Bowditch's Spurt in Second Half Helps Five to Top Ephs, 80-70

Spirited second-half play, spearheaded by sophomore forward Bob Bowditch, led the varsity basketball team to a convincing 80-70 victory over Williams in the first home game at the I.A.B. last night.

With the Crimson leading 37 to 30 at intermission, the Ephmen quickly tied the score at 44 to 44, but this was the closest they could come to challenging the varsity's superiority. The score frequently got close, but the Crimson always managed a string of baskets or free throws to keep its opponents in check.

The game began at a nip-and-tuck pace, each team exchanging baskets and intermittent foul shots, with the varsity quintet always managing to stay a few points ahead. The Crimson was operating as a unit--hitting frequently on set shots against Williams' early zone defense, rebounding well, playing a three-man press for the first few minutes, and using an effective zone of its own for the second time this season.

Five-foot seven-inch guard George Harrington led the first half scoring, mainly with sharp set shots from the outside. He was followed by Griff McClellan with nine points and captain Bob Repetto and Mike Donohue, who sank eight points each.

Williams Ties Score

After the halftime mark, the Ephs tied the score in a brief four minutes. At this point, the Crimson's accuracy had fallen off, but more damaging was its lack of rebounding. A short skirmish between Donohue and the Ephs' Sam Weaver and the complaints of Williams' coach seemed to have an accelerating effect on the varsity's offense. Bowditch began to crack with corner and lay-up shots and a few spectacular hooks.

Williams, meanwhile, also began to hit, led by center Jeff Morton, who sank 14 points before being lifted near the end. Fouling more than the varsity, Williams did not have as many free-throw opportunities and the number of penalties began to show. The varsity gained a ten point lead after 16 minutes of the second half and were never in real trouble after that. Junior John Fox sank a long corner shot as the buzzer sounded to give the Crimson an even 80 points.