Coming Off Win Over Judges, M. Cagers Battle Crusaders

After dropping two games at the Ameritas Classic in Nebraska, the Harvard men's basketball team rallied to defeat Brandeis Monday night at Briggs Cage. Tonight, the Crimson (2-3) hopes to continue its winning ways when it travels to Worcester to play Holy Cross at 7:30 (WHRB, 95.3).

Graciousness, Midwestern Style: The extended weekend in Nebraska was the site of two Harvard losses. After falling to host Nebraska, Harvard played well enough to upset All-American Ray Dudley and his Air Force cohorts, but the slick senior hit an off-balance jumper at the buzzer to seize the victory for the Falcons.

There was plenty of entertainment for the guest schools. Saturday, Lincoln staged a parade in front of the Cornhusker Hotel, where the players from the visiting schools were staying. Locals called the annual parade their version of the Macy's Parade. Gigantic floats and high school bands entertained the city, as locals bundled up in the frigid streets.

In local pinball action, Ian Smith set an unofficial record when two consecutive balls slid down the "nute" without registering a single point. The machine, hospitable to its Harvard guest, granted the junior guard an extra ball each occasion.

The shot of the week goes to junior Ralph James who drilled a three-point jumper with six seconds left to tie the Air Force game. Only an amazing shot by Dudley could salvage the Falcons from having to contend with the charging Crimson in an overtime frame and the embarassment of a Western Athletic Conference team losing to an Ivy League squad.

Freshman Tyler Rullman, playing in front of his parents, who made the voyage to Nebraska from their native Missouri, played an impressive game against the Falcons, including several clutch rebounds on missed free throws.

In the championship game Saturday night, the home fans were pleased when the Cornhuskers defeated Pepperdine, 104-100.

Leader Board: Five games into the season, James leads the team in offense with a scoring average of 16.2 points per game. He is followed by Ron Mitchell (10.0), Co-Captain Fred Schernecker (9.8) and Co-Captain Scott Gilly (7.8).

Oddly enough, the rebounding leader board looks exactly the same as the scoring chart, with James leading at 6.0 rebounds per game, followed by Mitchell (5.6), Schernecker (4.6) and Gilly (4.2).

Judges' Rulings: Long scoring droughts, which plagued the Crimson last year, are striking again this year--witness the 10-0 deficit to Nebraska at the beginning of Friday's game. But who would have imagined that Brandeis could keep Harvard scoreless for over seven minutes while exploding on a 13-0 run to turn a 17-12 deficit into a 25-17 lead?

A big part of the problem was the ability of the Judges' 3-2 zone defense to deny the ball into Ron Mitchell and Peter Condakes in the paint, forcing the Crimson to settle for outside shots on the wings. The Crimson, shooting 32 percent from the field in the first half, didn't have a chance.

In the 13-0 run, all six of Brandeis' baskets were layups or shots right underneath the basket. Finally, Mitchell broke the spell with a basket off a nice feed from Rullman.

Monster Mitchell: With the Crimson trailing, 32-30, Mitchell's 11 points and rebounding ability sparked a 16-9 run to clinch the win.

Mitchell started the rally with a rainbow jumper from the top of the key. With Harvard down, 34-33, Mitchell took a beautiful inbounds pass from James for a layup. A David Brooks foul gave Mitchell the opportunity for a three-point play and he didn't miss.

"I had a height advantage because of my jumping ability, and sometimes the ball just bounces your way," Mitchell said. "I think I've been getting in good position in the other games, but the ball hasn't been bouncing my way."

Following a Brandeis timeout, Mitchell nailed another top-of-the-key jumper and then tallied two baskets off offensive rebounds to put Harvard up, 44-39.

"We put Ronnie Mitchell specifically in the game to go to the boards and he did a great job," said Harvard Coach Peter Roby, referring to Mitchell's four offensive rebounds in the flurry.

The Judges had one last chance to pull out the win, trailing, 48-46, with 18 seconds to play. But four Dana Smith foul shots sealed their fate.

Ed's Back: It didn't take Yale sophomore guard Ed Petersen long to begin racking up the awards in the Ivy League this season. Last year's Ivy League Freshman of the Year copped Player of the Week honors while leading the Elis to a 2-1 record in their first week of action.