Cagers Beat Huskies, 80-67, in Beanpot Tourney

With three regulars on the bench due to injuries, a five-game losing streak in their immediate past, and a home court disadvantage, the Crimson cagers seemed in deep trouble entering last night's first round action of the Beanpot Tournament. Bill Carey, a substitute forward who had seen little action entering the contest, however, had other ideas.

The Harvard junior came off the bench and led his team to a resounding 80-67 triumph over Northeastern, thereby propelling the Crimson into the Beanpot finals on Thursday night for a showdown with Boston College.

The Eagles broke a 50-50 halftime tie with Boston University and went on to defeat the Terriers, 86-78, in last night's other first-round game.

Carey led all Harvard scorers with 18 points, as well as picking off nine crucial rebounds. His instrumental play at center against taller Northeastern counterparts was greatly appreciated by a Harvard team whose two other big men, co-captain Lou Silver and center Walt Hines, were forced to rest for most of the second half with foul trouble.

Spark Plugs

Carey was by no means the lone Crimson sparkplug, as five Harvard cagers tallied in double figures. This balanced scoring attack, the result of Coach Tom Sanders' eighth different starting line-up in twelve games this year, featured a 6-9 shooting performance by senior guard Steve Selinger, who netted 12 points. Forward Arnie Needleman added 13, while Hines and Mike Griffin contributed 12 and 10, respectively.

The Crimson started slowly, missing many early shots, and allowed Northeastern to remain even with them throught the first half. The Huskies, in fact, took a two-point lead at intermission, an advantage which proved to be their last of the game.

Harvard came out flying in the second half, playing their best basketball in a month. With the score deadlocked at 42, Carey, Griffin, and Needleman led the Crimson on a surge in which they out-scored Northeastern, 20-10.

No Closer

The Huskies could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way, as the teams traded baskets down to the wire.

The amazing aspect of Harvard's second-half performance was the fact that it was carried off by five players who were benchwarmers when the season began.

In addition to Needleman, Carey Griffin, and Selinger, junior Kevin McLaughlin performed ably in the second half as a substitute for the foul-prone Silver.