PHILADELPHIA, Penn--Penn Coach Craig Littlepuge looked worried. With over four minutes left in the Quakers' contest with the Harvard mens' basketball team, the Crimson threatened to cut Penn's lead to four points.

But Harvard turned the ball over and Penn weathered the storm, scoring the game's final eight points to pull out a 73-59 decision Saturday night. Penn's 15th straight triumph over the Crimson at the Palestra.

"They certainly put us in a tremendous bind," Littlepage said after the game.

Down by as much as 17 in the first half. Harvard (9-10 overall, 2-6 in Ivy play) had fought back to within range of league-leading Penn (13-6, 7-0). Center Monroe Trout brought the cagers close with six points in the first six minutes of the second stanza, and Bob Ferry tallied 13 of his game-high 18 points in the last 12 minutes. Both shot phenomenally from the floor, six of seven and eight of 12 respectively.

"Throughout the course of the game. I thought we were going to pull it out." Crimson Co-Captain Calvin Dixon said, "I really thought we could pressure them," added the Philadelphia native, who had relatives and friends in the stands.

A few well timed breaks would have I not led the score, but no amount of Crimson efforts could break through the wall that formed each time the Crimson narrowed if to six.

"We just couldn't seem to break that hump," Ferry said.

In the end, quickness, experience and over, all talent boosted Penn to its 10th straight win over the Crimson. All but one of Penn's buckets in the closing 10 minutes came from a senior, with 6 ft. I'm sophomore Karl Racine making up lot his youth with the quickest feet on the floor.

"We don't have a tremendous amount of talent." Crimson Coach Frank McLaughin said. "There's no question that Penn and Princeton have the most talent in the Ivy League."

Forwards David Lardner and Michael Brown demonstrated much of the Quaker talent Lardner's 11 second half points came on perimeter jumpers that kept the Crimson at a distance, and Brown's 18 rebounds on the night brought Penn control of the boards.

But despite the disparity in talent, the fact remains that for several minutes Saturday night, Harvard had Penn scored. Stellar forward Paul Little, who didn't start because of tendonitis, didn't get to rest the whole game, as Littlepage had to bring him in when the going got close in the second stanza.

"They're very beatable," Harvard's Dixon said, "I think they're always worried about playing us because they realize the potential is there. We're gonna beat 'em one day," the senior point guard concluded, adding, however, "I guess not while I'm here."

Harvard(59)

Plutnicki 4-11 0-28, White 1.1 3-45, Trout 6 72-2 14, Ferry 8-12 2-3 18, Dixon 3-9 0-0 6, Bomerd 1-6 0-0 2, Boyle 0-0 0-0 0, Wides 2-3 2-2 6, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Maioney 0-0 0-0 0, Standiey 0-0 0-0 0, Hermice 0-0 0-0 0, Totais 25-50 9-13 50.

Fenneylvania

Lardner 7-11 3-4 17, Brown 4 10 1.29, Noon 7-12 1-2 15, Racine 4-9 2-3 10, Ohphant 5-8, 0-2 10, Arnole 4-7 0-0 8, Rawinge 0-0 0-0 0, Wolf 0-1 0-0 0, Maioney 0-0 0-0 0, Little 0-0 4-4 4, Mascion 0-0 0-0 0, Borno 0-0 0-0 0, May 0-1 0-0 Totais 31-50 11-16 73.