One of the game's highlights for both Harvard and the 1850 spectators at Briggs came with just under 10 minutes left in the game and the Crimson holding a four-point lead, 49-45. Following a questionable foul called on Keith Webster, Roby let go at referee Lou Filippetti with a tirade that continued into a timeout.
Finally, Roby was whistled for a technical foul, but by the other referee, Barry Spears, who was standing over 40 feet away, under the Dartmouth basket.
Following the timeout, while Randall stood at the line for a 1-and-1, the Harvard fans, shaken up by the technical call on Roby, went into a wild fenzy of whooping and yelling.
Visibly shaken, Randall missed.
Then Jim Barton, the nation's leading free throw shooter last year and now shooting almost 88 percent from the line, came up to attempt the two-shot technical.
Encouraged by Randall's miscue, the crowd yelled even louder.
Barton missed the first. Then he missed the second.
All to the delight of the Crimson faithful, who were hoping to see their team stay perfect in the Ivy League. But it was not to be.
Harvard came out at the start of the game showing very little intensity. Roby, sensing this, took out all of his starters within the first five minutes, looking for a spark from his bench.
He got that spark from junior Bill Mohler, who battled underneath the basket for six points within a three-minute span. By the time Mohler was replaced by David Lang with 7:53 left in the half, the Crimson had built up a 19-13 lead.
Harvard scored twice more for its biggest lead of the game, 22-13, with 7:10 remaining in the first stanza, but that was immediately followed by a 16-2 Dartmouth run that game them a 29-24 advantage at the 1:40 mark of the first half.
The Crimson was also plagued by its unusually sloppy play in the first half. Harvard finished with 13 turnovers.
Mohler finished with eight points and led the Crimson with seven rebounds. He also had two blocked shots before fouling out with 15 seconds to play.
Harvard is now in the middle of a 15-day break for finals, and will resume its Ivy League slate with a pair of home games, against Columbia on January 31 and Cornell on February 1.
"Every game we play from now on is important," Roby said. "This was the first time in my two years as head coach when I felt genuinely disappointed. We didn't play the way Harvard basketball has been played. We don't need to change anything, except for our mental approach."
The Notebook: The Crimson finished the game shooting 43 percent from the floor, coming back from a 29 percent mark at halftime...Both teams shot better from behind the three point line than in front of it.