Yale Topples Hoopsters, 100 - 75

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 24--The Yale basketball team had the answer to every Harvard attack here tonight--their captain Rick Johnson scored 30 points and held Crimson ace Chris Gallagher to 10 in pacing Yale to a smashing 100 to 75 win.

Johnson hit from everywhere on the floor--long jumpers, short jumpers, and twisting layups--to lead the Elis in two conclusive surges. In the first half, with Harvard holding a slim 19-13 lead, the 6 ft. 4 in. guard-forward dropped in six points as Yale piled up a 15-1 margin to grab an eight point half-time lead.

Then about midway through the second half Johnson killed the last Harvard push of the night by canning a pop-shot and a driving layup. His two baskets stretched the Yale lead to 14 with 14:15 left and the Bulldogs simply played out the string.

Over the last 10 minutes all excitement centered around Yale's drive for 100 points and Johnson's drive for his personal career high of 32. Eli sophomore Kevin Hart hit a jump shot for the century mark with 20 seconds left, but Johnson--completely worn out--couldn't find the range for his big bucket.

For Harvard, sophomores Barth Royer and Bob Kanuth played strongly under the offensive backboard, but their efforts weren't enough to offset Johnson.

Royer shot far less from the outside than he had in previous games and most of his 18 points came on slide tap-ins and short rebound jumpers. Kanuth tallied several layups off the same fake--dipping his shoulder and sneaking by the Yale guard.

In the first half, Harvard's six-point lead caused Yale to call a worried time-out. Then the Elis administered a zone press as Yale guards Rich Stone and Bob McCallum forced Harvard into numerous turnovers. Royer and Kanuth triggered a short comeback which cut the Yale lead from a high of 16 to the eight-point half-time margin.

Harvard outrebounded the Bulldogs for the game, but Yale scored on 57 per cent of its shots to the Crimson's respectable 43 per cent.

Yale forward Ed Goldstone, who last week bombed in 31 points, settled for 21 tonight, but the 6 ft. 4 in junior hit an astounding 9 of 11 from the floor. Harvard Scoring Gallagher  4  2  10 Kanuth  7  3  17 Royer  7  4  18 Grate  3  0  6 Dressler  2  3  7 Beller  0  0  0 Martell  2  0  4 Johnson  3  0  6 Gustavsen  2  3  7 Waickowski  0  0  0 Markowski  0  0  0 Bailey  0  0  0