Columbia Lions Maul Hoopsters Despite Slipshod Play in Second Half

The Columbia Lions reaped a 75-67 win over the Crimson cagers in New York last night, threshing the twines with a 50 per cent shooting percentage from the floor.

Princeton and Penn had poisoned the Lions' 3-1 Ivy League record with back-to-back wins last weekend. Earlier, the Lions were served up as a tidbit to a number one ranked Indiana Hoosiers squad over Christmas weekend, losing 106-63 in a game in which they were given as much of a shot as a flickering candle in a Topeka twister.

The win-famished Lions accordingly greeted the Crimson quintet that invaded Levien Gymnasium like a rare and refreshing maroon morsel of manna.

Center Brian Banks, who singlehandedly comprises the Crimson's rebounding breadbasket, garnered two personal fouls and technical in the first four minutes, and languished on the bench for three quarters.

Doc Hines slinked home a 25-footer to notch it at 16 apiece and then banged home his second field goal of the night to ease the Crimson ahead. Hines snagged 11 points in the first half alone.

The Lions Ed Schockley and Larry Combs popped from downtown but Cyrus Booker netted two from the line to deadlock it at 20-20.

The teams last clinched when it was 26-all with five minutes showing in the half, but the Lions' scoring binge landed the Crimson in the soup to stay, as they trailed 35-31 at the halftime buzzer.

The gray train for the Lions was the rebounding department, as they picked the boards clean with 42 rebounds and limited Harvard to a meager harvest of 26.

Guard Glenn Fine and swingman Doc Hines, who had to perform yeoman service in the absence of the benched Banks, gobbled up scoring honors with 17 and 13 points respectively. The rest of the starting lineup could only glean scraps from the tandem's table.

The Crimson's myopic marksmanship flowered into full display in the second half as captain Bill Carey, Jonas Honick, Muliufi Hanneman, and Cy Booker shot a combined six-for-26 from the field.

The offense attack faltered in the second half, as the hoopsters had reeled off only 11 in 11 minutes and slid to a 53-42 deficit.

A rapacious full court press in the waning minutes forced a bevy of Columbia turnovers, but with a 72-63 spread and a minute remaining the Lions were on blue velvet.

The Crimson closed within five points after Banks sailed home two last-ditch tallies, but Joe Leonidis flubbed a desperation layup with 30 seconds remaining and the 6-12 cagers had only sour grapes to gnaw on.