Blue Devils Slip Past Cagers, 89-86

The 2580 in the stands kept wondering: how long could Harvard continue to keep its head above water? When would Duke arrest its tantalizing game of cat and mouse and finally open up the trap into which the Crimson was inevitably supposed to fall?

But Harvard evaded the Blue Devils' trap, and the prey proved almost as shrewd as the hunter--perhaps even shrewder, considering the dominating talent of the Duke cagers.

The Harvard men's basketball team bowed to Duke last night, 89-86, at Briggs Athletic Center in a contest that is best described as nothing less than a glorious defeat.

With 6:13 remaining in the game, Harvard-aided by forward Joe Carrabino's left beseline 15-ft, jumper and a Bob Ferry layup-managed to bounce back from a six-point deficit to tie the score at 78.

But When the Crimson found itself down by only two with 5:04 to go, Duke proceeded to take away any possible Harvard momentum by calling for a slowdown, during which the Blue Devils passed the ball around the perimeter for close to four minutes.

In desperation, at 1:26. Harvard's Ame Duncan fouled Duke's Mark Alarie. Alarie missed the opportunity to put his team on top by four unfortunately, during the Crimson's subsequent possession, Carrabino-who had a team-high 30 points on the evening-failed to connect with his top-of-the-key jumper.

Again, Duke threatened to initiate another slowdown, and Harvard found itself forced to grab David Henderson. Henderson dumped in his two free throws, putting the Blue Devils up by four with only 46 on the clock.

With those extra two points, the Crimson-because of Duke's consistency at the line down the stretch-found itself unable to nab the visitors. The remainder of the game saw the teams trading either free throws or layups.

On Top

Harvard never trailed by more than six points, and for much of the first half it led the contest. With 5:10 remaining in the first half, the Crimson catapulted itself to an eight-point advantage. What proved to be Harvard's eventual downfall was a 16-2 Duke scoring burst at the end of the first half.

Enen then, the Crimson forgot which team was supposed to win, and refused to roll over and submit to Duke's intimidating pressure. At the end of the game's first 20 minutes, Harvard exited the floor encouraged by Ferry's two free throws the junior guard had 20 points on the night and Carrabino's 22-foot rainbow, which cut the Blue Devil's halftime lead to two, 45-43.

"We kept moving. We never stopped," Harvard Coach Frank McLaughlin said after the game. "The only thing that hurt us was that one spurt at the end of the half."

While Harvard's mental lapse during Duke's first-half surge minimized its chances of winning. Duke can than a hero by the name of Johnny Dawkins for the victory. Dawkins pumped in 33 points, almost all of them coming from the perimeter with 18 to 22-ft. bombs.

McLaughlin said the Crimson's game plan was to force Duke to shoot from the outside, and he stressed that during the past few contests, Dawkins and his teammates had not been reliable from long range, relying instead on inside power.

"Everything we did, we planned to do," Carrabino said.

"But Dawkins was a real confidence builder for them." McLaughlin added. "He had been having a little trouble [shooting from outside]... but tonight he had an absolutely great game."

In order to appreciate the caliber of Harvard's performance it mounted a season high 604 field goal average, dished off 14 assists as a team, ran a continually swift game and still managed to limit the number of turnovers to eight-one must consider its opponent's talents.

This is a team which beat nationally ranked Virginia and boasts a 17-5 season record, playing in the Samson-like Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). One Blue Devil, freshman Martin Nessley, is a towering 7-ft., 2-in. There of its starters stand 6-ft., 7-in, or above.

The Blue Devils dunk, then run fast breaks with graceful proficiency. The team competes against the best talent in the country, game in and game out, and has gained national recognition-Duke is ranked 25th in the country. Sopomore Dawkins is thinking about going pro. And playmaker Tommy Amaker--he collected 10 assists last night--is touted as the ACC's best freshman.

Compared to the omnipotent ACC, the Ivy League seems to be dwarfed into obscurity For these reasons, Harvard's dramatic and inspiring effort is something to be considered highly unexpected, if not extraordinary.

The mood in the locker room after the sounding of the final buzzer radiated a glowing pride, despite the loss.

"We're pleasantly disappointed," Carrabino said. "We showed that we could play with anyone in the country... Still, though, there's a nagging feeling that we should have won. The difference between winning and losing was their getting inside for a couple of easy shots in the second half. Their physical talent just overlook us a couple of times."

Harvard's ability to compete closely with Duke came not from a sense of apathy or anticipation of an easy victory against an Ivy League team. The Blue Devils played hard, and they played well. The contest developed into an intense emotional struggle. At several points during the game, the atmosphere proved hectic enough to spark some minor physical confrontation.

"They're a team of great athletes," Carrabino said. "They played very, very hard. There's no doubt that they're leaving here knowing that Harvard can play basketball."

The Crimson's performance as a team has gelled over their last three contests. During the longest and most gruelling road trip of the season, to Columbia and Cornell, Harvard split over the weekend, losing to the Big Red only in the game's final seconds. With their stellar show against Duke, the cagers enter this weekend's crucial Ivy contests--against league leaders Brown and Yale--with a sense of confidence they have not experienced for quite a long while.

"There's no question that if we play like we did against Columbia, Cornell and Duke that we can win this Friday and Saturday," McLaughlin said. "But we can't just leave here and say, 'Boy, we're going to win...The only thing that I'm concerned about is an emotional... letdown."

By coming razor-close to dunking Duke, Harvard has proven itself--once and for all--a team to be taken very seriously in league competition. Co-Captain Monroe Trout seems to have recovered from his nagging injuries. McLaughlin has discovered new depth in the backcourt by granting adequate playing time to freshman Keith Webster. For these reasons--and some more--Harvard's season record of 7-9 (3-3 in the Ivies), is a bit deceiving.

Carrabino said, "The morale of this team is very good. We have a lot of confidence."

But the Blue Devils don't really care how much confidence the Crimson has. Their only concern is that a member of the Ivy League--a league dwarfed by the ACC--almost upset and humiliated them.

At Briggs Athletic Center

DUKE(89)--Jay Bilas 2-2-6; Dan Meagher 2-0-4; Mark Alarie 11-1-23; Tommy Amaker 0-0-0; Johnny Dawkins 15-3-33; David Henderson 4-11-19; Doug McNeely 2-0-4. Fouled out; Bilas

HARVARD (86)--Arne Duncan 4-0-8; Ken Plutnicki 1-9-11; Joe Carrabino 14-2-30; Bon Ferry 6-8-20; Pat Smioth 2-0-4; Greg Wildes 0-0-0; Kelth Webster 3-1-7; Kevin Boyle 0-0-0. Fouled out; Duncan, Plutnicki.

Hattime: 45-43, Duke

Att: 2850