Silver Tops Cagers in Statistics Race; Roth Paces Hockey Team in Scoring

It's back to the books for Harvard's basketball and hockey teams, as the Crimson cagers and icemen break off their schedules to fulfill the academic requirements of Exam Period.

And as the Crimson athletes trade their sneakers and skates for typewriters and blue books, the latest statistics released by Harvard Sports Information reveal that Lou Silver and Randy Roth maintain team scoring leads in basketball and hockey, respectively.

Surprise for Sanders

Silver, who has been the most pleasant surprise for rookie basketball coach Tom Sanders, leads the Crimson cagers in both scoring and rebounding after 15 games. Silver, after one of the most productive games of his career against Yale, boasts a scoring average of 17.6 points per game (and a .509 shooting percentage), while clearing the boards at a 10.6 clip. In his superb performance against the Elis, Silver grabbed 26 rebounds and tallied 16 points.

Roth leads the icemen with 11 goals and 15 assists over 14 games for 26 total points. The Harvard center holds a slight scoring edge over winger Jim McMahon, who has tallied 22 points thus far in the season. Roth is second to McMahon in goals scored, with 13 tallies, and leads the Crimson in assists.

Captain Bob Goodenow holds down the third spot on the Crimson scoring ladder, with 21 points and is second to Roth with 13 assists. Steve Dadigian and Kevin Carr are the only other two Harvard scorers in double figures with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Carr also leads Harvard in penalty minutes with 18.

Harvard's basketball fortunes took an encouraging turn upward just before the break for exams as the Crimson turned back Northeastern and Yale before packing it in. The modest two-game win streak is the Crimson's longest since Harvard defeated Brown and Holy Cross in succession back in December.

Crimson hoop captain Tony Jenkins is second to Silver in both scoring and rebounding, according to the latest statistics, averaging 15.6 points per game and hauling in 8 rebounds per contest.

Arnie Needleman, with a 10.7 scoring average, and Kenny Wolfe at 10.6 round out the Crimson's top four in the point-getting department. Wolfe leads the team in free-throw percentage with an .805 mark (33-41). Guard Mike Griffin is way ahead in assists with 69.

In team scoring, Harvard has tallied at a 67.5 per game pace (.454 shooting percentage) while yielding 68.9.

In hockey, goalie Jim Murray has a comfortable statistical margin over John Aiken, with a 3.70 goals-against average. Murray has given up 28 goals in eight games, turning away 201 of 229 attempts for an .878 percentage. Aiken has given up 25 goals in six games, blocking 132 of 157 shots(.845).

The icemen will be idle until the Beanpot Tournament at Boston Garden February 4, when the Crimson will take on Boston College. The basketball team will be out of action until February 8 when the cagers travel to the Big Apple to engage Columbia.