BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK

The Harvard men's basketball team hit the road this past weekend to take on the elite of the Ivy League, Princeton and Penn.

The Crimson put a scare into Princeton (15-4, 6-0 Ivy) Friday night as its comeback attempt from a 20-point deficit came up just short in a 66-60 loss.

On Saturday, Harvard (9-11, 3-5) hung tough against the Quakers early on before succumbing to Penn's (14-3, 6-0) superior talent as the Crimson fell 81-56 in Philly.

Despite the two losses, the Crimson took some good things away from the weekend and look to build on the defeats as it embarks on the second half of its Ivy schedule.

Freshman Phenoms

This weekend's games featured the continued emergence of freshman backcourt mates Drew Gellert and Patrick Harvey for the Crimson.

On the season, 6'2 Gellert has received more playing time than 6'1 Harvey, averaging 18 minutes per game to Harvey's nine. Gellert also has established himself as one of the Crimson's most tenacious defenders. Gellert's 25 steals are second only to senior point guard Tim Hill's 44 on the squad.

Harvey, meanwhile, has shown a good shooting touch and offensive game in his limited playing time. His .467 three-point percentage leads the the team.

On this, the toughest weekend of basketball for the team, the two freshmen played well beyond their season's average of minutes and proved to be effective.

Against Princeton, Gellert scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting with two rebounds in 30 minutes. Harvey netted four points and gathered two steals in 18 minutes

In Saturday's contest against Penn, Gellert earned his first starting nod this season. He only scored two points in the game, but his aggressive defense helped the Crimson stay within striking distance of the Quakers early on.

Harvey enjoyed perhaps his best game to date. The freshman scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting 2-of-4 three-pointers, to go along with three assists.

"Both freshmen really rose to the occasion," Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. "I continue to be impressed by the integration of the freshmen into the lineup."

Both players have shown a willingness to take the ball to the hoop and have become known for their hustle and aggressive play. Perhaps their play this weekend is a sign of things to come.

"The freshmen have been doing unbelievable things and are getting better and better with more playing time," sophomore forward Dan Clemente said, "Pat comes from Chicago, so he really knows how to play. He doesn't back down from anyone."

Fishing for a Big Man

The games against Penn and Princeton this weekend marked the first time all season that the Crimson took the floor without its captain and starting center 6'8 Paul Fisher.

Fisher, who leads the team in rebounds with 7.3 boards per game and averages 10.7 points per contest, was forced out of the lineup with an undisclosed illness. It is feared that he will be out for the season.

Fisher's absence came at a particularly inopportune time, as the Tigers and Quakers boast two of the best centers in the league, Princeton's 6'10 freshman, Chris Young, and Penn's 6'11 junior, Geoff Owens.

Young tore up the Crimson in the first half on Friday, scoring 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting and going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, He also had three assists and two steals. He finished the game with 20 points, but his first-half offensive explosion put the game out of reach for the Crimson.

Owens also took advantage of Fisher's absence, using his big body to bang away at the Crimson. Owens scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting and gathered 12 rebounds.

"Not having [Fisher] did hurt us," Sullivan said. "He is our most experienced and strongest inside player."

Clearly these two players are among the Ivy elite, and Fisher would probably not have stopped them, but his presence would have been helpful. Harvard must now face the prospect of playing the rest of its games--including two more against Penn and Princeton--without its best big man.

In related new, 6'7 sophomore forward Chris Lewis traveled this weekend but did not dress. He averages 0.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

Hill vs. Jordan

The most anticipated match-up of the weekend between the two best point guards in the Ivy League never actually materialized.

Harvard senior Tim Hill and Penn junior Michael (not "Air") Jordan were to face off Saturday night at the Palestra in a battle that with many All-Ivy League implications. Last season Jordan beat out Hill--who made the Second team--for First Team honors.

But neither of the two stood out in the ball game, as other players took the spotlight. Jordan ran into foul trouble in the first half and entered the break with zero points and only one assist. At the end of the half Hill--who was booed by the Penn crazies every time he touched the ball--had five points, but on 2-of-8 shooting. He also dished out two assists.

In the second half, Jordan scored 10 points, including two shots from behind the arc, finished with four assists and two turnovers. Hill scored 11 with three assists and one turnover. Each had one steal.

In other words, round one was pretty much a draw. The deciding round is coming to Lavietes Pavilion on February 19th. Stay tuned.

Dan-gerous Shooter

Dan Clemente proved once again this weekend what Ivy Leaguers have known for quite some time: he is as legitimate a scoring threat as there is in the League.

Clemente--who started the season off slow, having missed much of training camp with an ankle injury--showcased his ability to create shots for himself and his sweet-shooting touch this weekend.

"I think Dan really rose to the occasion," Sullivan said. "He was really trying to create shots and was very aggressive."

Against Princeton, he led the Crimson's furious comeback attempt with a great second half. Clemente scored 13 points down the stretch, hitting tough jumper after tough jumper, to help get Harvard to within striking distance. Clemente finished with a team-high 18 points on 7-on-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point land.

Clemente, although noticeably fatigued, led the team in scoring against Penn on Saturday as well. Much of the Quaker focus on defense was on stopping the 6'7 forward, but Clemente still managed 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

"Clemente is a great player who can really make plays for himself," Penn Coach Fran Dunphy said. "A big part of our game-plan on defense was to limit his opportunities."