Hoopsters Top UNH, 77-73; Carrabino, Fleming Sparkle

It's getting to be an old story with the men's basketball team: fall behind early during a lazy first half and then make a gallant charge in the final 15 minutes. But the ending last night in New Hampshire was a new one: Joe Carrabino and Donald Fleming led the Crimson to a stirring 77-73 comeback victory over the Wildcats.

Losing 45-32 at half-time, the Crimson eventually began to settle down on offense five minutes into the second stanza. The man-to-man defense, which had given the Wildcats easy driving opportunities all night, tightened up considerably. And the score stood at 51-38.

In successive games against Holy Cross, Navy and UMass this season, the Crimson had battled to similar standoff situations, only to drop all three contests.

Last night, Carrabino and Fleming seemed determined to prevent a fourth consecutive loss. Together they pumped in 31 second-half points, shocking the Wildcats and everyone else in Lundholm Gymnasium.

The win raised the Crimson's record to 3-4 (1-0 in the Ivies), while the Wildcats dropped their fifth against two victories.

Two Steps Back

UNH had successfully contained the Crimson with a combination of zone defenses for the first 20 minutes, but the Wildcats seemed to take a few hesitant steps back toward the basket once Harvard began to connect from the outside.

With 7:48 left in the game, Carrabino hit a 12-ft. jumper from the left side of the key, pulling the Crimson even, 59-59, for the first time since the opening minutes.

After a quick exchange of baskets, UNH sharpshooter Robin Dixon brought the Wildcats to within one at 71-70 with a 15-ft. swish, and Carrabino took an elbow to that eye that put him on the bench for a minute and a half.

While Crimson trainer Pete Provinzano worked feverishly to patch up the bulky forward, Fleming went to work and scored four quick points on a jumper and a tough lay-up. Harvard point guard Calvin Dixon (no relation to Robin), who orchestrated the last-second heroics, put the game away with two free throws, and UNH failed to score in the final four seconds.

Carrabino finished the contest with a pretty string of stitches and a game-high 24 points. Fleming had 23, while Robin Dixon and guard A1 McClain combined for 43 for UNH.

Also the key to the Crimson victory were the 14 points and tough defense Lamar Flatt contributed when he came off the bench in the first half to replace a sluggish Monroe Trout at center.

New Defense

Surprisingly, Harvard coach Frank McLaughlin abandoned the zone defenses that he has relied on consistently this year and kept his troops in a man-to-man all evening. It took the Crimson 20 minutes to get comfortable with the strategy, but the hoopsters effectively harried UNH ball handlers throughout the second half, forcing 22 turnovers on the game.

The Wildcats' schizophrenic shooting performance made the Harvard comeback a little easier to bring off. After hitting more than 70 per cent from the floor in the first half, UNH managed only 35 per cent in the second.