Cagers Nip UNH, 69-68(OT) Behind Dixon's Sharp shooting

Crimson Co-Captain Calvin triumphed in the battle of the Dixons last night, leading the Harvard men's basketball team past Robin Dixon's New Hampshire squad, 69-68, in overtime last night at Briggs Athletic Center.

With nine seconds remaining in overtime. Calvin hit a hanging 13-ft. jumper from the right side of the lane to give the cagers the one-point victory and an even 3-3 season record (0-1 in Ivy play). New Hampshire's Robin (unrelated) missed a 16-footer with two seconds left.

The Wildcats 92-3) had taken a 66-63 lead with three foul shots at the start of the extra period, but the Crimson brought the margin back to one, answering a UNH lay-in with a Ken Plutnicki drive and a Greg Wildes 20-ft. baseline jumper in the final two minutes. When New Hampshire's Redney Johnson missed the front end of a one-on-one with just 34 seconds left. Harvard got the ball and the chance to save the game. Just as they had all night, the cagers relied on Calvin Dixon to do the rest.

The Crimson's senior point guard, almost reluctant to put the ball up in Harvard's first five outings, fired at will all night. Dixon didn't gun all the time, though, as he passed for six assists. When he decided to shoot, he connected on 10 of the 19 missiles he launched, many of them from just inside the top of the key. His 22 points sets a new team high for the year.

Taking Command

"Calvin had a helluva game." Crimson coach Frank McLaughlin said. "We've never told him not to shoot."

The Wildcats also had a stellar Dixon, and robin missed only three of his 15 attempts en route to a game-high 26 points. The most important of all robin's baskets came with just 20 seconds left in regulation, when the 6 ft., 3-in senior sank a 20-footer to knot the contest.

Robin's dramatic game-tier capped a New Hampshire comeback that ran the length of the second half. Down by nine points, the Wildcats successfully pressed the Harvard offense and penetrated the Crimson defense, getting inside shots and making them. UNH hit 69 percent from the floor in the second stanza.

But the Crimson gave ground grudgingly, as McLaughlin received solid performances from all six of the players he used in regulation Sophomore guard Bob Ferry (15 points) and freshman forward Wildes (14) teamed with Dixon as the cagers sharp shooted their way through the Wildcats zone defense Wildes worked the left baseline. Dixon the top of the key and Ferry somewhere in between.

Backing up the Harvard scorers were Plutnicki, co-Captain George White and center Monnie Trout underneath The trie nabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Crimson domination of the boards Trout in his first start of the floor, rejecting two shots and making a steal.

McLaughlin attributed his team's first win in 10 days to the players attitudes Alter seeing the Wildcats multiply Harvard's nine-point butter and tie the game in the final seconds of regulation. McLaughlin said that must teams would have let down "It's the character of the team to say, My God we'll get it," the Crimson mentor said "They don't thing then heads"