away from UChicago following a 8–0 Harvard run to begin the second half, but the Maroons quickly regained their composure thanks to third-year guard Arhan Lapsiwala who scored seven straight points to cut Harvard’s lead to 16.
After shooting just 22.22 percent from three in the first half, the Maroons found their groove in the second, knocking down six of their 13 long-range attempts. While Harvard continued to get to the rim at will, the Maroons’ much-improved shooting kept them within striking distance throughout the half.
Lapsiwala led the Maroons in scoring with all 12 of his points coming in the second half. Lawrence and Cochran also turned in impressive performances: the former adding 10 points of his own and the latter pitching in eight points as well as a game-high nine rebounds.
For Harvard, fourth-year forward Thomas Batties II led the charge with 19 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, dominating the paint on both ends of the floor, while Barbour added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. Batties II and Barbour accounted for over half of Harvard’s points on the day.
Despite UChicago’s strong second-half performance, Harvard’s size and physicality proved too much to handle and the Maroons fell to the Crimson 63–47. The Maroons will look to build on an admirable display against one of the Ivy League’s top teams as they host Bowdoin College and Oberlin College in the 2026 Midway Classic this weekend.
