University of Virginia Library

In New York

Cagers Face Pirates

By John Markon
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Basketball Photos By Howard Weinberg

Frank DeWitt Flies High Against Tar Heel Defenders

Third-Year Forward Looks Forward To Pirates Tonight

With one streak ended and
another hopefully soon to
reach conclusion Virginia's
basketball team invades New
York City and Madison Square
Garden tonight to face Eastern
independent Seton Hall,
possessor of a potentially good
court squad and an enigmatic
9-15 record.

The streak that ended was
the Wahoo's string of home
court wins, that skein perishing
Saturday afternoon with a
one-point loss to North
Carolina. The one still in
operation is the Cavalier's long
succession of road losses dating
back all the way to a December
evening in Morgantown, Va.

Against North Carolina even the
powerful backing of a vociferous U.
Hall crowd wasn't enough to insure
victory as the Cavs dropped another
ACC game and lowered their
conference mark to 6-7.
Encouraging signs, however, were
the fine Virginia comeback in the
second half and the return to form
of Bill Gerry. Big Bill kept the
Wahoos close in the first period
and, along with Tim Rash, helped
key the post-intermission rally.
Virginia's other big man, center
Scott McCandlish, suffered through
a horrendous shooting afternoon
and has apparently not shaken a
midseason slump.

Virginia's opponents, the Seton
Hall Pirates from West Orange, N.J.
have had a rather mysterious
season. Pre-season opinions figured
the Pirates as a team with two fine
ballplayers and potential on the
bench, but in the light of their 9-15
record, many are wondering when
all that rumored potential is going
to surface.

Captain Injured

No help to the Pirates was a
serious knee injury to their captain
and star guard Mel Knight. Knight,
good on defense and an excellent
shooter, has returned to action but
has not been able to go at peak
efficiency or play for extended
periods of time. His disability has
put much of the burden of carrying
the team on Ken House, a 6-5
junior averaging 20.6 points per
game. Other Pirate starters include
guards Gary Cavalle and Frank
Cortes, together averaging over 31
points per contest.

'Must' Game

Even though the Seton Hall
game does not count in the
all-important conference standings
the Cavaliers need a road victory
desperately and, with several
members of team, including Gerry
and McCandlish, hailing from New
York State, it seems likely that
Virginia will give the underdog
Pirates more than a little trouble.

Photo By Howard Weinberg

John Pegues Finds Things Going His Way In Recent Home Action At Memorial Gym

Virginia Greets Representatives From All Conference Teams Friday, Saturday In Tournament