Cornell Crushes Harvard's Ivy Hopes

To understand what happened to the Harvard men's basketball team last night; you've got to go back. About 82 years.

That was the start of Ivy men's basketball, And it was the start of 81 straight years without an Ivy men's basketball title for Harvard.

Lastnight, it became 82. Unless you believe in miracles.

For Cornell's 76-67 upset win over Harvard before the biggest-ever crowd at Briggs Athletic Center (2850) left the Crimson with only faint hopes in its quest for that elusive Ivy title.

The Crimson sit all alone in second place at 8-5, one game behind league-leading Cornell and Princeton--61-48 winners over Yale last night at Princeton, N.J.--with just one game remaining tonight.

And it would take a Cornell loss at Dartmouth, a Princeton loss to Brown in Princeton and a Harvard victory over Columbia at Briggs just to set up a three-way playoff for the league crown.

"You never know what's going to happen," Harvard Coach Frank McLaughlin said just moments after last night's loss, stilt clinging to that faint hope.

Indeed, few would have guessed what happened last night. A squad that had won just one game on the road the entire year. Cornell put on a dazzling performance to beat the Crimson at its very own game.

The Big Red never trailed after snagging an 8-6 lead just 4:14 into the game, held off each Crimson rally, shot 60 percent from the floor and then hit 16 of 18 free throws in the last 2:43 to topple the nation's best free throw shooting team.

"They did to us what we usually do to other teams," Harvard's distraught Joe Carrabino said. "They did what they had to--they shot well, played good defense and then hit all their free throws."

So the Harvard squad that entered last night's game in total control of its own destiny could only watch in the final few seconds as the Cornell cagers they had intentionally fouled sank each free throw, and with them, Harvard's hopes.

"It's just so frustrating because we had been playing so well," said Carrabino. Who led all scorers with 26 points. "And we didn't even play all that poorly tonight."

What doomed Harvard was as balanced an ofensive attack as the Crimson has faced all year. And that includes Duke. Five Cornell cagers hit the scoring books in double figures, and when they returned up the court, they provided a stingier defense than those nation-leading defenders in New Jersey.

That's about as well as we've played all year," said Cornell Coach lam Miller, who in four years has brought the Big Red to the forefront of Ivy hoop.

They just never let us into the groove of the game, "Carrabino added," We never had control of the game."

That however, stemmed as much from some errant Carrabino & Co shots in the opening minutes as it did from the sensational Cornell play. Fight Harvard turnovers in the first half alone almost sealed the Crimson's late, as the visitors jumped to a 34 28 halftime lead.

Behind the mighty vocal support of some 300 of its own fans, the Big Red increased its lead to nine with just 5:57 left, thanks in part to the pinpoint shooting of freshman guard John Bajusz and thanks in lot to a few more Harvard errors.

"Right from the start they took control of the game," freshman guard Keith Webster said, "and they never let go. In my whole career I've never felt so helpless I've never played in a game where I couldn't control the tempo of the game--for good or bad."

Junior guard Bob Ferry almost took control, though, when he cut the Cornell lead to just three, 61-58 with just 2:13 left. His steal after a Carrabino bucket and the guard's subsequent free throws put Harvard on the brink of a magical comeback. But Cornell rallied right back, as it had done in similar situations all evening. Harvard could only watch as each Big Red free throw shooter extended history.

Again

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard is 14-11 on the year... The regular season finale begins at 7 p.m. tonight against the Lions...Harvard shot 54 percent from the floor... The Crimson, which hit 90 percent of its free throws last night, will probably break the NCAA free throw record tonight.

at Brings Athletic Center

Harvard (67)--kan Plutnicki 3-0--6; Arne Duncan 5-4--14. Joe Carrabino 9-8--26. Bob Ferry 4-7--15 Pat Smith 0-0--0, Kath Webster 3-0--6. Greg wildes 0-0--0. Bob Daugherly 0-0--0; Totals 24-19--67 Fouled Out; Duncan, Webster.

Cornell(76)--Lan Palmer 1-2--4; Brad Bomba 6-0--12, Kan Bantum 7-4--18. Drew Martin 5-2--12 John Bajusz 8-12--20. Sam Givens 2-6--10. Derek Williams 0-0--0, Fred Hedengren 0-0--0. Eric King 0-0--0. Andy Loder 0-0--0. Totals 29-18--76.

Helltime Cornell, 34-28

Att: 2850 Ivy Men's Basketball Standings Team  W-L Cornell  9-4 Princeton  9-4 Harvard  8-5 Brown  6-7 Pennsylvania  6-7 Columbia  5-8 Dartmouth  5-8 Yale  4-9

last Night's Results

Cornell 76, HARVARD 67

Princeton 61 Yale 48

Pennsylvania 80 Brown's 74

Columbia 77, Dartmouth 74

Remaining Games

Tonight

Columbia at HARVARD Cornell at Dartmouth. Yale at Pennsylvania, Brown at Princeton

last Night's Results

Cornell 76, HARVARD 67

Princeton 61 Yale 48

Pennsylvania 80 Brown's 74

Columbia 77, Dartmouth 74

Remaining Games

Tonight

Columbia at HARVARD Cornell at Dartmouth. Yale at Pennsylvania, Brown at Princeton