Harvard plunged into basketball oblivion over the weekend as the quintet lost to Cornell and Columbia, ran its losing streak to five games, and guaranteed the Crimson its 17th straight second division finish in the Ivy League.

In the first half at Cornell Friday the team endured one of its coldest spells of the season and fell behind, 35 to 13. But with Bob Inman and Merle McClung leading the way, the Crimson shaved the margin to eight points at the half, and sustained the torrid pace to take a 55-51 lead. This was the biggest lead Harvard could muster; the team's momentum died and Cornell rallied for a 72-71 victory.

Lions Win, 69-59

Saturday night Columbia downed the Crimson, 69 to 59, as Harvard blew a 10-point second half advantage. Good performances from McClug, Inman, Keith Sedlacek and Barry Williams had propelled Harvard to a 40-20 lead, but the Lions scored 14 of the next 17 points and then pulled away with ease. The Crimson scored only 22 points during the agonizing second half.

The quintet, which earlier in the season had looked like the best Harvard basketball team in a decade, is now virtually assured of a sixth place Ivy finish. With a 10-9 overall record, their chances for a winning season hinge on taking two of their last three games--against Brown, Yale, and Dartmouth.