Cagers Open Season With Narrow Win

With only five seconds left in last night's game at the Boston Garden, Northeastern's Mark Jellison missed the tying free throw, and Harvard's Tony Jenkins added two more to the Crimson's total to give Harvard a 57-54 victory in its season opener.

The win advanced the Crimson to the finals of the Beanpot Tournament on December 13 against Boston University, which defeated Boston College last night in the other semifinal game.

Northeastern did everything it could to upset the favored Crimson, shooting 50 per cent from the floor and outrebounding Harvard in the first half. The combination resulted in a Husky lead for almost the entire contest.

Harvard had to scramble in the closing eight minutes, pressing full court and forcing Northeastern to quit playing its own slow-down game. With the Huskies leading 39-35, Jenkins, a sophomore forward competing in his first varsity contest, sank two free throws, another sophomore, Jim Fitzsimmons, hit a jumper from the baseline, and Floyd Lewis tallied on a ten-foot jump shot.

From that point on the two teams traded baskets, neither able to mount more than a two-point lead. Northeastern giving up more than two inches per man under the boards, screened the Crimson well, and took advantage of Harvard's poor shooting.

But the Crimson's defense, one of its weak points last season, kept the Huskies from scoring a field goal in the final six minutes.

"The different defenses we used helped us win the ball game," coach Bob Harrison said after the game. "But you have to credit Northeastern with one helluva game. They got an early lead and forced us to play catch-up ball," he said.

Fitzsimmons, who paced the Crimson in scoring with 20 points, hit a streak of three jump shots from the corner near the start of the second half that lifted the squad out of an eight-point deficit. Jenkins added 14 points while leading Harvard's rebounding with 11. Junior guard James Brown also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Northeastern's Paul McDonough led all scorers with 23, hitting 10-of-15 from the floor. He also nabbed 11 rebounds.

The Crimson travels to New York City this weekend to make its debut in Madison Square Garden, where it will meet Seton Hall at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

BEANPOT BULL

In an exciting finish to the second game of the opening round in the Beanpot Basketball Tournament last night in Boston Garden, B.U. toppled B.C., 85-83. The Terriers meet Harvard in the final game of the second annual Hub hoop championship scheduled for Dec. 13.

Unfortunately, if the attendance for the finals does not improve the Beanpot may have to relocate in a less spacious Contadina Tomato Paste can. However, the Harvard community has been doing its job to raise fan support this year.

As of early yesterday morning, the ticket office at 60 Boylston St. had reported a net sale of 30 tickets. But, as one official pointed out, "this is exactly five times as many as we sold last year at this time. It's a good thing we have a decent team."