Hoopsters Topple to Quinnitiac As Turkey Tourney Begins

HAMDEN, Conn.--When the Crimson begins its Thanksgiving tourney with William and Mary, Bucknell, and the University of Chicago on Friday, with any luck the hoopsters will be better prepared than they were for last night's matchup with Quinnitiac College (Q.C.).

The first member from Q.C. rushed into the gym shouting, "Q.C. don't like it, rockin' Harvard, rockin' Harvard." And that is exactly what the Braves from Hamdes, Conn., proceeded to do, routing the Harvard women's basketball team, 101-61, in their first game of the season.

Coach Karen Delaney Smith had noted prior to the game that Q.C. liked to run and had a great deal of speed. In the course of last night's game, those were the skills the Braves used, running over Harvard both offensively and defensively.

Even after jumping out to a 56-25 halftime lead, Q.C. did not slow in its attack. And though the Crimson seemed more poised in the second half, the Q.C. players already knew how to hurt them.

Led by recently recruited freshmen stars Adrience DeMand and Joyce Furman, the Braves divided scoring evenly, with each starter tallying at least 13 points.

For their part, the Crimson defense began to solidify and the offense began passing well under pressure midway through the game. But the hoopsters often ended up passing the ball to opposing team members.

Crimson forward Marget Long led scorers on the Harvard team with 10 points at halftime. But the hoopsters had trouble boxing-out against Q.C. center Francine Perry, the Division II national rebounding champ, with Harvard center Elaine Holpuch fouling out of the game, leaving a noticeable gap for Crimson rebounders.

Despite Hamden crowd shouts of "Go for 100 points," Harvard players continued to put in a strong effort, calling upon a last minute store of reserve energy to end the carnage.