Murphy's Basket Gives Five 60-58 Win Over Green

With barely a second left to play, sophomore guard Gerry Murphy flipped in a basket to give the varsity basketball team a 60 to 58 win over Dartmouth at Hanover on Saturday night. Over 1500 partisan fans watched the Crimson beat the Green on their home court for the first time in the 45 game series.

After swapping the lead throughout the game, Dartmouth, which beat Cornell, appeared to have another upset in hand when in the last five second reserve forward John McDonald, tied it up on a foul shot. But then the Green seemed to relax in anticipation of an over-time.

In this momentary lapse John Rockwell passed the ball to the right-handed Murphy who broke through two stunned defenders and with his left hand hooked in his winning shot.

Improved Green Defense

Dartmouth's attack goal moving earlier in the game than in last month's 74 to 56 loss to the Crimson, but the key to the Green's near upset was their much improved man-to-man defense on the inside. Particularly effective on the losers defense was football star, Red Rowe, who held Rockwell to three baskets before fouling out.

But the Indians improved defense still failed to stymie completely the Crimson's weaving fast-break attack. Ed Smith poured in seven baskets, mostly on his hook shot, from his pivot position, and Rockwell, despite Rowe and later McDonald hovering over him, dropped in five.

Reserve forward Bob Bramhall also did a fine job of breaking through the tight defense. sinking two crucial layups in the last three minutes Perhaps the key men in the Crimson attack were guards Murphy and Bill Hickey who frequently had their defenders faked out of position while working the ball in to the double pivots.

The summary:

HARVARD (60)  G  F  PRockwell, lf  5  3  13Crosby, rf  1  0  2Bramhall  3  1  7Prior c  2  1  5Smith  7  3  17F. Lionette  0  0  0Hickey, rg  2  5  9Covey  0  0  0Murphy, lg  2  8  7  22  16  6