The Harvard freshman basketball team, featuring a kleptomaniacal defense that engineered 15 steals and a point hungry offense that broke through with case, crushed the freshman five of MIT Saturday, 80-33.

Crimson forward Bill Carey, high scorer and high rebounder with 16 points and 16 rebounds, won top billing in the contest, which co-starred wing Kevin McLaughlin with seven field goals and forward Scott Lewis's 12-point performance.

Coach John Harvey opened the game with Carey, McLaughlin, point man Steve Carter, wing Jan Adams, and forward Mufi Hannemann pressing in a full court man-to-man defense. The press, used for the first ten minutes of the opening half, looked effective, Harvey said yesterday.

The first stringers, exploiting the mediocre MIT squad with a stingy press and a very productive fast break, ran up the lead to ten points before Harvey substituted halfway through the first half. The replacements continued to build on the point-margin and the first half ended with the scoreboard reading 34-28.

Harvey repeated his personnel pattern after the halftime break, starting his first team and subbing halfway through with other hoopsters. The Crimson continued its offensive and defensive patterns too, sending a stream of goals through the nets and stopping the boys from down the river cold.

Steve Carter, who calls the plays for the squad, led the Yardlings's quick, aggressive defense with three steals. Forward Hannemann hit five field goals and grabbed ten rebounds off the boards.

Harvey admitted yesterday that the Crimson's style of aggressive defense could put his starters in foul trouble in difficult games. The many substitutions he made Saturday eliminated that problem, Harvey said.

Harvey expects a difficult game this Thursday, when the freshmen five battle Springifeld's freshmen in the Indoor Athletic Building.