Elis Halt Freshmen Hoopsters

Sooner or later it had to happen. It was inevitable that the freshman basketball team was going to have a bad night after winning five in a row by scores such as 105-53.

And last night at New Haven, the Crimson netted only 76 points and shot 40 per cent from the field as Yale defeated Harvard, 82-76.

No Possum Here

The freshmen did not exactly lie down and play dead for the Elis. They forced the game into overtime, and even had a chance to pull out a victory in regulation time.

With a few seconds left and the score tied, 70-70, Harvard had control of the ball in the forecourt. Alex James lofted a 20-foot, turn-around jumper which rolled around the rim and plunked off as the buzzer sounded.

The Crimson had been trailing by as much as ten points late in the second half but had rallied to tie the game. The teams exchanged the lead three times in the last two minutes before James attempted his last second shot.

In overtime, Yale was able to dominate the freshmen, who had been wearied by their comeback efforts. The Elis outscored Harvard in this stretch, 12-6.

Fatigue seemed to plague the Crimson all night long. The fast-paced, hit-the-open-man-and-shoot offense which had been successful for them in the past few weeks was not evident last night.

Bus Ride Blues

Players felt that the long bus ride and a late training meal could have contributed to the team's problems. But, more than anything else, Yale outshot Harvard.

Yale had a 49-per-cent shooting average and four players scored in double figures. Tom Rudakas led all players with 25 points and 15 rebounds and Jim Yent dumped in 20 points.

Captain Rick Bengel led the Crimson with 19 points. He was followed by Bob Hooft, who sunk seven field goals for 14 points.

The freshmen, whose record now stands at 7-10, play Brown tomorrow night at Providence.

All things must pass, a wise man once said in reference to the human condition, and last night the Crimson freshman team ran headlong into inexorable fate and passed out of the infallible fortune that has clothed them all winter.