BOSTON - Patrick Harvey scored a career high 29 points and Elliott Prasse-Freeman broke his own school record with 16 assists Thursday as Harvard beat Mercer 86-74. <br>
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It was the fifth consecutive win for Harvard (7-2), which is off to its best start since the 1984-85 season when the Crimson won eight their first nine games. <br>
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Clarence Baker led the way for Mercer (4-3) with 17 points while Delmar Wilson had 16 and Scott Emerson scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds. <br>
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Harvard got 17 points from Harvey and 11 assists from Freeman to build a 53-30 halftime lead. <br>
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The Crimson led 58-35 at the 16:16 of the second half when Brian Sigafoos, who finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds, converted a driving layup. <br>
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The Bears fought back with a 7-0 run late in the game to cut the Crimson lead to 71-68 with 4:49 remaining. <br>
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Harvard answered with a 9-2 spurt during which Harvey scored four points, for a 80-70 lead with 2:54 left to play. Mercer closed the gap to 80-74, but the Crimson closed the game with a 6-0 run. <br>
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The Crimson made 18 of 21 free throws and outrebounded the Bears 39-30.
