ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—John Jenkins had 27 points to lead fifth-seeded Vanderbilt to a 79-70 defeat of Harvard in the second round of the NCAA tournament Thursday afternoon.

The Commodores (25-10) hit their first seven shots of the second half and opened up an 18-point lead on a fast-break dunk by Jeffery Taylor with under eight minutes to play.

But a 14-3 Harvard run over a three-minute span—capped by a pair of free throws by Crimson co-captain Keith Wright—cut the Vanderbilt advantage to 70-65 with 1:51 left.

The Ivy League champion’s dream season was not to continue, however, as Jenkins hit six free throws in the final minute to help the Commodores avoid their fourth opening-game loss in the tournament in five years.

Sophomore wing Laurent Rivard had a team-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from three for the 12th-seeded Crimson (26-5), which was making its first appearance in the tournament since 1946.

A three by junior Christian Webster gave Harvard a 20-17 lead with 5:28 to go in the first half, but Vanderbilt closed the period on a 16-3 run to head into the locker room with a 10-point advantage.

Vanderbilt moves on to the third round of the East Regional, where it will face No. 4 seed Wisconsin, which routed Montana earlier in the day.