Cagers Humble Elis, 81-64 for Fourth Ivy Win

There's nothing like fattening your record against the weak sister of the Ivy League, Last night at the IAB, the Crimson cagers did just that, defeating a helpless Yale squad 81-64, for their third straight success.

The Bulldogs possessed neither bark nor bite, and thus Harvard racked up the easiest of its seven hoop triumphs this winter, Yale, on the other hand, fell for the 13th time in 16 tries.

The chief contributor to Harvard's fourth Ivy victory was senior guard Mike Griffin. Averaging just over six points per game entering the contest, Griffin hit for a career high of 17 points against the Yalies, including six of Harvard's first seven.

Griffin seemed unstoppable, as he swished his first seven shots and made three beautiful assists to set up additional Crimson field goals.

While Griffin was controlling Harvard's offense, Lou Silver was in command of the backboards. The Crimson co-captain picked off 13 on the night, many of them during a crucial stretch towards the end of the first half when Harvard broke a 16-16 deadlock and raced into a commanding 41-26 lead at the intermission.

The key spurt of the drive began with the first half 11 minutes old. An Arnie Needleman basket preceded five successive points by Doc Hines, four of them unmolested lay-ups. Following two bombs by Griffin, Silver made two foul shots, and the splurge concluded with a four-point play.

Struggle Under the Boards

Jonas Honick banked a side jumper, and in the struggle under the boards for rebounding position, Silver fouled. When he made both shots, Harvard found itself with a 33-19 advantage, and for all intents and purposes the game was over.

The remainder of the contest was devoted to Harvard morale-building, as the Crimson inflated both its ego and the score during the second half. At one stage the margin stood at 63-34, but with the crowd imploring the home squad to double Yale's score. Crimson Coach Tom Sanders displayed a bit of mercy.

The Harvard mentor literally cleared his bench, a pleasure which he has been afforded on few occasions this season. As a result of this gesture the Bulldogs were able narrowly to decrease the lead, and in addition every Crimson performer made a dent on the scoring sheets.

Following Griffin, the balanced Crimson scoring attack featured three men in double figures. Carey continued his fine play with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Hines and Needleman contributed 12 and 10 points respectively.

Fouled Out Late

Rollin Chippey, on the other hand, Yale's leading scorer and rebounder entering the contest, was limited to a measly six points by the Crimson, well below his season average. Steve Switchenko led the Bulldogs in scoring, tallying 13 points before he fouled out late in the contest.

With a 4-2 record in the Ivies, Harvard will be immediately challenged to improve upon that mark when the cagers tap off against Brown tonight at the IAB. The Bruins' slate stands at 5-2, and a Crimson triumph would provide the needed momentum for next week's crucial encounter with the Ivy giant, Penn.