In the most amazing turnabout of an unpredictable season, the Crimson basketball team, trailing 32 to 19 at the half and looking for all the world like a dying dog, returned in an indescribably explosive second half to outscrap, outshoot, and outplay an unbelieving Pennsylvania quintet, winning 57 to 56 at the Indoor Athletic Building last night.
It was a set shot from the side by Captain Hugh Hyde, who netted 15 points in the second half for a total of 19, with 50 seconds to play, that decided the issue. The game was so close that for the last eight and one-half minutes neither team ever led by more than one point.
First Half Debacle
Penn moved smoothly in the first 20 minutes, and picked up a 13-point lead in methodical fashion. With Sophomore Chink Crossin, fleet as a deer, netting 11 points, and a Crimson offense non-existent, the Quakers had little trouble in staying ahead. They controlled all the buckboard play. For Harvard, only Jack Torgan, who couldn't seem to miss, was able to find the net.
It was an entirely different Crimson team, although the names and numbers were the same, which came back in the second 20 minutes. Fighting for every loose ball, controlling backboard play, partly because of the absence of tall Jack Colberg, who left early on personals, and finding their shooting eye, the Brownmen rallied in startlingly quick fashion.
Hennessey Ties
They narrowed the Penn lead to four points after six minutes had passed, and the teams matched basket for basket for five more minutes. Them Harvard closed in. A deuce by Torgan on a dribble-in brought the Crimson one point behind, and Hennessey's foul tied the count at 48-all with eight minutes remaining.
Then the action became intense, every Crimson point being matched by a Penn marker. With Larry Davis, slight Quaker guard, contributing set shot after set shot, and Hennessey and Hyde bearing the brunt of the Crimson attack, the score mounted to 55-all with two minutes to play.
Chiuk Crossin, held to two fouls in the second half, drew two shots when Torgan charged him, and he converted one to put the Quakers ahead. But the Brownmen came back down the floor, Hyde set himself in the right hand corner, and the Crimson went ahead for good with 40 seconds remaining.
Then Hennessey, pressing in the man-to-man defense, fouled Jackie Welsh. The Penn guard missed his charity toss, the Crimson took the ball off the boards, and kept it the rest of the way.
Hyde had the best night of his career, offensively and defensively. Hennessey, although he left much to be desired in guarding Davis, sparked the second half attack, and Torgan matched his offensive spree in dogging Crossin, who seemed to run out of gas.
The Harvard summary:
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