The varsity basketball team lost to Princeton, 55 to 42, Saturday at the Blockhouse in an unparallelled exhibition of ineptitude. The Tigers, a mediocre team at best, took the lead early in the second quarter and were never bothered thereafter.

Crimson Leads at Quarter

For a time in the first quarter it seemed as if the Crimson might actually win. Bill Dennis pumped in his first six shots from the floor, and the team had an 18 to 12 lead at the quarter. In the next ten minutes, however, the locals could score but four points (all by Dennis) while Princeton racked up 20.

The second quarter was the turning point of the game, and close examination of what happened during it might reveal what happened to the Crimson. First, Dennis' jump shots stopped going in, and the entire team showed a lack of interest in working the ball in toward the basket. The Crimson would shoot and miss, and Princeton would take the rebound.

At the same time, Princeton, led by six foot seven Foster Cooper, began to solve the Harvard zone defense. Quick, high passes over the heads of the Crimson defenders to Cooper under the basket netted a couple of easy baskets. Cooper and Dave Sister had the backboards all to themselves.

The second half was no better. Coach Norm Shepard used 11 players, but none of his combinations could stop the Tigers. Princeton scored easily off the zone by using a figrure-eight weave which steadily worked in closer to the basket until only an easy lay-up was needed to score.

In the preliminary, the freshmen defeated Dean Academy, defending New England prep school champs, 61 to 58. Harry Sachs had 20 points and Paul Shaw 17 for the winners. HARVARD   G.  F.  P. Dennis, f  10  1  21 Lionetie, c  4  1  9 Stevenson, f  0  0  0 Gremp, f  0  0  0 Blodnick  2  0  4 Murphy, g  1  0  2 Condon  0  1  1 Hanson  1  0  2 Hickey, g  1  1  3 Krinsky  0  0  0 Redmond  0  0  1 Totals  19  4  42