An inspiring comeback bid with five minutes remaining fell just short as Yale nipped the Crimson varsity basketball team 63-62, at Payne Whitney Gymnasium last night.

Steve Switchenko hit an 18-footer with 33 seconds remaining to give Yale its margin of victory. Harvard had four shots in the last half minute but Whitney gymnasium ghosts prevented them from falling through.

With 5:25 to go in the final stanza the Bulldogs sported a comfortable 59-50 lead. But two turnovers and all around sloppy play during the ensuing four minutes opened gaping holes in the Yale zone defense, and the result was 12 Harvard points and a 62-50 lead.

Captain Bill Carey made the major contribution in this stretch, setting four straight buckets to bring the Crimson within one. Then it was Mufi Hanneman's turn. The senior forward hit a baseline jumper with 3:10 on the clock to put the Crimson in front. And 42 seconds later he dished in a layup to pad the short-lived three point lead.

The Elis next ball possession saw Cagey and Rollin Chippey battle for a rebound which resulted in Chippey going to the foul line for a one and one situation. The Yale forward canned both attempts with 2:06 on the clock to make the score 62-61, Harvard.

Cyrus Booker forced up a 15-footer with a minute and a half left, but the Crimson stole back the Yale rebound and called timeout. Yale duplicated the maneuver when Keith Kline stole the ball from Joe Leondis 14 seconds later.

After the timeout the Blue proceeded to take their time in setting up their best shooter, Switchenko, who responded in clutch form with the winning hoop.

The first half featured less than collegiate style basketball as poor shooting keynoted the action through Harvard's 11-9 lead after ten minutes. Although the Crimson upped the margin to five points, Yale deuced its way back to a slim 25-24 score. The lead seesawed to and fro until Carey nailed a jumper at the buzzer to send the cagers into the dressing room ahead, 30-29.

Despite the frigid second half, which has typified most of the season for the squad, Coach Satch Sanders seemed pleased with the team's play, and particularly the final comeback.

Statistics echo the game's close score. The Elis outblundered Harvard in the turnover department, 18-15, but outshot the Crimson in the crucial second half, 56-40 per cent. Harvard barely controlled the boards, 33-32, though the Crimson had seven less chances at the charity stripe during the contest.

Personal laurels went to Carey and Hanneman. Big Bill popped for a team-leading 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Mufi chipped in with 15. Doc Hines, although shooting poorly, added nine. Chippey paced Yale as the game's high scorer with 24 points.

The loss brings the team's record to an uninvigorating 8-17 slate overall. Their 4-9 record against their Ivy League counterparts will most likely make the cellar their uncontested home by the season's end. The squad finishes up against Brown at Providence tonight.