Cagers Outrule Judges for First Win...

Captain Bill Carey broke loose for 20 of his game-high 30 points in the second half Saturday night as the Crimson cagers charged past Brandeis for their first win of the campaign, 87-78.

Harvard got off to a quick start in the contest and rushed to a 10-4 lead, but that was the largest margin they would be able to muster until the last minute of the game.

The Brandeis Judges slowly took charge, and led 40-39 at the half. According to Crimson guard Glenn Fine, Harvard did not play good defense during most of the game. The cagers did not work as a unit or pick up loose men, so the Judges were gifted with "an inordinate number of back-door plays and cheap buckets," Fine said.

Take the Charge

Fortunately, Brandeis played no better defense themselves. According to Harvard coach Tom "Satch" Sanders, the Crimson's game plan, getting big men open for inside shots, worked throughout the game. "The guards really ran the offense. They just stuck to the play that kept working and working," Sanders said.

Fine was especially effective when penetrating past his man and then passing off to Carey or Mufi Hanneman under the basket for easy shots. Fine and backcourt mate, Joe Leondis, chalked up 17 assists, while the two forwards combined to hit 18 of 28 shots for the night.

With neither defense playing well, the two quintets traded the lead back and forth until the Judges built their biggest margin of the game, 72-68, with less than eight minutes left.

With the contest hanging in the balance, Carey took charge. He personally out-scored the Judges 6-2 to tie the game at 74-all with five minutes left. "In that situation, you naturaaly go to the hot shooter. Carey was really smoking; every time he got the ball he'd go to the hoop. So we gave it to him," Fine said.

At this point, the Crimson made two changes. Brandeis was going with smaller players, "To respond," Sanders said, "we wanted to put in a smaller, quicker team." Jonas Honick, a third guard, was inserted into the game.

Finally, the Crimson hoopsters started to work together and press on defense, shutting down the Brandeis attack in the final minutes of the game.

Nip and Tuck in the Stretch

Brandeis scored to take the lead back, but then Carey sunk two unanswered baskets to put Harvard on top 78-76.

The Judges too were inclined to go to their best shooter in the stretch. They fed the ball to forward Steve Riley, but he sandwiched two pressure situation misses around a basket by Fine, putting Harvard up by four with less than two minutes to play.

Honick was fouled when Harvard came down the court again, but missed the first shot of a one-and-one opportunity, and Brandeis had the ball back.

This time, Riley hit his shot and Harvard's lead was down to 80-78 with 80 seconds left. But that was to be as close as the Judges would get. Honick was fouled again but, this time, he iced the game by hitting both freethrows.