Wrestling without three starters, the Crimson matmen held off a New Hampshire upset bid last night and pulled away in the final bouts to win, 21-12.

The first two regulars in the Harvard lineup, Dave Albert (118 lbs.) and co-captain Milt Yasunga (126 lbs.), spent the day taking Rhodes Scholarship exams and couldn't make the road trip to New Hampshire.

The two substitutes bowed out to their upset-minded Wildcat foes, and the Crimson found itself in a quick hole, 6-0. Sophomore Bill Mulvihill (134 lbs.) got Harvard on track with an easy win, but Brian Adler, subbing for the injured Bob Cusumano at 142 lbs., lost an 8-5 battle that left his team behind, 9-3.

In the next bout, Harvard's Tom Bixby manhandled his opponent, but came up one point short of a superior decision.

At 158 lbs., New Hampshire, backed by 400 ferocious fans, pushed the visiting Crimson to the brink of a surprising loss. Harvard's Jim Corcoran was dazed when his head thumped the mat, but refreshed to take a time out. While the Crimson grappler was regaining his bearings, his foe piled up five unanswered points and went on to win, 8-7.

With four bouts remaining, Harvard trailed 12-6. The heavier weights have been a hot and cold proposition for the Crimson this year. Ed Bordley (167 lbs.) came into the New Hampshire meet with a disappointing 3-12 career record, and Fred Smith (190 lbs.) had yet to win in his first campaign as a starter.

On the other hand, Sal D'agostino, who was Second Team All-Ivy last year at 190 lbs., has dropped a weight this season and become an absolute terror. Before the Wildcat battle, he was 4-0 with three pins. The heavyweight grappler, co-captain Kip Smith, had already racked up 18 career victories.

With Harvard's chances starting to look dim, all of these four matmen came through for coach Johnny Lee. Bordley made the mat a very uncomfortable place for his foe, romping 14-1. D'agostino, who insists on taking chances against everyone he wrestles--one of his pins this year came when he was behind 8-2--got into another wild brawl but came out on top, 9-8.