Hoopsters Whip Manhattan; Offense Shines in 90-80 Win

The Crimson basketball squad has been living life in the fast lane lately (the four days in Texas were oh, so chic)--and seems to enjoy it immensely. But to be precise, maybe one should say the team has been living life fast in the lane--and winning as a result.

The Harvard quintet did it again Saturday afternoon, using a high speed running attack to whip Manhattan College, 90-80, in a game played at the IAB.

The win lifts the Crimson's season record to 6-4--with a 1-0 Ivy League mark--while the Jaspers fall to 5-5 on the year.

Overall, the Crimson played well--at times spectacularly--and overcame a few rough edges to record its second straight reading period win.

"There were a few mistakes that we made today and got away with that we might not get away with against Penn or Princeton," coach Frank McLaughlin said after the game, "but those are all correctable mistakes. This is a very difficult time for the team mentally, but if we come through Tuesday (vs. St. Anselms, 7:30, IAB) okay, we'll be all right."

Calvin Dixon and Donald Fleming make this team move, give it momentum, and have the capacity to bring an IAB crowd to its feet. With both turning in their best performances of the season to date, the pace was fast, and as a result, the Crimson looked better than it has all year.

Dixon directed a fast-break offense-- especially potent in the last 20 minutes-- which stymied the Jasper defense but at the same time made McLaughlin more than a little nervous. He gets that way when the squad's zone offense decays into fast break, playground-style basketball and its corresponding high turnover totals.

That statistic was in fact perversely impressive, with the Crimson racking up a season-high 31 turnovers. A 37-17 rebounding advantage plus a 63 per cent field goal average erased the problem of ragged passing and travelling calls, however.

Triple Decker

Fleming led the Crimson in all three categories, totalling, 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine turnovers. At least four of those rebounds were offensive ones, as the all-Ivy forward converted tough follow-up shots.

Offensively, the Crimson was unstoppable, finally meshing all its varied skills to chalk up 90 points for the first time since the December 1 MIT game. Dixon's assist to forward Joe Carrabino with 6:48 to play illustrates well the tenor of the contest.

Following a Carrabino defensive rebound and outlet pass to the sophomore point guard, Dixon held up the ball while the rest of the team ran down the floor. Six dribbles--two of which were between his legs--and two full pivots later, Dixon was in the middle of a crowded lane, apparently going to the basket.

But Carrabino stood open on the baseline on the left side of the hoop, and Dixon in mid-flight simply dropped the ball into his hands for an easy layup and two Crimson points.

Carrabino turned in an equally impressive offensive performance, shooting a Group I 10 of 11 for 20 points, mostly on medium-range jumpers. Carrabino leads all Crimson scorers in shooting percentage so far this season, with a 71 for 120, .591 average.

Saturday's game showed progress in the Crimson's defensive and rebounding performances as well, with Mark Harris and Monroe Trout turning in classic, hard fought, defensive play. Trout equalled the Crimson's season record for blocked shots with two, while Harris pulled down nine rebounds.

THE NOTEBOOK: In Ivy League action, Penn beat Yale, 63-59, on Friday, and whipped Brown on Saturday, 70-58. In other games, Princeton nipped the Bruins, 44-41, and dumped Yale, 66-50 ... Bermuda Shooters went 0-far-3 Saturday afternoon, and so far this year have a 1-for-24, .041 average.