Crimson Five Upsets Dartmouth, 45-40 After Losing Two Games in Tourney

Harvard's basketball team is in second place in the Ivy League. Now, admittedly, the quintet has only played one Ivy game, and it is really a tie for second, and they have lost six of their eight games this season, but the rare spectacle of Harvard near first place nonetheless warms the heart.

The Crimson upset Dartmouth Saturday night, 45 to 40. Coach Floyd Wilson's five, as usual, got off to a big lead in the first half. And, as usual, they blew it in the second half. But after the Crimson had endured an agonizing ten-minute famine without a basket and the Green had taken a 39-33, Harvard rallied and closed the gap to one point. Then Merle McClung hit on a pair of foul shots, and Fran Martin and Leo Scully connected on field goals, giving the Crimson the victory. Scully paced Harvard's scoring with 13 points; Len Strause had nine.

The Crimson's stay near the summit of the Ivy League might not even be terminated in their next game against Columbia Friday night. The Lions are, if possible, worse than either Harvard or Dartmouth. On December 13 they suffered an 81-50 pasting at the hands of Fordham, a team which needed four overtimes to defeat the Crimson in a holiday tournament at Evansville, Ind.

Kelly Quits Squad

Senior Pete Kelley, one of Harvard's leading scorers and rebounders, quit the varsity basketball team shortly before the squad left to play in the Evansville tournament.

It was officially announced that Kelley, who is working on a thesis, "is giving up basketball in order to concentrate on his studies as he aims for admission to law school.

Although the quintet finished last in the tourney, Wilson said he felt they had "played their best basketball of the season so far." The Crimson bowed to powerhouse Evansville, the tournament champions, by a 63-55 margin, and then dropped a 52-47 cliffhanger to Fordham. Junior Len Strauss was Harvard's standout in the two games; he came off the bench to score 27 points, snare 12 rebounds, and earn himself a starting berth against Dartmouth.

Yale, with two victories over Brown, currently holds first place in the Ivy League. But Penn is considered the team to beat. The Quakers took a 65-62 decision Saturday over Princeton, their most formidable opponents in the league, and the Tiger's phenomenal sophomore Bill Bradley.