The Harvard men's basketball team hit the road this past weekend to take on the elite of the Ivy League, Princeton and Penn.

The Crimson put a scare into Princeton (15-4, 6-0 Ivy) Friday night as its comeback attempt from a 20-point deficit came up just short in a 66-60 loss.

On Saturday, Harvard (9-11, 3-5) hung tough against the Quakers early on before succumbing to Penn's (14-3, 6-0) superior talent as the Crimson fell 81-56 in Philly.

Despite the two losses, the Crimson took some good things away from the weekend and look to build on the defeats as it embarks on the second half of its Ivy schedule.

Freshman Phenoms

This weekend's games featured the continued emergence of freshman backcourt mates Drew Gellert and Patrick Harvey for the Crimson.

On the season, 6'2 Gellert has received more playing time than 6'1 Harvey, averaging 18 minutes per game to Harvey's nine. Gellert also has established himself as one of the Crimson's most tenacious defenders. Gellert's 25 steals are second only to senior point guard Tim Hill's 44 on the squad.

Harvey, meanwhile, has shown a good shooting touch and offensive game in his limited playing time. His .467 three-point percentage leads the the team.

On this, the toughest weekend of basketball for the team, the two freshmen played well beyond their season's average of minutes and proved to be effective.

Against Princeton, Gellert scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting with two rebounds in 30 minutes. Harvey netted four points and gathered two steals in 18 minutes

In Saturday's contest against Penn, Gellert earned his first starting nod this season. He only scored two points in the game, but his aggressive defense helped the Crimson stay within striking distance of the Quakers early on.

Harvey enjoyed perhaps his best game to date. The freshman scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting 2-of-4 three-pointers, to go along with three assists.

"Both freshmen really rose to the occasion," Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. "I continue to be impressed by the integration of the freshmen into the lineup."

Both players have shown a willingness to take the ball to the hoop and have become known for their hustle and aggressive play. Perhaps their play this weekend is a sign of things to come.

"The freshmen have been doing unbelievable things and are getting better and better with more playing time," sophomore forward Dan Clemente said, "Pat comes from Chicago, so he really knows how to play. He doesn't back down from anyone."