Elis Inchworm by Men Cagers

For 31 second Saturday night, the Harvard men's basketball team broke through the barrier.

Early in the second half, a three-point play by freshman Neil Phillips put the cagers up, 35-34, and the Crimson's quest for victory in its final game of the 1985-86 season took on shades of reality.

For 31 seconds.

A basket by Bulldog center Chris Dudley then recaptured the lead for the visitors, until Phillips hit a bomb from the left corner to put the Crimson back up by one.

For 17 seconds.

But Harvard (6-20 overall, 2-10 Ivy) would never take the lead again, and Yale (13-13 overall, 7-7 Ivy) would eventually coast to a 12-point victory, 82-70, before 800 fans at Briggs Athletic Center.

"We played hard and we played pretty well," said first-year Crimson Coach Pete Roby, who watched this season as Harvard lost 20 games for the first time since 1978-79. "But if it's not in the cards, it's not in the cards."

And the cagers weren't dealt too many trump cards Saturday night.

Consider that the squad shot just 37 percent from the floor for the game, including an anemic 28 percent in the first half. And consider that Dudley, the Ivy's rebounding and blocked shot leader (as well as third leading scorer) was on all night, eventually pumping in 22 points while pulling down 11 rebounds. And consider that the Crimson played below par from the charity stripe, sinking just 70 percent of its free throws (in comparison to its 74 percent season average).

Then consider that, until a 10-2 Yale run with two minutes remaining sealed the contest, Harvard clung tight all the way.

And in doing so, the cagers sent graduating seniors Carmen Scarpa and Captain Pat Smith away with--if not a victory--at least a measure of pride.

"I wish we had won," Scarpa said, "but I just wish the best for the team. They're so young, Pete [Roby] is so young. Wins and losses definitely are important, but I think the season was positive experience."

For Smith, who had been coming of the bench since midseason, Saturday night's contest--as well as the previous night's effort against Brown--was a positive way to end a career.

The 5-ft., 11-in. point guard started for the first time in a month, and chipped in eight points (along with four assists) against the Elis. Smith, who had averaged 2.9 points per game entering the weekend, hit for eight off the bench Friday evening as well.

Smith was joined in the starting corps by Scarpa ("Sometimes there's the right thing to do, and sometimes there's the best thing," Roby said. "In this case, [starting the two seniors] was both the right and the best.")

In the last meeting of the two squads on January 31, Yale racked up nine uncontested points before Harvard's defense mechanisms started up, but this time around the cagers responded more quickly to Eli pressure.

The visitors pulled to a 5-0 lead on the strength of a pair of Dudley baskets, but the Crimson quickly bounced back with three points.

And from that point on, the teams began their inchworming battle--every time the visitors pulled ahead, Harvard snuck forward in return.

Yale raced to its largest lead of the contest, 31-18, with just three minutes remaining in the opening half, as forward Brian Fitzpatrick contributed seven points. But the Eli spurt triggered the hosts into a 10-1 run capped by a Keith Webster jumper with five seconds left in the half.

Although the visitors took a fourpoint margin into the locker room, the squads stood dead even in rebounds (27 each), total fouls (10) and turnovers (eight).

Harvard jumped out quickly in the second period, threatening and even--however briefly--usurping the lead.

A Dudley follow-up with 15:58 remaining gave the Bulldogs a never-to-be-relinquished edge, but one that fluctuated wildly over the rest of the contest.

Yale worked the lead up to 10 points at three following junctures, before the spunky cagers clawed back to within five, 66-61, as forward Kyle Dodson sunk a pair of free throws with 2:51 left on the clock.

Those baskets marked the last gasp for the Crimson, however, as the Elis hit their 10-2 streak to put the game out of reach.

THE NOTEBOOK: Two cagers, Phillips (11.2 p.p.g.) and Webster (11.3 p.p.g.) entered the contest in a race for the team's scoring leadership. Webster copped the crown by scoring 18 on the evening while Phillips recorded just 17...After averaging only 60.8 points per game going into the weekend, Harvard hit a scoring bonanza with 78 points Friday night and 70 Saturday...Dudley had four blocked shots on the evening...Four of the five Eli starters finished the contest with four personal fouls. Meanwhile, not one Crimson cager had more than three...Webster went six for six from the charity stripe...Yale now holds an 83-49 edge in the all-time series between the two squads, and has won the last three match-ups in a row...Phillips and Webster each had three steals to pace Harvard...Despite hitting the 20-game loss mark for the season, Roby was pleased with his squad. "I wish the next season would start tomorrow," the first-year mentor said.

Elis, 82-70 at Briggs Athletic Center

YALE (82): Paul Maley 6-0--12; Brian Fitzpatrick 5-2--12; Chris Dudley 9-4--22; Peter White 4-4--12; John Rice 1-2--4; Eric Mitchell 4-4--12; Ken Wheeler 0-0--0; Matt Whitehead 3-2--8; Vin Carlotti 0-0--0. Totals 32-71 18-23 82.

HARVARD (70): Neil Phillips 7-3--17; Fred Schernecker 1-1--3; Bill Mohler 2-0--4; Pat Smith 3-2--8; Carmen Scarpa 0-0--0; Keith Webster 6-6--18; David Lang 2-0--4; Mike Gielen 4-0--8; Todd Evers 0-1--1; Kyle Dodson 2-3--7. Totals 27-73 16-23 70. Fouled out: None. Total fouls: Yale 23, Harvard 18. Assists: Yale 18 (White 7), Harvard 14 (Phillips 5). Turnovers: Yale 18, Harvard 13. Rebounds: Yale 51 (Mitchell 13), Harvard 38 (Phillips 8). Yale  32-50--82 Harvard  28-42--70

A: 800