Classics Defeat JV Hoopsters; Aulet Shines in 87-84 Victory

Junior guard Billy Aulet hit four straight jump shots in the final minutes of play to spark the Harvard Classics to an 87-84 basketball victory over the Harvard junior varsity last night at the IAB.

After squandering a 16-point first half lead, the Classics fell behind early in the second half and never led again until Aulet began his heroics. The JVs scratched to a 73-66 lead with 7:20 remaining behind an aggressive pressing defense and hot shooting by freshmen Billy Campbell and Stan Martin.

The Classics rallied behind the inside play of Tom Russo and Alex James to cut the lead to 79-77 with a little more than four minutes left in the game. After a missed shot by the JVs, Aulet knotted the score at 79-79 with a long jumper from the corner at the 3:42 mark.

Dave Durham sank the front end of a one-and-one to put the JVs ahead for the last time 80-79. Aulet came down the court again and scored from the same spot to put the Classics ahead for good, 81-80, with 2:59 to play.

Not satisfied, Aulet made two more jump shots from the right side of the key to put the game out of reach. The JVs could only counter with two free throws and a jump shot by Martin to make the final margin.

Attributing his performance to the fact that "accidents will happen," Aulet finished the night with ten points, all in the second half. Four other Classics scored in double figures as Russo and James has 15 and 16 points respectively. Kevin McLaughlin and Steve Shannon also added ten points a piece. Campbell led the JVs with 21.

The victory marked the Classics' second straight triumph over the junior varsity this year. The JV won the first meeting between the two teams earlier in the season. The Classics are now 23-2 on the season. The loss drops the JV record to 10-10.

Both teams finish their regular seasons today at the IAB.