Cagers Chop Chinese, 113-73, In First Briggs Center Game

Jiangsu was on the menu when the Harvard men's basketball team held a housewarming party in Briggs Athletic Center last night, and the Crimson ate it up, 113-73.

Jiangsu isn't a variant of Chow Mein, but the second-best hoop squad in the People's Republic of China, which beat a visiting Harvard team, 85-73, in 1980.

But last night, before a crowd of 800 at the first event held in the Briggs facility, the Crimson humiliated its travel-weary opponents with a display of roundball ability that bodes well for Harvard's upcoming regular season.

Even with Joe Carrabino, the team's pro returning scorer, in street clothes because of a pre-season injury, the cagers put on an offensive display that brought a smile to the face of Coach Frank McLaughlin. Harvard shot an amazing 63 percent from the floor, thanks to sharp passing and alert transition play.

Point-man Calvin Dixon led the way, zipping no-look passes and driving through Jiangsu defenders to net lay-ups or dish off to a teammate for an easy bucket. Dixon led the transition with his now-you-see-it-now-you-don't sleight of hand, dazzling the slower and less graceful Chinese.

At its best, Dixon's careening style created Crimson spurts of eight or 10 straight points. But more than one Dixon pass fooled the intended receiver as much as the Jiangsu defense. Though Dixon showed the power to spark his team, he will need a little more control if Harvard is to succeed against the more competitive teams ahead on its schedule.

Another crowd-pleaser was freshman forward Felipe Farley, whose two second-half dunks brought the Crimson bench to its feet. The 6-ft., 8-in. Farley tallied 15 points, almost all of them from within four feet of the basket. Farley started out looking tentative underneath, but as the points came his way and the fans cheered him on, the Brockport, N.Y., native seemed to gain confidence. Farley hauled in five boards and blocked a shot to round out his debut in a Crimson uniform.

Farley may see time as a back-up to junior Monroe Trout, the 225-pounder who filled the middle for Harvard last year. Just recovering from a back strain suffered in a pick-up game earlier this fall. Trout made his first appearance eight minutes and 21 seconds into last night's exhibition. Trout took command right away, grabbing two rebounds and chalking up three points in less than two minutes. Jiangsu's 6-ft., 11-in. Lee Chonshan made no move to challenge Trout, and the shorter American college student taught the Chinese high school senior how to play the low post.

Jiangsu's impotence wasn't helped by its travel plans. The team had crossed the continent in less than a week and a half, and last night's exhibition was the squad's ninth game in 11 days. Not only were the Chinese on their last legs, they were on the second-to-last leg of their trip. They close out their American tour tomorrow at Hofstra University in New York.

"I feel bad for them," McLaughlin said after the game. The Crimson, which toured China in 1980, understood the fatigue brought on by a whirlwind schedule, he explained.

Harvard never trailed, but the Chinese kept close for the opening five minutes. With the score 14-10 at the 5:48 mark, the Crimson put on a 17-2 rally to take a 31-12 lead. It never get much closer.

THE NOTEBOOK: Carrabino is almost recovered and should be in uniform when Harvard opens its regular season Saturday against MIT. "He probably could have gone today if he had to," McLaughlin said. Briggs looked ready for the debut event, and the team was pleased with its new home. "The acoustics in here are tremendous," beamed McLaughlin, saying the reverberating sound could help Harvard pull out close games later in the year.