M. Cagers Cruise

Last season, the Harvard men's basketball team tried to move its program forward, going 15-11 after five single-digit win seasons in a row. This season, the Crimson apparently intends not to retreat from that.

With a 110-67 bombing of Division III Babson last night and a 67-58 victory over New Hampshire on Saturday, Harvard improved its record to 3-0 on the season and kept its high expectations in sight.

Neither win at Lavietes Pavilion was perfect. In the first half last night, the Beavers cleaned up the offensive boards with 13 rebounds, while on Saturday the Crimson couldn't box out Wildcat Matt Acres (15 rebounds). Since Harvard prides itself on its glasswork--the team was 23rd nationally in rebounding margin last season--these were ominous signs.

But the Crimson still won, handily against Babson and relatively close against UNH. Harvard didn't fall behind in either game after its score reached double digits, though UNH made a few runs in the second half to make the game close. Still, the adjustments that the Crimson has to make now are minor tinkerings, not overhauls.

Of course, no one on the team sees it that way.

"We didn't accomplish what we need to on the boards," captain Dave Demian said after last night's game.

"We're disappointed as a team."

For a stretch, it was bad. In the first half, Harvard only held a one-rebound edge (22-21) to a team whose entire starting frontcourt was 6'4". Nevertheless, the Beavers--an up-tempo team that lives and dies with the outside shot--did a good job of slipping through the spread-out Harvard defense and fighting for contested balls.

The only reasons that the Crimson held a 50-31 edge at intermission was from its accuracy from the free-throw line (15-18) and from the field (59.3 percent, as opposed to Babson's anemic 27.5), which made up for the fact that the Beavers had 13 more shots.

"They came in with a lot of intensity," senior forward Kyle Snowden said. "When we play them they come to the game thinking, 'We can beat them."

Midway through the first half, Harvard ended those thoughts with a 11-0 run that effectively put the game away, led by six points from sophomore Mike Beam (14 on the game) and four from Snowden (game-high 23 points).

After intermission, it was Snowden that set the tone for the second half. He scored the first three baskets for either side and did not miss a shot before leaving the game with 12:36 left to play.

Once the game became a blowout, it afforded Harvard the opportunity to look at its bench--specifically sophomore Bill Ewing. With a total of only three pure frontcourt players, the Crimson needs the thin 6'9" center to give Snowden and senior forward Chris Grancio breathers during the season, but his line last night (five rebounds, five fouls, five points and three blocks in 15 minutes) leaves much room for improvement.

New Hampshire, on the other hand, was a much closer game, as Snowden's seven points in the final 48 seconds ensured the nine-point victory. As a team, the Wildcats out- rebounded the Crimson, 38-36, but Harvard scored 10 more points from the free-throw line and shot nine percentage points better from the field.

Sophomore Tim Hill was the leading scorer for both teams with 22 points and was followed by Snowden's 21. However, no other Harvard player had more than eight for the game.

"Against both UNH and Lafayette [a 89-68 victory on Tuesday], we did really well with team defense", Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said. "I'm disappointed that we didn't out- rebound UNH, but we made good starts with the goals that we have." Notes

Harvard has won the last five meetings against the Beavers by increasing margins--last season's 108-60 win was the first time Harvard broke the 100 barrier in six years. Babson's lone win in the series was in 1991, when it stunned Harvard 100-80.

Junior guard/forward Mike Scott missed the Babson game due to the flu. In his place, senior Dave Weaver started at shooting for-ward, and for the first time this season found his shooting touch, going four of five from the floor with a three-pointer. HARVARD, 110-67 at Lavietes Pavillion Babson  31  36  --  67 Harvard  50  60  --  110

BABSON: DiRoberto 2-12 2-2 7; Giovino 4-16 2-3 14; O'Brien 4-9 0-0 9; Sanborn 2-4 0-0 4; Teller 1-11 0-0 2; Dowd 1-1 1-2 3; Kmiec 3-5 4-5 10; D'Agostino 1-2 0-0 2; McNeice 0-3 1-2 1; Pare 0 0 2-3 2; Boudway 2-2 0-0 5; Kowalski 1-1 0-0 3; Monroe 0-1 0-0 0; Gaul 2-3 1-1 5; Lynch 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 23-70 13-18 67.

HARVARD; Demian 3-6 0-0 7; Hill 4-6 5-5 13; Weaver 6-10 2-4 16; Snowden 8-9 7-7 23; Grancio 5-6 2-2 14; Beam 4-9 6-6 14; Dean 4-7 0-0 11; Ewing 2-4 1-3 5; Stevens 2-3 0-0 4; Gunderson 1-1 1-2 3. TOTALS: 39-61 24-29 110. Babson  67 Harvard  110

UNH  58 Harvard  67

BABSON: DiRoberto 2-12 2-2 7; Giovino 4-16 2-3 14; O'Brien 4-9 0-0 9; Sanborn 2-4 0-0 4; Teller 1-11 0-0 2; Dowd 1-1 1-2 3; Kmiec 3-5 4-5 10; D'Agostino 1-2 0-0 2; McNeice 0-3 1-2 1; Pare 0 0 2-3 2; Boudway 2-2 0-0 5; Kowalski 1-1 0-0 3; Monroe 0-1 0-0 0; Gaul 2-3 1-1 5; Lynch 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 23-70 13-18 67.

HARVARD; Demian 3-6 0-0 7; Hill 4-6 5-5 13; Weaver 6-10 2-4 16; Snowden 8-9 7-7 23; Grancio 5-6 2-2 14; Beam 4-9 6-6 14; Dean 4-7 0-0 11; Ewing 2-4 1-3 5; Stevens 2-3 0-0 4; Gunderson 1-1 1-2 3. TOTALS: 39-61 24-29 110. Babson  67 Harvard  110

UNH  58 Harvard  67

UNH  58 Harvard  67