Manhattan College - Manhattanite Yearbook (Riverdale, NY)

Page 236 text:

and Byrnes w ere higli for the night N ith thir- teen apiece. The Paterson State Teachers team was the unfortunate victim of the vengeance-seeking Kelly Green in their next outing, and were beaten, 80-47. Returning to the Garden after the Christmas vacation, the quintet dupli- cated their earlier win over Dartmouth, this time by a 53-50 score. Turning what was supposed to be a dis- astrous ictory into a sweet victory, the Nor- tonmen gained an unexpected win over a highly touted West Virginia team, 58-53. The Mountaineers had ranked among the top teams in the country the year before, and w ere returning with almost the same person- nel. However, sparked by Bob Kelly with Jack Byrnes sex ' enteen points, and John Veryzer, with six all-important successive set-shots, the Jaspers won going away. Two defeats followed in the wake of this victory, and both of them were hard to swal- low. City College emerged on the long end of a 46-43 count, in a hard-fought contest that could have gone either way. In the following game, in an unexpected let-down after the extreme tension of the three preceding battles, the hoopsters lost to an inferior Boston College five, 66-57, at the ]ohii Burke Boston Garden. It was easily the worst game of the season. The next four games were recorded in the win column. Scranton fell, 74-50, at the Riv- erdale gym; Rensselaer Poly was an easy 63- 47 victim at Troy; Siena threw us a scare be- fore succumbing, 53-50, at Albany; and Hof- 232

Page 235 text:

Xuiiui: PLiui Cinirl Sir.ilegy The first tough opponent nearly proved to be a stumbling block, as the Kelly Green had to come from behind to eke ou t a 52-48 win over Villanova in a game played at the Phil- adelphia suburb. They were trailing, 32-22, at the end of the first half, when the buses carrying several hundred rooters arrived. Sparked by Hank Poppe, with fifteen, and Bob Kelly, with ten, the Jaspers overcame what appeared to be an insurmountable lead. Returning to Riverdale, the Manhattan five topped the U. S. Merchant Marine Acad- emy, 75-47, before heading for Hanover, New Hampshire, where they gained a hard- fought 57-53 verdict over Dartmouth. Poppe played brilliantly in notching twenty-three points. After six successful starts, the high-flying five ventured into that burial ground of all Manhattan teams, Madison Square Garden, and tasted defeat for the first time at the hands of a tall Washington State team, 58- 54. The jitters were in evidence as the Jaspers wasted many scoring opportunities. Poppe 231

Page 237 text:

stra withered in the second half of a game played on our home court, and as on the short end of a 59-46 score. The tale of woe on the 19—10 loss to St. John ' s is simly that tlie Kelly Green had one of its infrequent bad nights. The game was SiJ Skronskl very closely played, and it was not until the end that the Redmen gamed a safe advan- tage. However, the Jaspers returned to their winning ways, and gained their first Subway Conference ictory by beatmg St. Francis, 48-41, Mike Joyce led the way with fifteen points. The preliminary to another sad feature was played at Staten Island, where the five loafed its way to a 59-49 verdict over Wag- ner, Kelly showering in twenty-two. The fi- nal outing at Madison Square Garden brought our fi e up against the uncanny Vio- Hatik Pijpl e lets of New York University, and these lads, w ho couldn ' t miss on this particular evening, owned the larger share of a 73-58 score. The remainder of the season is pleasant to relate. Pratt was a 90-44 victim on our home court, and our perennial rivals, the Rams of Fordham tasted defeat to the tune of 63-56. Mike Joyce made his debut in the starting line-up, and rewarded Norton ' s con- fidence in him by dunking twenty-three points. A trip to New Rochelle brought a 67-51 decision oxer lona, Brooklyn College fell, 80-69, at the Alumni Gym as Poppe recorded twenty-five, and the regular season ended in Buffalo with a 35-31 victory over St. Bona- venture. 233