Women Hoopsters Tumble; Sink Deeper Into Slump

The Harvard women's basketball team continued its season-long skid last night, dropping its 19th game of the season to Northeastern, 81-51.

There was enthusiastic vocal support from the small crowd built was clear from the start that a few screams of "Let's go Harvard" would not be enough to save the sturggling hoopsters from defeat.

You'll Work for Us (ha ha)

"They just beat us," was co-captain Pat Home's weary comment after the beating.

The Huskies raced off to a 9-1 lead and as a certain New York sportscaster says, "You could have truned your sets off there." In fact, the game deteriorated into "garbage time" soon after the second hall had begun.

Prosecution

Northeastern's crisp passing, good outside shooting and brutal work under the boards left the Crimson panting for breath. The Huskies outrebounded the Crimson 45-27, and shot 46 percent from the floor to the home team's 29 percent.

The Huskies' size advantage was most evident when they got five or six cracks at the basket, or when their 6-ft, 3-in center (she looked a lot talier) was looping in sky books reminiscent of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Home remarked after the game that it's tough to win a game "when you're giving up four or five inches underneath."

Controversy

The Crimson offense sputtered all night long, as the Huskies took advantage of the Crimson's inability to control the play from the point.

Coach Carole Kleinfelder started two freshmen last night. Valerie Jordan and Andrea Mainelli, saying that she wanted to get some new blood into the lineup. She added that the purpose of the game had been to "sharpen us up" for the game against Cornell on Sunday.

Crazy

If the Crimson can turn back the Big Red, Kleinfelder said, then the team will be seeded fifth in next week's Ivy League Tournament. In any case, the team, now only 1-4 in the Ivies and 2-19 overall, can still take the League crown if they pull if all together and win the tournament.

THE NOTEBOOK: Marget Long led the Crimson with 14 points while Horne chipped in 13 hard-earned points... The Huskies' center, Ellen Soja, led all scorers with 16 points, showing remarkable touch for a woman of her size.