WITH THE BIG GREEN TEAMS
NEVER before have the varsity basketball and hockey teams both finished in the Ivy League cellar in the same year. But that was the fate of the Indians this winter as they found rough going throughout the season. Overall, the winter teams in varsity competition won 32 contests, while losing 49 and tying two. Only the wrestling team with a 5-1-2 record posted a winning season.
The Dartmouth basketball team lost its final six games, all to Ivy League opponents and all, with the exception of an overtime loss to Penn, by wide margins. The final statistics reveal the Indians had seven wins and eighteen losses and were 2-12 in the league. It was the first time that a Julian-coached team had finished in the Ivy League cellar since 1950-51, Doggie's initial year at the helm.
The Indians came close to upsetting front-running Penn, but were edged in overtime 65-63. The following night, on the same road trip, they bowed to Princeton 85-62. The next weekend, the same two opponents came to Hanover, and the final scores were even more decisive. The Tigers paced by their All-American candidate Bill Bradley coasted to an 89-59 victory. Bradley had 26 for the night and continued to lead the league in scoring.
The Quakers also had little trouble in topping the Green 82-63 in the final home game of the season. As if the scores were an indication, Princeton was destined to go on to capture the Ivy League crown, after winning a play-off game from Yale.
On their final road trip the Indians lost to Yale 80-55 and for the second time they bowed to Brown, this time 66-48.
Dartmouth will lose three seniors from this year's team: high scoring guard Steve Spahn, Captain Barry Elson, the Green's floor general and play-maker, and forward Sam Barton who led the team in rebounds with 161 and in shooting percentage with a 41.4 average.
Final figures showed that Spahn established a Dartmouth three-year career record of 1206 points. This surpassed the previous high of 1167 set by Rudy La-Russo in the 1956-59 seasons. Spahn scored 309 as a sophomore, 553 as a junior, when he established a single-season record, and 344 this winter. Dartmouth's career high over a four-year varsity period still is 1347 points by Ed Leede in the 1945-49 seasons.
