Cagers Humble Chiefs 73-58; Freshmen Succumb

The Crimson cagers trumpeted in the regular season last night with a 73-58 win over Springfield on the road.

The loudest clairon in the hoopster's first victory was center Steve Irion, who rattled through ten buckets and led all scorers with 23 points.

Captain Jeff Hill netted 18 points while forward Bob Hooft connected seven of ten from the floor for his best outing in a varsity uniform to round out the well-orchestrated attack.

The high note for the Crimson was the defense, as a rapacious five man press limited the Chiefs to 22 out of 55 field goals.

Both squads bandied baskets as the score stood at 8-8 before the Crimson strung out a four-point lead that stood throughout the half.

With Hooft shaking loose for easy layups and Irion snagging a team high nine rebounds, the half closed with the cagers out in front 28-24.

Harvard's cushion increased throughout the second half as Jonas Honick slinked through a corner jumper to make it 42-32 with 12:38 remaining.

The scoring salvo saw Hooft sink a pair from the line to make it 44-32 while guard Dave Rodgers capped the blitz with a driving scoop shot that kept the Crimson12 points ahead.

Springfield clawed back to within eight with 7:36 left to play when guard Ed Pryor picked up two of the Chiefs' 14 points from the line. Shifty guard Mike Gambardella hammered away for 21 points, the lone Springfield player in double figures.

A penetrating backcourt ensemble of Hill, Honick, and Rodgers shoveled off for inside shots as the Crimson bagged 30 out of 50 from the floor.

Hill's staccatto shooting from the perimeter accounted for six field goals while he dropped six from the foul stripe. Rodgers snared five rebounds and Honick paced the offense with six assists. Sophomore Rich Bengal added 6 points coming off the bench as the backcourt combined for 32 points.

Hill's layup with 2:48 showing on the clock gave the cagers a 13 point advantage and shut the door on the Chiefs. Springfield shot less than 40 per cent on the night as Hooft blanketed leading scorer and co-captain Dave Pugh. Pugh netted a piddling six points while flailing for three of twelve from the field.

Springfield was also hamstrung by the absence of co-captian Andy Rice, sidelined with a broken leg.

The gap climbed to 66-51 after Hooft bulled down the lane for an easy two and both quintets carded seven points to close out the scoring.

With the Crimson effectively controlling the tempo of play up and down the court, coach Satch Sanders called his charges' first win "a sweet victory."