Harvard Freshmen Top Injury-Riddled Classics In IAB Shootout, 72-63

"Go Harvard! Beat Harvard!"

So it went for fans attending last night's 72-63 freshman basketball triumph over intra-IAB rival Harvard Classics. Coach Buddy O'Neill's 6-9 crew squandered a 20-point lead in the waning moments of a second half barnburner that saw a valiant Classic comeback try fall short.

With nine minutes left in the contest, playmaking guard Rick Bengal (17 points, 8 assists) converted a nifty steal into a fast-break layup and a 56-36 freshman lead. But it was all-Classic from there on in, as the Frosh almost swallowed the proverbial apple.

Classic forward Ralph Yearwood came off the bench to spark a 27-12 rally that closed the gap to five, 68-63, with 1:21 remaining. In a 50-second spree, Yearwood rammed home seven unanswered points before freshman mentor O'Neil wisely called a time-out.

Marty "Bad News" Healy pumped in a dandy top-of-the-key 25-foor jumper during the Classic uprising, then missed a critical scoop lay-up that would have cut the lead to three. But at the other end, Rick Bengal was hacked, sunk a pair of free throws, and heaved a seven-point lead sigh of relief. Bob Hooft's banker in the final seconds padded the spread.

Forward Hooft paced the Crimson attack with a game-high 19 points. "Bob's the main cog in our machine," Coach O'Neil commented in a post-game interview. "You saw what happened when I took him out with the big lead--he makes the difference."

Hooft, the team's leading scorer and a future All-Ivy Leaguer, scored 13 points in the first half for a 39-30 freshman edge at intermission. Meanwhile, forward Kevin McLaughlin single-handedly kept Coach John Harvey's injury-riddled crew in the contest. The deadly shooter swooshed home six buckets en route to a 14-point opening half performance. McLaughlin led Classic scoring with 18 points and 12 rebounds.