Princeton Succumbs in NCAA

Reserves Ed Catchings and Eric Booker scored 18 points each as 13th-ranked NevadaLas Vegas overpowered Princeton, 68-56, last night in the opening game of the NCAA West Regional in Pullman, Wash, to set up a show-down against ninth-ranked Texas-El Paso.

UNLV and UTEP, the top two-rated teams in the West during most of the regular season, meet in tomorrow's second game.

Booker and Catchings scored 12 points each in the second half as UNLV, now 38-5 and the fifth seed in this regional, out-scored the 12th-seeded Tigers, 14-6, to take a 42-31 lead with 14:50 left in the game.

Princeton, which had executed its precision passing game almost flawlessly in the first half, was unable to pull any closer than nine points the remainder of the way.

Howard

Princeton, the Ivy League champion, was led by junior center Howard Levy's season-high 24 points. The Tigers also got 18 points from senior Kevin Mullin as they finished the season 18-10.

The Rebels, who-averaged over 83 points per game, broke the game open in the second half by using their superior athletic ability and height advantage to score inside over the Tigers.