Evening star., 1949-03-22
High-Scoring Quints
Upset Garden Jinx
In Reaching Final
BY the AssoeiotsdPrsss

|
/ NEW YORK, Mar. 22.-Ken-
lucky and Illinois. two teams with
tremendous scoring punch, will
clash at Madison Square Garden
tonight for the Eastern NCAA
basket ball title.
Their immediate aim will be to
gain the right to test their attack
against the Nations No. l COL
legiate defense in the champion
ship game with Oklahoma A. & NJ,
the Western victor, at Seattle,
Wash. Saturday night.
The defending champion Wild
cats and the Illini cracked the
Gardens upset jinx and scored
expected semifinal victories last
night before q laear-sellout crowd
of l8,051.
Kentucky, rebounding from a
slump that saw it bow to Chicago
Loyola in the National Invitation
last week, rolled over Villanova
with q record-breaking S5-72
score.
Illinois Big Nine champions
staged desperate squirt in the
final minutes to turn back Yale,
the Ivy League titlist. 71-67.
Three NCAA Marks Made.
In triumphing, the two big,
poised teams enlarged upon Of
fensive records that rate with the
best in the country. Illinois aver
aged 69.5 points for the season
and Kentucky 68.2.
Three NCAA records went by
the boards when the Wildcats,
with All-America Alex Groza and
young Jim Line in standout roles,
poured the pressure on Villanova.
Kentucky's IS points were the
most any team ever had scored in
the tournament, breaking the
mark Of 70 set by Arkansas in
1945. It's 26 foul points shattered
the record Of % hung up by Kan
sas State last year.
Moreover, the 157-point total
by the two teams in the game
toppled the former high of 155
registered by Arkansas and Ore
gon in 1945.
Groza and his personal foe for
the evening, Villanova's Paul
Arizin, had the largest hand in
this record point production. each
ringing up 80 markers.
Arizin Keen Shot.
Kentucky's 6-foot-7 pivot man
spent a portion of the last half
on the bench. Arizin went out on
personal fouls shortly before the
end of the game. The individual
record is 81. set by George
Glamack Of North Carolina in
1941.
Jim Line. with 81 points. and
Cliff Barer. with 18. made up the
slack in Kentucky's ofense when
Wallace Jones and Ralph Beard
failed to hit from the field.
Arizin gave a remarkable shoot
ing exhibition; sinking from all
angles despite close checking by
the Wildcats Groza.
Yale, a 10-point underdog. gave
Illinois a real score before giving
ground in the last minutes Of play.
Led by All-America Tony La
velli. Yale gained a 1881 half
time lead and pushed to the front,
64-58, with five minutes to 60 in
a game that was tied eight times.
But Illinois. a team of balanced
scoring strength. knotted the
count at 67-67 with a minute and
a half to go and then won on driv-
ing layup shots by Walter Ker-
sulis and Dick Foley. a sub.
Lavelli Gets 27 Points.
Lavelli, who was teamed
throughout, managed to break
loose for 81 points. Ted Anderson
scored 10 for the Eli.
Illinois one-two scoring punch
Dwight Eddleman and Bill
Erickson - lacked its usual zip.
Eddleman was held to five goals
and II points while Erickson col
lected only one field goal and five
points.
The Illinois offensive was paced
by the big center, Wally Oster-
korn, and a sophomore sub, Don
Sunderlage, who scored IS each.
Sunderlage made II Of his points
in one last half spree before foul
ing out.