Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-21
Western NCAA
Opens Tonight
At Kansas City
Four of BusketbuII's
Elite Survive Play in
East Quorter-FinoIs
picture on Page C-3.)
BY the Associated Press


top 10-Kentucky. St. Johns, ILL
nois and North Carolina State
will square off at Madison Square
Garden tomorrow night in the
IsemifinalS of the NCAA Eastern
Examinations.
Kentucky, No. l nationally, will
face a tired st. Johns team, No. 9.
Illinois, No. S, will oppose North
Carolina State. No. 8. Illinois and
N. c. State play in the first game,
starting at 7:45 pm. The St.
John s-Kentucky windup will start
about $50.
These four powers moved for
ward last night in opening skirm-
ishes at Madison Square Garden
and in Raleigh, N. c.
Action in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, the Western NCAA
will start catching up with the
East tonight, staging the first two
quarter final games in Kansas
City.
Brigham Young, winner Of the
National Invitation Tournament
last week. will take on little San
Jose State. while Kansas State
will face Arizona. Kansas State
and Arizona play first at 9 pm.
(EST).
The Oklahoma Aggies. favored
to win the Western title and play
heavily-supported Kentucky for
the title at Minneapolis March 81,
will open their bid tomorrow night
against Montana State. Wash
ington, champion of the Pacific
Coast, will oppose the South
vests Texas A. & M. in the other
game.
Kentucky had its troubles for a
while at Raleigh last night, but
brought it's class to the surface in
time to trounce a fired-up Louis
vile team. 1868. N. c. State,
performing on the same program
and playing without three of its
outstanding stars, thumped VII
lanova, 67-62.
Columbia Streak Ends.
At Madison Square Garden, be-
fore 17,107. Illinois Big Ten
champions shattered Columbia's
unbeaten record-the last one
left-79-71, while st. Johns easily
disposed of little Connecticut,
1852.
Until they ran up against Illi-
nois' Ted Beach and Don Sunder-
lage, Columbia's Ivy League titlists
had piled up % straight victories
this year and 81 over a two-year
span.
For a while. with lanky Jack
Molinas and Capt. John Azary in
featured roles, Columbia out
scrapped. outran and outshot
Illinois, leading 27-20 at one stage
and 1888 at the half.
But Beach popped in seven out
of eight long one handed set shots
in the space of eight minutes
just before the end of the half.
Then Sunderlage went on a one
man scoring spree to catch Co.
lumbia, 57-57. with 10 minutes
to go, and send Illinois out front.
Beach is a senior who hash
started a game all year. His job
is that of troubleshooter, being
used chiefly when the sophomores
go sour. He filled his mission we'll
last night. Sunderlage, just 6 feet
tall. is Illinois big punch.
Ranzino's Sub Stars.
st. Johns, looking a bit weary
from its recent MT tournament
grind. rolled up a 25-point lead
early in the last half against
Connecticut and then almost let
the game get away on a strong
rally spanked by Vince Yokabaska
and Bill Ebel. Time, however, ran
out on the Connecticut boys.
A capacity crowd of 12,400 saw
the two-game show at N. c..
States Coliseum in Raleigh and
almost tore down the house when
Bill Kukoy, subbing for ALL
America Sam Ranzino. led the
Wolfpack to its unexpected vic
tory over Villanova. The Gary
(Ind) sophomore popped in 81
points.
This was the Villanova team
that had beaten N. C. State twice
this year and three times in the
past two years. The Wolfpack
won despite the loss of Ranzino,
Vic Bubas and Paul Horvath,
ruled ineligible under the four
|year rule.
Kentucky had its famous hands
full with its neighborhood rival,
Louisville, for a half, leading only
44-40 at the intermission. But
Shelby Linville. scoring % points
altogether, pulled the teams Of
lfense up by the bootstraps and
the Wildcats breezed home.