Two starting members of the Varsity basketball team suffered from stomach aches last night, but the Crimson five survived gastric troubles and a slight case of sloppiness to defeat an overrated Boston University team 55 to 45, at the Indoor Athletic Building.
George Hauptfuhrer, released from Stillman Infirmary eight hours before gametime, again led the Varsity scorers with 21 points, but John Gantt's illness benched him for more than half of the contest. The rest of the squad was healthy enough, although not up to its Tuesday evening form against Tufts.
Crimson Leads Early
Coach Bill Barclay's quintet moved out to a swift 15 to 2 lead in the first seven minutes, showing its best performance of the game, but the Terriers moved back into contention, and the teams matched basket for basket the rest of the way. Harvard led 28 to 16 at the half, and early in the final twenty minutes B.U. moved to within seven points of the Crimson, but two quick dueces pushed the Barclay five into another safe lead which it maintained thereafter.
The Varsity never seemed to lose its touch after the opening spurt, and numerous missed shots and bad passes marked the play of both teams. How the Terriers managed to stay within four points of Holy Cross must remain a local mystery, for the B.U. squad showed little in the way of court finesse.
Guard Steve Davis held George Gaudrault, the Terrier ace, to a single basket in the first half, but Gaudrault had a torrid second period to lead the visitors with 15 points. For the Crimson, Hauptfuhrer turned in a polished performance at the pivot in the first half when he garnered 12 points, but had trouble in the final twenty minutes with B.U.'s Harry Botsford, an elongated center Coach Russ Peterson sent in to guard the Crimson pivot man.
Mariaschin Notches
Captain Saul Mariaschin had 15 points for his evening's work, but the Varsity floor leader, too, was slightly off form. When Gantt left the game because of illness, the Crimson offense deteriorated, and the screen plays which had set up earlier Harvard baskets failed to click. In the second half, the Varsity relied almost entirely on the individual abilities of Mariaschin and Hauptfuhrer in their patented specialities.
One heartening note was the play of Bill Harford, reserve forward. Harford played much of the second half, scored five points, showed an accurate set shot, and proved himself a dependable substitution for Barclay's somewhat undermanned staff.
The summary:
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