Harvard’s Mack, scoring 20.1 PPG, out with mono

Harvard guard Malik Mack, the nation’s top freshman scorer, is out indefinitely with mononucleosis, the school announced Thursday.

Mack, a 6-foot-1 guard from Oxon Hill, Maryland, was averaging 20.1 points through the first 10 games of the season, leading all freshmen nationally and leading all players in the Ivy League. He was also producing 4.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game and shooting 47.2% from 3-point range.

The player from St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., has scored in double figures in every game this season, including three games with more than 25 points. Mack’s highlight of the season so far was his 32-point, 6-assist performance in an overtime win at UMass. He also had 27 points in a loss to Indiana and 26 points in a win over American in back-to-back games.

This will be the second key absence for coach Tommy Amaker’s team, as senior big man Justice Ajogbor is out with a hand injury after starting the first seven games of the season.

Harvard (7-3) hosts Holy Cross on Thursday night before facing Iona and Albany to round out nonconference play. The Crimson open Ivy League play at conference favorite Princeton on Jan. 6.