The Harvard basketball team was consistently inconsistent against Dartmouth last night, and despite its tendency to let large leads fizzle, it triumphed 90-83.

The Crimson led by as many as fifteen points in the first half and eleven in the second, but failed to exploit these advantages well enough to put the game on ice early.

After a slow beginning in which both teams were cold from he floor, the Crimson broke a 6-6 deadlock. The Big Green moved close several times but never caught up again.

Harvard rallied for 12 unanswered points between the three and six-minute marks, and appeared set to mount up a convincing lead as the five did against Northeastern. When James Brown hit on two short jumpers at the 15 minute point to give Harvard a 15 point lead it seemed that the Big Green would go to the locker room hopelessly behind at halftime.

The zone press began to plague Harvard, though, and Dartmouth converted three straight turnovers into baskets to move back into the game, at $1-46 by the buzzer.

Harvard had capitalized on Dartmouth foul trouble, gaining a one, and one free throw situation with 12:35 left in the half, Dartmouth's inability to score clutch hoops also helped Harvard keep its lead.

However, Dartmouth closed the gap immediately in the second half, as guard Bill Raynor's defensive pressure was too much for the Harvard ballhandlers. The Big Green pulled within one point at 55-54, and constant backcourt harrassing by Raynor, and later Rick Jones, kept Dartmouth in the game. But continued cold shooting by leading scorers Raynor and guard James Brown made it nearly impossible for Dartmouth to catch up.

Ken Wolfe picked up the scoring slack for the Crimson, and Harvard once again grabbed a commanding lead, this time by 11 points. The two teams traded baskets but with about five minutes left. Dartmouth again began to chip away at the Harvard lead. A basket by Rick Jones brought the Big Green within four points with just over two minutes left, but Dartmouth missed its last six shots, and Harvard held on to win.

Wolfe Scores 20

Steadily improving guard Ken Wolfe was the high scorer in the game with 20 points. He has averaged 17 points per game in the Crimson's last four contests.

Tony Jenkins was second in Harvard scoring, registering 18 points, and forward Marshall Sanders had 16. Also in double figures for he Crimson were Jim, Fitz-simmons with 13 points, and Floyd Lewis with ten.

James Brown led Darmouth scoring by tallying 16 points, thus becoming the second highest all-time scorer for the Big Green.