PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--When a basketball team shoots with only 35.4 (at Princeton) or 41.5 (at Penn) per cent accuracy in a game--whatever the reasons--it is nearly impossible to wind up with a victory.

The Harvard basketball team, after losing to Princeton Friday night in the Jadwin Gymnasium frying pan, fell into the fire Saturday night here at the Palestra, when the University of Pennsylvania outgunned the Crimson, 86-73, before 7387 basketball afficionados.

The Crimson led off a Philadelphia doubleheader in the Palestra; following the Harvard-Penn match-up, La Salle succumbed to St. Josephs, 94-87, in a Big Five encounter.

See Saw Action

Harvard jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the early minutes of the first half against Penn. Eventually the Quakers retook the lead, 13-12; but in some furious action, the Crimson came right back. The lead exchanged hands six more times in the next few minutes as both teams scorched the nets.

End

The Crimson held a 29-25 advantage with seven minutes left in the stanza when the roof collapsed. Penn recaptured the lead, 31-30, and then reeled off ten more points as the Crimson's scoring drive stalled. At halftime the count stood Penn 43, Harvard 34.

In the second half, the Crimson made a couple of short-lived runs at the Quakers but never managed to close the gap at critical moments. After five minutes of play. Harvard climbed to within six points of Penn and had possession of the ball. However, the hoopsters missed two excellent opportunities to score.

Penn recovered its compsure, blocked a couple of Harvard shots, and within a minute and a half had opened up a 12-point gap, thus sealing the Crimson's fate.

Being Realistic

With the Princeton-Penn debacle behind them and Penn solidly in first, well in front of the rest of the Ivy pack, the cagers must set their sights on a possible second-place finish in the Ivy League.

"After Penn, everything else is up for grabs," coach Frank McLaughlin said Saturday night at the Palestra. "We control our own destiny."

The Crimson is ensconced in the middle of the Ivy League standings right now with only a game separating the five teams behind Penn. Of course, Columbia, Brown and Yale must still face Princeton and Penn--before their seasons end.

FREE THROWS: As a final note for Ivy League purists, it may be worth considering the rhetorical question: How good is Penn this year?

Penn's record is currently 16-4, with two of its losses against top 20 teams. Georgetown edged the Quakers by only two points in their contest; and 14th-ranked Iowa, one of the Big Ten leaders, narrowly defeated Penn in double overtime at the San Diego Classic. PENN 86, HARVARD 77 at the Palestra HARVARD Player  FG  FT  Reb.  A  PF  TP Harris  8-11  3-3  4  0  4  19 Hooft  0-4  3-4  9  1  4  3 Fleming  8-19  9-16  8  3  3  25 Allen  6-10  2-2  3  3  1  14 Fine  2-8  0-1  7  11  2  4 Mannix  2-4  2-2  2  1  0  6 Mundy  0-5  0-0  1  0  0  0 Coatsworth  0-0  0-0  0  0  1  0 Taylor  1-2  0-0  0  0  1  2 Clarke  0-2  0-0  0  0  0  0 Totals  27-65  19-28  34  19  16  73 FG% 41 5 FT% 68 Team Rebounds 5 Turnovers 21

PENN 86, HARVARD 77 at the Palestra PENN Player  FG  FT  Reb.  A  PF  TP Price  12-15  3-4  10  3  2  27 Smith  6-11  4-4  10  5  2  16 White  4-5  0-1  4  0  5  8 Salters  5-12  0-0  2  9  2  10 Willis  5-14  0-0  2  9  2  10 Frick  1-2  0-0  3  0  1  2 Hall  0-2  0-0  1  1  3  0 Reynolds  0-2  1-2  0  0  0  1 Ross  2-5  0-0  5  0  2  4 Leifsen  2-3  2-3  2  1  2  6 Jackson  0-0  0-2  0  2  1  0 Kuhl  1-1  0-0  0  0  0  2 Condon  0-1  0-0  1  0  1  0 Totals  38-73  10-16  39  23  23  86

FG% 52 FT% 62 Team Rebounds 4 Turnovers 20

Halftime: Penn 43, Harvard 34

Attendance: 7387