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Show Thunderbirds Drop Opening Basketball Game to Pasadena Crusaders, 81 to 59 It was a rude awakening for the College of Southern Utah Thunderbirds last Friday evening eve-ning as they played their first basketball game against a school with a four-year athletic program. pro-gram. Not only was it a first but it was in southern California where Pasadena College defeated Coach Boyd Adams' quintet by a score of 81 to 59. The Thunderbirds found that they were lacking in height as the Crusaders of Pasadena dominated dom-inated the board both offensively offensive-ly and defensively. The Crusaders were led by three seniors who had played at the southern California school through four years of competition, competi-tion, although both clubs were matched in the first game of the current season. The Thunderbirds were spotty. They stayed with the host club for the first four minutes of play before the Crusaders broke away from a 5-all tie. During one eight minute stretch in the lirst half, the T-Birds T-Birds really hit a cold streak and Coach Adams nearly cleared the bench In an attempt to find a scoring punch. Leading only three points at 20 to 17, the Crusaders took advantage ad-vantage of the CSU lull, moving to a 30 to 17 margin before Neil Petty hit two foul shots, then stretched the margin to 38 to 18, a 19 point difference. The Thunderbirds narrowed the gap to 15 points at halftime, trailing 42 to 27. In the second half of play the Thunderbirds went into zone defense de-fense to more effectively cover the defensive rebounding. The maneuver worked and the limiting lim-iting of shots to the Crusaders gave the CSU crew a chance to narrow the gap. They scratched at the lead and at the three quarter quar-ter mark had narrowed the margin mar-gin to Just six points at 53 to 47. A second half CSU aead streak, much the same as occurred in the first half, saw the taller and more experienced Crusaders move lout again, forcing the T-Birds out of the zone, they poured on the fuel In the closing minutes to make a run-away of the contest. con-test. Layne Dalton, leading scorer with 12 points for the T- Birds, fouled out of the game in the closing minutes, followed to the bench via the foul route by Johnny John-ny Johnston. Crusader center Ron Bauer was the top scorer of the eve-I eve-I ning with 17. He was followed by I Dave Cox of Pasadena with 13. jDalton's 12 was high for CSU, with Bob Chambers and Johnny Johnson each hitting for ten. CSU St ASADEHA II GTFP GTFF 1 4 3 3 10 Chumbert 1 Lowe 2 5 2 6 1111 3 Prterion Shoemakrr ft 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 TehlM Culbcruon 4 2 2 10 5 3 2 13 Dalton B Love 51010 II 0 0 2 Marhall Bauer 7 S 17 0 10 0 Ann thIMt 10 0 i 14 11 9 Dehlln Cooper 2 4 3 8 2 4 3 7 HrllMon Travy 1 2 1 . ill ft Petty Cox 4 7 1- I 5 5 4 10 J Johruon Greene 10 0 2 ' r o 0 o orey . rtmibto TOTALS 32 36 17 81 j Score at halftime: Paaadena 42. CSf 27. |