The Big Man can dominate. The forwards can shoot and rebound. The guards can control the tempo of the game. It's an unbeatable and elegant combination and the Harvard freshmen basketball team can work together well.

But the Yardlings go sour if they do not consistently follow the recipe and that is what happened yesterday at the IAB as the freshmen turned over a 74-69 decision to Yale.

Yale finally sunk the Crimson when Eli guard Gavin Jackson toed the foul line with 26 seconds reamining. Harvard coach Buddy O'Neil put pressure on Jackson by calling for a break in play to let the Bulldog ponder his attempts. But Jackson was not affected by the brief pause and canned two free-throws to shelve the fresh-men, whose record now rests at 8-4.

Yale had sprinted to a 10-2 lead in the initial period with their deft passing and fast-breaking style of play. Diminutive Eli Larry Zigerelli zigged down the court on two consecutive three-on-one breaks to dazzle the Crimson.

Harvard closed the gap, 23-18, as star center Joe Beaulieu hovered over the basket during a twisting drive to drop the ball through. The Crimson isolated Beaulieu one-on-one against the Bulldog guarding him and Beaulieu had space clearance as he consistenly soared to the hoop unscathed.

With Yale on top, 34-23, a vintage blend of Crimson basketball players produced a second-half surge. The 6 ft-10 in. Beaulieu and forward Mark Hadley consistently collared caroms off the backboard and converted delicate jumpers to pace the freshmen.

Harvard also unveiled a new weapon that parallels the role of the designated hitter in baseball--the designated defender. O'Neil substituted guard Douglas McIntosh for almost every Yale in-bounds play. In one sequence McIntosh pilfered an errant toss, deflected a lob, and knocked the ball out of play with his head as he dove across the floor.

Harvard led for the last time when Beaulieu scored on a fingertip roll, for two of his game-high 30 points, and Hadley tallied a lay-up for a 65-63 lead. Then the defense went stale, passes went awry and the freshmen failed to conquer a fine Yale team, now 10-1.

BRUINS INVADE FORUM

The Boston Bruins, still smarting from a loss at Buffalo, invade the Forum at Montreal tonight, hoping to continue their domination of the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens.