Women Hoopsters Split

The Harvard women's basketball team opened its post-Christmas Ivy League slate on a high note Friday night, launching a barrage of points against the University of Vermont to win, 78-66. But the following afternoon, an aggressive Dartmouth defense and a 23-point, 17-rebound performance from Big Green center Gail Koziara combined to fell the Crimson hoopsters, 69-48 at the IAB.

In Friday night's action. Harvard played good all-around basketball, hitting from outside against the Vermont zone and picking up easy buckets down low when Vermont shifted to a man-to-man.

Nancy Boutilier gunned for 17 points to capture Crimson scoring honors, while guard Pat Horne and center Elaine Holpuch chipped in 16 points apiece. Heather Beynnon and Lisa Johnson had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the losers.

In Saturday's action the hoopsters' miserable 29-per-cent shooting from the field tells part of the story. The 6-ft., 2-in, Koziara's performance told the rest.

Dartmouth coach Chris Wielgus said she knew about the Crimson's outside shooting and that her squad would constantly shift defenses to counter it.

Her strategy worked, as a bigger, quicker Dartmouth squad forced the hoopsters to take hurried, out-of-position shots. Lacking the shooting of guards Boutilier, Kate Martin and Home, which had carried them in their wins this year, the hoopsters looked inside.

But inside stalked Koziara, the leading scorer and rebounder in the East so far this year, and her defensive performance was as stellar as her offensive. She simply menaced anyone who dared venture anywhere near the basket. And she cleaned up on the boards, limiting the Crimson hoopsters to one shot each time they had the ball.

Crimson coach Carole Kleinfelder said she thought her squad was "intimidated" by the Dartmouth defense, which had 14 steals for the evening. The Harvard guards often got the ball in to center Holpuch, who, although she has averaged 69 per cent from the field this year, made only six of her 20 field goal attempts.

With 12 minutes remaining in the first half, a Martin drive brought the hoopsters within four, but Dartmouth changed to a 2-3 zone and threw in nine straight points before the Crimson scored again, giving the Big Green a 21-8 lead. The hoopsters managed to keep in the game, however, because of six points from Holpuch in the last two minutes of the half which ended with Dartmouth leading, 28-18.

But the hoopsters would never be as close as ten points again. Dartmouth opened the second half in a 1-3-1 zone with Kim Selmore, the point guard, picking up the ballhandler at full-court. Koziara rolled up to he post and down to the corners, freeing herself for easy five-footers to score ten of Dartmouth's next 22 points, as the Big Green outscored the hoopsters 22-4.

After that it was catch-up ball for the Crimson and the closest the hoopsters came was 17 points, on a bucket from underneath by Ann Scannell with 1:40 remaining in the game.

Holpuch finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Crimson. Scannell chipped in eight points, and Margret Long added six to the Harvard effort.

DARTMOUTH 69, HARVARD 48

at the IAB

DARTMOUTH (11-5), Valos 2-2-6, Selmore 2-0-4, Kozlara 9-5-23, Deacon 6-1-13, Nelson 4-2-10, Crane 1-2-4, Heyes 1-0-2, Ivt 1-0-1, Connor 1-0-2, Carrol 1-1-3, Totals 28-13-69.

HARVARD (4-10). Martin 2-0-4, Home 0-2-2, Boutilier 2-0-4, Buarino 1-0-2, Scannell 3-2-6, Long 3-0-6, Williamson 2-2-6, Judge 1-0-2, Holpuch 6-4-16 Totals 19-10-48. Harvard  18  30--48 Dartmouth  26  41--89