PRINCETON, N. J., Feb. 28--George Harrington played one of the finest games of a distinguished college career tonight, but the Crimson finally bowed before the Tigers of Princeton, 73-65. The varsity attack, which had built up a 10 point lead in the first half, faltered in the second.

The visitors played alert, hustling basketball all the way, braving the combined forces of a smooth, poised Tiger squad and a raucous battallion of Tiger fans, most of them members of Cannon Club, one of the Big Five on Princeton's tree-lined Prospect Ave.

The Cannon assault force heckled and booed the varsity during the entire contest from their vantage point behind the Crimson bench, and finally precipitated a near-riot at the end of the game when one of the savages tumbled out onto the floor and slugged Harvard captain Bob Repetto.

The fireworks emanating from the Cannon section of the stands had their complement in the shoving, pushing, and elbowing on the floor. Princeton's captain Carl Belz, the top scorer in the Ivy League, even contributed a burst of profanity loud enough to be heard as far away as the Institute for Advanced Study. His pungent commentaries on the referees' decisions earned two technical fouls for the Tigers.

If Marquis of Queensbury rules were not much respected by the host, neither did the visitors indicate any disposition to serve as Cannon fodder. Led by the crack shooting and brilliant defensive play of Harrington, the varsity broke out into a 42-32 lead after 18 minutes of the first stanza.

A skein of eight straight points by Harrington, some scoring help from Bob Bow- ditch, excellent rebounding by Repetto, and some incidental assistance from Princeton's possessive Belz--who blew seven of eight foul shots and muffed three consecutive layups--were responsible for the early Crimson lead.

In the final moments of the half, however, Carl Belz and his brother Herman returned to life to net eight points in a row and thereby bring the Tigers to within one point as the buzzer sounded.

Tigers Take Lead

A tip-in by Carl Belz on a missed field goal attempt by his brother opened the scoring on the second stanza, pushing the Tigers ahead, 43-42. The Crimson never recovered its lead.

With the visitors behind, 59-53, at the 10-minute mark, Harrington sparked a drive that brought them even at 60-60 with six minutes remaining. But a minute later, Burns drove directly down the middle of the keyhole for a three-point play and a 64-60 lead for Princeton. It was all over but the post-game fracacs.

For the losers, it was an excellent performance even in defeat. The varsity was playing against a Princeton quintet that has been playing together for three years, a team composed entirely of seniors except for Jim Brangan. That they came so close to upsetting the Tiger applecart is a tribute to the varsity's courage, hustle, and determination