In a defensive battle for the majority of the game, the No. 24 Crimson (16-2, 2-0 Ivy) missed its first nine shots, six of them layups, which allowed the Big Green (4-14, 0-2 Ivy) to pull out to an early 6-0 lead.
"We were focused on the game plan the coaches drew up, and we were playing off the emotion," team captain David Rufful '12 said. "Unfortunately, we were unable to sustain that."
The Big Green's offense finished with just a 31-percent shooting percentage, as the team was held to its lowest offensive output since 2010.
After limiting the Crimson's offense to just 23 points in the first half, Dartmouth's defense eventually crumbled.
"We put too much pressure on our defense because we really weren't scoring," Rufful said.
Harvard used a 10-point run halfway through the second half, sparked in part by Crimson junior Christian Webster's outside shooting, to put the Crimson up by 20 and the game away for good.
In Dartmouth's loss to Harvard on Jan. 7, the Big Green surprised the Crimson and at one point led by six points with just 15 minutes left in the game.
On Saturday, Harvard came prepared and was better focused, according to Rufful.
"They saw the game as a tough and important win to get on the road," he said. "To give them credit they have the leadership and experience, and that's what it takes to win the Ivy League."
Rufful said the Big Green's normal offensive strategy is to work on getting the ball inside to freshman standouts Gabas Maldunas '15 and Jvonte Brooks '15. If the team is able to get the inside play going, it opens up outside shots for shooters like R.J. Griffin '13.
The Crimson's physically imposing style of pressure defense kept the ball on the outside and forced the Big Green to take unwieldy shots.
While Brooks finished with a team-high 12 points, half of them came with less than 3:07 left to play. Tyler Melville '14 added 10 points for the Big Green.
"They play with a lot of great pressure, so we were focusing on backdoor passes," Rufful said.
The Big Green's outside shooting suffered a big blow in the second half, when Jabari Trotter '12, who hit two big three-pointers earlier in the game, aggravated a previously torn meniscus, according to Rufful.
"He's been leading out there with his voice, and that's one of the most important things as a point guard," Rufful said. "He's been tremendous."
Trotter's status is currently unclear for Dartmouth's next game.
Leede Arena's last sellout occurred on Dec. 30, 2000, when the men's basketball team hosted to No. 8 University of Virginia. Saturday's crowd, looking for an upset, urged on the team in the see-saw first half, at times even engaging Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan in the press box.
"We were really excited about the support from the school and students, and there are a lot of other games down the stretch when we can come out victorious," Rufful said.
Dartmouth now heads into conference play, with the team's final 12 games all against Ivy opponents. This Friday the Big Green will visit Brown University in Providence, R.I. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
