12/17/1941

West Texans Pressed To Beat Arizona Cagers

Towering Visitors Outscore Cats In Final Minutes After Close Battle In First Half

The West Texas State-Arizona court game will not soon be forgotten by 2,000 fans who saw the teams clash here last night. The fact that the Buffaloes finally won, 71-52, was just incidental, The important thing was how the WIldcats, who were not conceded a chance against "the world's tallest basketball team" went out and played the Buffs to a standstill for the greater part of the contest.

The game was tied up six times and the Cats forged to the fore on no less than seven occasions, matching the West Texas average team height of six feet, six inches, with a grim fighting spirit that time after time enabled to Arizonians to take the ball on backboard rebounds from their taller opponents.

The Wildcats matched the Buffaloes point for point for the first 30 minutes. Had it not been for the presence of Price Brookfield, all-American forward, who scored 23 points in the first half, there would have been a different story.

Bob Miller, Arizona sophomore center, held Charley Halbert, six foot, six inch, Buffalo center, scoreless in the first half and the defensive play of Tim Ballantyne, sophomore guard, was another factor that kept Arizona In the running.

In fact, Arizona dropped out of the running when Referee Bill Westervelt called a weird fourth personal foul on Ballantyne in the second half. West Texas held a slim 47-46 lead at the time but theteafter drew steadily ahead.

Halbert had a strangle hold on Ballantyne and threw him to the floor. A double foul was called and Tim got the gate as the officials were showered with boos.

It was not the first time that the large crowd had cause for complaint as the officiating could have been much better. Fred Enke, Arizona coach, protested during the half that two or three Arizona shots at the basket had been knocked out by Halbert when the ball was over the rim.

A total of 19 personal fouls were called against Arizona compared with 10 against the Texans.

Ballantyne’s loss might not have been so keenly felt had it not been that George Genung, another sophomore guard, was on the sick list.

Brookfleld, who scored the first eight points of the game, paced the Buffs with 26 points. In the first half it looked as if he was surely on his way to a new Border conference individual scoring record, but was held to three points in the secoid half.

The score was tied five, times during “the torrid first half which ended with the Texans holding a slim 36-35 edge.

The Cats drew up on even terms for the first time when Miller counted on a follow-up shot and Bob Ruman made good on a spot shot when play was resumed after West Texas had called time out when leading, 12-8.

From that point on until Ballantyne was banished the Cat combination of Vince Cullen, Ruman, Miller, Ballantyne and Matt Matulis matched the visitors' basket barrage in a rapid-fire session that had the fans breathless.

Miller led the Cats with 22 points, 16 of which were scored in the first half. Ruman played remarkable ball in view of the fact that he was late in joining the court squad due to the long grid season. He caged 13 points and Cullen accounted for 10, all of which Vince garnered in the first half.

Matulis, another late arrival from the football squad, was outstanding in his floor game.

Frank Stockman, guard and captain of the Buffaloes, racked up 16 points and Jack Maddox, a forward, accounted for 12.

The Texans outscored the Cats, 24 to 6, in the last 10 minutes of play. The large margin, however, was partly attributable to the fact that, with the game lost, Enke employed a number of substitutes to give them experience and to relieve his over-tired regulars.

Enke has called a practice for this afternoon and tomorrow and will then call it quits until after Christmas when the team will start preparations for the games with New Mexico Mines here Dec. 29 and 30.