Though the young pair showed offensive spark, it was clear it was their first collegiate game. Both struggled to get things going in the first half, shooting a combined 3-for-12 through the first 20 minutes.

But in the second half with 16:37 to play, the duo jumpstarted the team’s 15-0 run that began with a Johnson three. McCarthy would then sink three free throws from the charity stripe and strip the Engineers on their next possession, extending the lead to 13 with an uncontested layup.

With the starting rotation giving the Crimson some wiggle room, Amaker gave fellow freshmen Weisner Perez and Balsa Dragovic a chance to log their first minutes of the season.

“They’ve been playing really well for us and are going to need to continue doing it for us,” Cummins said. “Everything is new for them, they are learning as they go.”

The rookies were not the only ones tallying their first minutes in a Harvard uniform. Steeves, who has been plagued by injuries during his Crimson career, tallied one point and one rebound in two minutes on the floor.

“I’m very happy for Patrick because he’s been banged up and injured,” Amaker said. “To come back and spend that kind of time, to get healthy with the kind of injuries he’s had. I was very happy for him, and our team was very happy for him, and that’s a really cool thing.”