BASKETBALL
Now that we have covered the good news from the ski slopes, let's turn to the basketball court. After winning their first three games, the hoopmen have lost twelve of their last sixteen games and now stand 7-12 for the season.
There is no doubt that a few of the losses could have gone the other way. but this is a team which has looked very good or very bad, the latter prevailing. To add to the problems, the Indians received a severe jolt before the Pittsburgh game when it was learned that starting forward Pete Coker had withdrawn from College for medical reasons.
Against Pittsburgh the Green played a fine game considering that not only Coker was missing from the lineup, but also forward Davis Blaine and reserve guard Walt Lillard. The highly-rated Pitt team held back a second-half Indian rally and went on to win 70-53.
After losing to Holy Cross for the second time, 87-70, the Indians played Yale at Alumni Gymnasium. The first half was one of the finest twenty minutes of play put on by a Dartmouth basketball team in the past few years. Captain Barry Elson, Bill Madden, Mike Buckley, Davis Blaine and Steve Spahn played almost flawless basketball and as a result the Green led the league-leading Eli 43-27 at the half.
The second half was a different ball game. Too many Dartmouth mistakes and some fine play on the part of Yale proved too much for the Indians as the lead disappeared until Yale finally went ahead 63-62. The Indians, however, continued to apply the pressure and forced the game into overtime after regulation play ended at 70-70. The two teams exchanged baskets, then Yale capitalized on a Dartmouth miscue, waited for the last shot, and scored with two seconds remaining to win 74-72.
The next night last-place Brown handed the Indians their fourth straight setback 58-49 and dropped the Green squad into the Ivy League cellar, a position it holds as this is written.
In an effort to get back in the win column, Coach Doggie Julian juggled his lineup and started guard Mike O'Connell of Clinton, Md., against Columbia at New York in place of senior Spahn. It was Spahn's jump shot, however, with 22 seconds remaining which gave the Green a 58-57 victory over the Lions. In this hard-fought contest the Indians were behind 46-39 late in the second half, but rallied to take a 53-49 lead and then held back a late surge by the Lions. Spahn had eleven points, all in the second half, and Sam Barton contributed fifteen.
In their final game to date the Indians bowed to Cornell 75-62, a team they had beaten earlier this season at Hanover. The Big Red proved to be a tougher opponent this time, and as a result of the win moved into first place in the league standings. Barton was high man in the contest with twenty points and Spahn had nineteen in a losing cause.
Spahn is leading the team in scoring for the second straight year, but his 14.4 points a game average is far below his average of 23 points in 1962. Blaine with twelve points a game is the only other Indian with a double-figure average.
Captain Jim Page exhibits the form that brought second place honors to himin the Winter Carnival jump. Page finished sixth in the cross-country event.
Sel Hannah was fourth in cross countryand an important fifth in the jumping.
Jim Jacobson was second in slalom andtied for sixth in the downhill racing.
