10 January 1955

**Syracuse Herald Journal**- Blue Nats Head For N. Dakota Game

Hawks Slash Into Syracuse Basketball Lead; Milwaukee Gains 77-72
Decision

It’s blue Monday in the camp of the Syracuse Nationals as they await
air transportation to Grand Forks, North Dakota, for tomorrow night’s game with
the Minneapolis Lakers. The Nats, beaten 77-72 by the last place Hawks here
yesterday, now have a scant one-game lead over the Boston Celtics in the
Eastern Division chase. What perturbs the club even more is the realization
Boston’s deficit is in the win column, since each have dropped 16 games.
Milwaukee has now beaten the Nats in three of five games this season while the
Lakers have won four of six. Prior to the Sabbath contest the cards appeared
stacked in the Nats’ favor. They came here after shaking off a losing spell by
beating Minneapolis Saturday, while Milwaukee was forced to return all the way
from Rochester after an extended road trip. But the Hawks wasted little time
erasing the edge. Milwaukee started the crowd of 3,926 cheering by taking a
12-2 advantage and led by 12 points on several occasions during the first half.
At intermission Syracuse had reduced the margin to six points and finally
caught up at 61-all in the fourth period. Quick baskets by Earl Lloyd and
Connie Simmons sent the Nats ahead 66-61 with seven minutes to play but they
couldn’t hold the edge. Rookie Fran Selvy, the Hawks’ sparkplug, knotted the
count at 70-70 with 2:45 to play before George King and Alex Hannum traded foul
points. Paul Seymour put the Nats in front again at 72-71 on a free throw
conversion with two minutes left, but the Syracusans scoring ended at that
stage. Selvy converted foul chances and then Chuck Cooper “stole” the ball from
Dolph Schayes at mid-court and passed to Selvy who applied the clincher. Lew
Hitch added a bucket in the final seconds. Selvy’s 26 points topped the game
scorers. Seymour and Lloyd were high men for Syracuse with 12 each.

MILWAUKEE: Pettit (7-5-19), Calhoun (0-0-0), Cooper (0-0-0), Hannum
(3-2-8), Share (2-7-11), Hitch (2-0-4), Harrison (2-4-8), Selvy (10-6-26), Saul
(0-1-1) TOTALS (26-25-77). SYRACUSE: Schayes (2-7-11), Simmons (3-1-7), Rocha
(5-1-11), Lloyd (4-4-12), Kerr (3-0-6), Seymour (4-4-12), King (0-4-4),
Kenville (4-1-9), Farley (0-0-0) TOTALS (25-22-72).

Score at halftime- Milwaukee 46, Syracuse

Nats Staying

Assurances that professional basketball will remain in Syracuse next
season were indicated today when the Syracuse Nationals requested the War
Memorial Commission to make office space available for rental within the War
Memorial commencing this April. Present directors of the Nats, seeking to
reduce operating expenses to a minimum to insure continued operation, requested
use of one ticket window on the Montgomery St. entrance to the War Memorial and
office space on the second floor of the State St. side. At its meeting this
morning, the commission gave building director William B. Stark permission to
negotiate with the Nats to establish rental fees. Stark plans to meet with Nat
directors within 48 hours. The Nats now occupy offices on the ground floor of
the State Tower Bldg. The lease for these offices expired in October and was
not renewed. The Nats have been asked to vacate State Tower offices by May 1.