Basketball

Blood, sweat and frustration.

These have become the bywords of Dartmouth's basketball team this season. Coming into the final five Ivy League games of the season, Coach Dave Gavitt's quintet had lost eight of nine league games - including two by a single point, two by three points, and another in overtime by four points. Two of the other losses were to Princeton, which appears to be en route to dethroning Columbia as the Ivy champion, and in both Princeton games Dartmouth led at the half only to falter in the late going.

At least two victories in the remaining five games will still give the Indians the best overall record for a Dartmouth basketball team in nine years and a good chance of climbing into the middle of the final standings.

The only league victory at this writing was an 81-68 decision over Brown in which sophomore Bill Jacobson came off the bench to score 18 points and gather in ten rebounds in an outstanding exhibition. It was the first time that Jacobson had been able to reveal much of his potential after working back from an unusual arthritic condition in his legs that cost him most of his freshman season.

While opposing defenses have begun to solve the problem of Alex Winn (who still is averaging more than 20 points per game), the 6-7 junior forward remains Dartmouth's most effective scoring threat, sinking 404 points in 20 games. With Winn in the front court are Captain Greg Pickering, the excellent rebounder and hub of the attack, and sophomore John Ryzewic, last year's freshman scoring leader, who has developed into Gavitt's most consistent shooter.

Losing rematches to Penn and Princeton, Dartmouth played carbon copies of earlier frustrations. Penn held on for a 61-60 victory and Princeton overcame a 24-21 halftime deficit to gain a 61-50 decision. A week later came the decisive win over Brown but one night later Yale came to Hanover and again the Indians were short-ended in the final seconds, 54-51.

And, if that weren't enough, the long trek to Ithaca was made even longer as Dartmouth's 15-point lead in the first half was erased and Cornell squeaked to a 68-67 triumph. There was almost an audible sigh when Columbia left little doubt as to the outcome of a 94-61 contest in New York.

Chuck Bent, a sophomore from Etna,winning the slalom in the Carnival meet.

Scott Berry taking second in the jumpand foiling a four-place sweep by Denver.