THE WEEK THAT FOLLOWED

The basketball team made its annual trip to New York state to play Cornell and Columbia in back-to-back encounters. Too many mistakes and a shooting average of 27 per cent spelled defeat for the Indians against Cornell. The final score was 72-48. Spahn was again high man, but with only ten points, his season's low for one game.

The following night at Columbia, Spahn contributed nineteen points, but the Green lost again, this time 62-50. The shooting percentage was a slightly improved 34 per cent, but the Indians could never catch the Lions who jumped off to an early lead. They were also hurt by the loss of Barton, who fouled out midway through the second half after scoring fifteen points.

At this writing, therefore, the basketball team is 1-2 in the Ivy League and 3-6 for the season. In the weeks ahead things are not likely to improve. Not even the addition of Tom Spangenberg, most recently remembered as a halfback for the Big Green eleven, can compensate for the lack of height, the inability to control the boards with consistent regularity, and costly mistakes. But the team is young and spirit still seems good, which means that on certain nights this is an Indian quintet that could surprise.

Elsewhere in these pages (see Coaches' Corner) Eddie Jeremiah gives a clearcut picture of the hockey situation. Following their victory over Yale, the Indians met Cornell on January 8 in what proved to be almost a repeat of the Eli contest. With less than six minutes to play the Green found itself down 5-2. Forty seconds after the fifth Cornell goal, however, Dave Leighton scored on assists by his first-line teammates Jack Phelan and John Carpenter.

With about two minutes to play and a Cornell player in the penalty box, Coach Jeremiah again yanked his goalie. The six Green skaters continued to apply the pressure until defenseman Warren Loomis scored on a slap shot from out in front. For almost the entire last minute and a half the Indians played without a goalie, but Canadian Laing Kennedy stopped every Indian shot, except one. With ten seconds left, Derek Buntain, the hero of the Yale game, let go with a shot that hit the post. But it caromed off and the Indians were denied, 5-4.

On Saturday, January 13, the Green sextet met a strong Harvard team, but the Indians were forced to play without the services of their captain, Tom Cranna. The big defenseman was sidelined by a shoulder injury he had received in the B.C. game and with which he had played against both Yale and Cornell. Though the final score read 5-0 in favor of the Cantabs, the Indian defensive unit of Al Varkas and Warren Loomis and goalie Kevin Lowther kept the score from being higher. Lowther played 57 minutes of the game and allowed only three goals, while making 32 saves. Reserve goalie Dave Bunting gave up two goals, while making eight stops. The Indian offense could not get going as indicated by the nineteen saves made by Harvard goalie Bob Bland.

In Harvard and Cornell the Green met two of the best in the Ivy League. Cornell has its first all-veteran team and Harvard has depth and power. As for the Green, Coach Jeremiah is now alternating three lines: the first two have looked good, but the third line has yet to score. Lowther replaced Bunting in the goal early in the Yale game and since then has held on to the starting assignment. The Indians now stand 3-5 for the season and 1-2 in the league.

On January 13, a well-balanced and spirited Cornell track team edged the Indians 57½-51½. It was almost an exact reversal of the B.U. meet. This time it was a man named Steve Machooka, a sophomore from Kenya, Africa, who was the thorn in the side of the Indians. In the mile run he outran Tom Laris in 4:16.2, and then came back to help win the two-mile relay and the meet.

The stage was set for the climactic finish when Gerry Ashworth and Nick Jennison won their respective races, the 50-yard dash and the 1000-yard run, and Laris was beaten in the two-mile run. Though the Green led going into the relays, it was evident that to win the meet it would have to win both races. This was based on the assumption that the Big Red would place one-two in the pole vault and had 52½ points assured.

The mile relay team of Ashworth, Tom Yahn, John Knight and Tom Holzel did its part by winning in 3:28.0. And for the first three legs of the two-mile relay the Indians held a slim lead. On the final leg, however, it was a duel between Jennison and Machooka. The fleet-footed Cornell runner moved ahead almost at once, but Jennison refused to give him a commanding lead. They matched stride for stride until the last-lap gun sounded and Machooka opened up a lead that Jennison was unable to overcome.

The track team has the toughest part of its schedule still ahead - Manhattan, Harvard, Yale and Army - and if the Indian runners hope to break even this winter they will have to continue to show improvement. It should be mentioned that Charlie Greer, an excellent prospect in the shot put, made what will probably be his only appearance of the season when he took first in the shot against Cornell. For academic reasons he plans to pass up the rest of the indoor season.

While the track team was bowing to Cornell, Coach Karl Michael's swimmers were being dunked by Harvard, 52-43. The Cantabs went out to an early lead with one-two finishes in the 220-yard and 50-yard freestyles and a win in the 400-yard medley relay.

Mike Wolland continued to demonstrate his skill in the dive, Terry Bentley captured the 200-yard butterfly in the record time of 2:08.3, and Al Davis was awarded a first in the 100-yard freestyle when a Harvard swimmer was disqualified.

Thus far the swimming team has been handicapped by the loss of John Boynton, last year's freshman swimming captain, and Sandy Shapiro, another excellent freestyler. Shapiro will probably be out for most of the season and Boynton is lost for the entire schedule. A tough break for two sophomores with great potential. Despite these losses, however, Coach Michael can still see his team finish with an average record.

The wrestling team took its first loss on January 10 at the hands of a strong Amherst squad, 23-8, but then it rebounded the next Saturday to beat Tufts, 28-8. In the Tufts match, Andy Alland, Karl DuPuy and Stu Brown pinned their opponents, as did Ivars Bembris. Bowie Duncan earned a decision in the 177-pound division and Ellie Torbert was awarded a win on a forfeit.

The squash team has split even in two matches since Christmas. After being whitewashed by Harvard, 9-0, it bounced back to down Cornell, 7-2. In the Cornell match Bob Kaplan, Charlie Parton, Buddy Bruggeman and Hop Potter were responsible for four straight wins. Phil Meyer, still playing in the No. 1 position, rallied to win his match 3-1. Wally Lord and Dick Redington registered the final points for the Green.