Leading all the way, and never seriously threatened, the Crimson quintet Saturday night defeated M.I.T., 72 to 56, at the I.A.B. The Yardlings won, 85 to 67, in the preliminary game.

In what was undoubtedly the sloppiest contest of this season, the varsity won largely on its ability to do two things that M.I.T. couldn't: play defense and score. Coach Floyd Wilson's reserves played almost an entire half, and were able both to contain the ineffectual Tech offense and to score at will.

The quick-paced first half saw the Crimson employ a three-man press which harrassed the M.I.T. backcourt men into committing unseemly errors. Although the varsity also lapsed on occasion, the team nevertheless was shooting well, and jumped away to a 24-12 lead.

Subs Hold Edge

At that juncture, four substitutes entered the game, and along with George Harrington, held the 12-point advantage to the end of the half. M.I.T. tried unsuccessfully to stop the Crimson with a nebulous zone defense throughout the half, and was also unable to rebound.

During the second half, the status quo was maintained, as the varsity continued to have the upper hand. Neither team set up effective plays, and when Tech's high scorer, Bob Polutchko, fouled out with 15 minutes to play, there was no question whatsoever as to the eventual outcome.

The only amusing incident to alleviate the general dullness of the contest occurred late in the first half when Tech's LeRoy Cooper fouled John Foker under the Harvard basket. The officials were all set to have Cooper shoot the free throw, but the crowd yelled so vehemently that the officials realized their near mistake.

Bowditch Sets Pace

Bob Bowditch led the Crimson scorers with 13 points, the same number as M.I.T.'s Polutchko. Also hitting double figures were the varsity's Mike Donohue, who netted 11, and Tech's Phil Robinson and Hugh Morrow, with 12 and 11 respectively.

Others to score well in their brief stints for the varsity were Bob Repetto and Harrington, with 9 apiece, George James and John Fox, with eight apiece, and Bill Richling with seven. Rounding out the Crimson point production were Foker, who contributed four, and Griff McClellen, who added three.