Pucksters, Cagers Get Mixed Results

AMHERST, Mass.--The prognosis on the Harvard Basketball team's facelift operation will have to be delayed just a bit.

Coach Frank McLaughlin's super-green quintet got a lesson in power basketball as they dropped a 79-65 decision to the host UMass Minutemen in the season opener here last night, but there were signs of new life in the Harvard basketball program that have not been seen in the last three years.

The Crimson--with five of the eight regular players making their varsity debuts--battled gamely throughout the contest against the oversized Minutemen, but the UMass five busted through the Harvard defense for 45 second-half points to put it away before a sellout crowd of 4200.

Senior co-captain Bob Hooft (seven rebounds, 15 points) and challenging freshman guard Donald Fleming (18 points off the bench) led the losing effort for Harvard. But it was a hustling team game--an almost-constant full court press, and a scrappy though poor shooting (.338) offense--that kept the Crimson in a game that could have been a blow out.

Massive (6-8, 230) Mark Haymore popped for 21 points and ripped down 21 points to anchor the Minutemen's tough inside game, which proved to be the difference in the game.

The Crimson took an 8-4 lead five minutes into the first half, but the Minutemen pulled ahead midway through the opening period with a series of long jumpers. Harvard's pressing defense and hustling--if ineffectual--offense kept play at a hectic level for the entire half, even though UMass maintained a three-to-seven-point lead for the rest of the period.

Fleming shook things up in the first 20 minutes, darting in and around the UMass defense for 10 points as the Crimson tried to find some openings against the tree-like Minutemen.

But UMass simply proved too large for the outsized Crimson at both ends of the court--especially on offense, where big men Haymore (10 first-half points) and Ken Kohlhaas took charge inside to shore up the Minutemen's erratic outside shooting.

Harvard pulled to within three points at 30-27 when junior Bobby Allen hit both ends of a one-and-one with 2:20 to go in the half.

But Bill Morrison's fast-break slamdunk and Eric William's 20-ft. jumper at the buzzer gave the home squad its sevenpoint cushion as the clubs broke for the lockerroom.

Could Have Been

The lean Hooft, who will surely be black and blue this morning after his rugged performance, kept the visitors within striking distance at the start of the second half, popping on three quick baskets to pull Harvard to within 38-33.

The Crimson seemed on the verge of pulling off a real shocker as they continued to harass the frazzled Minutemen with the press and connected on consecutive breaking layups to make the score 38-37 just four minutes into the second half.

Haymore--as always, the giant standing in the way of Crimson victory--took charge at that point, banging home three close-in baskets in the next two minutes to put the Minutemen in the catbird seat.

Fleming once again came off the bench to shake things up, but this time his shooting touch had gone cold, and most of his shots from the field went wide of the mark.

The contest turned into a track race in the closing minutes as Harvard desperately scrambled to get back in it and the Minutemen freelanced their way to the hoop with case.

The battling Crimson showed the promise of a fiery brand of basketball here last night--and that's something that has not been seen in a Harvard uniform for quite a while.