Saturday was a stellar night for Harvard men’s basketball, as the Crimson narrowly defeated the Columbia Lions 57-52, and alumnus-turned-pro Jeremy Lin ’10 scored 25 points in the New York Knicks’ come-from-behind victory over the New Jersey Nets—the most points ever scored in a National Basketball Association (NBA) game by a Harvard alumnus, according to ESPN. The previous high for points in an NBA game by a player from Harvard was 20, set 64 years ago by Saul Mariaschin ’47 for the Boston Celtics, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the NBA’s official statistician, as reported by ESPN.
According to the New York Daily News, Lin’s effort on Saturday “had the crowd chanting his name” and could earn him a starting role in tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz.
The six-foot, three-inch Lin led the 2010 Harvard team to its best start in 25 years, including wins over strong non-Ivy teams like George Washington and Boston College. The Knicks signed Lin off of waivers in late December after he was released by both Golden State and Houston during training camp.