Radcliffe Quintet Falls to Smith, 66-48

After Thursday's devastation of Brandeis, the Radcliffe basketball team saw nothing but bright stars on the horizon. They ran into bright lights instead last night, and lost to a fast five from Smith, 66-48, at Northampton.

Captain Sue Williams described the renovated gym as "weird." It was "very bright, aesthetically bright," Williams explained.

Coach Mark Haverland called the gym "funny." He added that the "lighting and size" of the gym had affected his squad's play.

Aesthetics were not the sole cause of the Radcliffe defeat, though. Haverland said that the Smithies "shot better than any team we have played." Williams characterized the Smith shooting as "deadly."

Smith also used a full court press which the Radcliffe five did not adjust to until halftime, when the score stood at 36-27 in Smith's favor. The Northampton five repeatedly stole the ball as Radcliffe was unable to consistently bring the action upcourt.

The 'Cliffe squad made a surge in the second half as they came back to within two points. The tide seemed to be turning as Sue Williams collected several steals to spark the defense, and the score rested at 44-42 Smith with 10 minutes left.

The teams battled back and forth until the six-minute mark, when the lights suddenly went out on Radcliffe. The Smith five fired in a string of baskets, and what had been a tight contest turned into a romp.

Haverland said that his team "ran out of steam" and consequently "went cold in the last few minutes." He added that lack of depth hurt his squad in the game's climactic moments. Williams said simply, "They blew us away."

Balanced Scoring

Radcliffe's scoring was balanced for the game. Susan Hewitt led all Crimson scorers with 11 points. Cheryl Gelzer and Hildy Meyers chipped in nine and eight points respectively, while Kathy Fulton and Williams each hit for six points.

On the positive side of the ledger, Haverland said that his players had done well against a tough squad and wistfully wished for the day when "we'll put it all together." According to Haverland, "We have the potential."

His squad does not have long to prove their potential--only six games remain on the schedule. Next week marks the end of the Ivy League slate as the team meets both Dartmouth and Yale. The Radcliffe five ends its season with contests against Stonehill, Regis, Williams and Emmanuel.