Lalanne took the ball from the referee as the Minutemen trailed Harvard 75-73 with two seconds remaining and hesitated for a brief moment. He then sprinted to his right, traversing nearly the length of the baseline before uncorking a baseball-style pass down the floor.

Awaiting Lalanne’s delivery was UMass forward Maxie Esho, who wiggled free from his defender , skied into the air, snared the ball and rotated 180 degrees as he descended to the floor.

Now facing the basket, Esho quickly peered left. Awaiting him was Trey Davis, who managed enough separation to get a clean look at the basket. Esho passed to Davis, who launched a 3-point shot that he thought would be the game-winner.

But instead of finding the bottom of the net, Davis’ shot found every part of the rim. It hit the front, then bounced to the back before dropping off the cylinder, handing Harvard a 75-73 victory.

It was a stunning resolution for the Minutemen, and a heartbreaking result for Davis, who collapsed to the floor. For Davis, the shot carried extra significance as well. Just one day ago, his grandmother, Lila Ford, died.

“I really just wanted to win that game for her,” Davis said. “I knew that shot was coming to me. I just wanted to make that for her. I thought she was going to let it bounce in, but when I looked up, it didn’t go in.”

“If you had told me I would have Trey Davis on a last-second shot to win the game on the road at Harvard, who was top 25 to start the season, I’d probably say I’d take it,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said.

It was a play the team practices every practice, according to Davis. And much like ending for the Minutemen, they came up agonizingly close.

UMass cited numerous missed opportunities down the stretch. The Minutemen shot 19-of-29 on free throws, blew a nine-point lead early in the second half and allowed Harvard to score 14 points off turnovers.

Minutemen guard Derrick Gordon nearly hit the game-winner on the offensive possession prior to Davis’ missed 3-pointer. Trailing 74-73, Gordon drove to his right and launched a floater along Harvard’s baseline. His shot fell short and Harvard came up with the rebound.

Crimson wing Wesley Saunders, who played the role of savior in the second half, made a single free throw following Gordon’s miss to make it 75-73.

“I had the shot and I just didn’t finish it,” Gordon said.

Saunders finished with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 38 minutes of play. With Gordon guarding him and 38 seconds left, Saunders created enough space using a nifty behind-the-back dribble to make a mid-range jump shot as Gordon fouled him.

The 6-foot-5 senior made his free throw, giving the Crimson a 74-71 lead which broke a 71-71 tie.

“He’s a very good player,” Kellogg said of Saunders. “He’s a tough player who knows what he’s doing and he’s probably the best player in (Harvard’s) league and maybe one of the better players in New England, if not across the country.”

It was Saunders who guided Harvard as the Crimson chipped away at a UMass lead which expanded to 45-36 with 18:02 left in the second half. He scored four points, tallied two assists and added a steal and a rebound and ignited a 9-0 Harvard run which tied the game at 16:31.

From there, the team’s traded blows in a physical, competitive finish. No team led by more than three points after the 17:21 mark of the second half.

According to Kellogg, the tight finish was a learning experience for his team, which was playing its first true road game of the season.

“Somebody told me before the game, and I started sweating, that (Harvard) was 52-3 in their last 55 games here,” Kellogg said. “I was hoping we could end that streak.”

Lalanne and Davis led UMass 13 points apiece. Esho and Gordon added 12 each, while Lalanne also chipped in 13 rebounds. He also had six turnovers.

In the early stages Saturday, it didn’t appear like a prototypical road game. UMass fans made up a significant part of the announced 2,195 fans in attendance. It wasn’t until Harvard’s second-half push that the fan support in Lavietes Pavilion evened out.

It was the second close game in as many meetings between the two schools. In 2012, UMass beat Harvard on a buzzer-beater from forward Sampson Carter to win 67-64. On Saturday, Harvard gained the final edge, taking advantage of UMass miscues.

Gordon said the team must use this game as a learning experience moving forward.

“At the end of the day, I’m mad because we lost the game,” Gordon said. “We definitely wanted to win this game. This is a big game for us, and definitely bragging rights. We’ve just got to move forward.”

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli