Cagers Outdefense Columbia, 66-62; Ferry Cops Season-High 21 Points

The Harvard men's basketball team proved last night that its best offense is an aggressive defense, brandishing a rugged man-to-man and a solid zone to tame Columbia, 66-62, before 1150 at Briggs Athletic Center.

The cagers take an 11-10 record (3-6 in Ivy play) into their showdown with Cornell tonight at Briggs. The Big Red is 4-5 in the Ivies after last night's 47-44 loss at Dartmouth.

Harvard played its most physical defense of the year last night, preventing Columbia (7-13, 4-5 in the Ivies) from dominating the game with its quickness.

"In order for Columbia to be successful, their quickness has to be a factor," Crimson Coach Frank McLaughlin said after the game. "I don't think it was a factor tonight."

The battles won on defense carried over to the offensive front, as the Columbia defense rarely rattled Harvard. The Lions' full-court press, a key factor in the Crimson's loss a month ago in New York, didn't force a single turnover until late in the second-half--too late, it turned out, for Columbia to pull out a victory.

Harvard never trailed, building up leads of 11 points three times only to see Columbia draw back into contention three times. When Richie Gordon hit a jumper from the top of the key with 6:16 left, the score was knotted at 48 Harvard then threw the ball away, and McLaughlin called a timeout.

Microcosm

The next minute was microcosm of the Crimson victory. For 45 seconds the Lions passed the ball around the perimeter of the Harvard zone, looking for an opening that never materialized. Columbia needed an extra step, the ref whistled traveling and Harvard had the ball. Seven seconds later Crimson guard Bob Ferry sank two free throws; Harvard was ahead for good.

The foul line became a favorite habitat of the cagers in the late going. Harvard tallied 21 of its final 23 points from the penalty stripe. Ferry, who netted 21 points to lead all scorers, hit 11 of 11 from the line on the game.

After Columbia scored five points in six seconds to pull within two, 64-62, Crimson Co-Captain Calvin Dixon stepped up to the line. With just four seconds showing on the clock, the senior point guard calmly sank two free throws to ice the game.

"I have a lot of confidence in myself," Dixon said after the game. "I just wait for when they need me and then I assert myself."

Some nights he plays the role of the selfless point guard, rolling up the assists and passing up scoring opportunities. But last night the Crimson offense began to act tentative at times, and Dixon stepped in to fill the gap. He netted 12 key points, often shooting when none of his teammates seemed willing to take a chance.

Columbia (62)

Bymett 5-12 5-9 15, Hawkins 0-0 0-3 0, Clarke 0-3 3-5 3, Brecht 5-9 0-1 10, Gordon 1-3 1-3 3, Scholz 4-8 1-1 9, Brown 5-8 0-0 10, Armstrong 2-8 0-0 4, Lay 0-0 0-2 0, Meikle 3-3 2-2 8, Murphy 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 25-54 12-26 62.

Harvard (56)

Dixon 5-10 2-3 12, Ferry 5-9 11-11 21, Trout 3-5 3-5 9, Plutnicki 3-7 4-4 10, White 3-3 1-4 7, Bernard 2-5 3-8 7, Boyle 0-2 0-1 0, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 21-41 24-36 66.

Halftime--Harvard, 31-20

Fouled out--Brown, Meikle. Total fouls--Columbia 31, Harvard 23. Rebounds--Columbia 27 (Brecht 8), Harvard 30 (Trout 10). Assists--Columbia 11 (Brown 3). Harvard 9 (Plutnicki 4). A--1150.