Kentucky - 58 (Head Coach: Adolph Rupp) - [Ranked by ]

Player	FG	FGA	FT	FTA	PF	Ast	Pts
Walter Hirsch	4	11	1	2	5	3	9
Lucian Whitaker	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jim Line	1	2	0	1	4	2	2
Arlan King	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Bill Spivey	6	21	5	8	1	0	17
Garland Townes	0	0	0	0	2	1	0
Dale Barnstable	1	11	0	0	5	3	2
Bobby Watson	6	11	0	3	2	5	12
Leonard Pearson	0	2	0	0	1	0	0
Guy Strong	7	13	0	0	5	4	14
Walter Whittaker	1	1	0	0	3	0	2
Totals	26	73	6	14	28	18	58

St. Johns - 69 (Head Coach: Frank McGuire)

Player	FG	FGA	FT	FTA	PF	Ast	Pts
Gerry Calabrese	10	17	10	15	1	2	30
Don Noonan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ray Tully	3	11	4	4	3	1	10
Bob Zawoluk	1	13	1	1	3	3	3
Jack McMahon	4	11	5	6	0	2	13
Ronnie MacGilvray	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
Al McGuire (*)	4	13	5	9	4	5	13
Frank Mulzoff	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	22	66	25	36	11	13	69

St. John's Hands Kentucky First Loss, 69-58

Brilliant Comeback Has Crowd Pulling For Cats At Close

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, N.Y., Dec. 15 - There was a new skyscraper in New York tonight - seven-foot Bill Spivey successor to Alex Groza, on Coach Adolph Rupp's basketball team.

But Spivey, playing his first game in huge Madison Square Garden, wasn't able to save his mates from defeat and the Wildcats fell before a classy St. John's University team, 69-58, before a crowd of more than 17,000 fans.

It was the eighth straight win for the Redmen and the first loss in three starts for the Wildcats. But don't worry about your boys, Lexington fans, they'll be all right.

Trailing by 23 points late in the first half, the Ruppmen carried the fight to St. John's the remainder of the distance and were only five points behind, 61-56, with three and a half minutes left.

For the first time in recent years, the Wildcats had the Garden crowd pulling for them. The Ruppmen got a big round of applause for their game comeback after appearing hopelessly outclassed in the early stages.

Had it not been for the new two-minute rule, the Cats might have been closer at the finish. The score was 62-56 entering the final two minutes. Thereafter St. John's picked up five free throws and one field goal as the Cats tried desperately to gain possession and fouled the Redmen often. Meanwhile, Kentucky was able to muster but one fielder.

The victory was the second for St. John's in seven Garden games with the Cats and the defeat was the ninth Kentucky has suffered in 30 appearances in the big arena.

With Gerry Calabrese connecting from all angles, the Redmen got off to a quick lead over the jittery Cats and were on top by 33-10 shortly before the end of the half.

Kentucky spurted to cut the gap to 34-20 at the intermission but the Cats, although gaining the plaudits of the crowd and throwing fear into the Redmen, ran out of gas and almost ran out of players after staging their spirited second-half rally.

Spivey, Guy Strong and little Bobby Watson bore the brunt of the Kentucky attack. Spivey hit for 17 points and played a good defensive game. Strong, inserted into the lineup in the place of starter Len Pearson when it became evident the Cats couldn't work the ball through the tight St. John's defense, dunked in seven long set shots for 14 points. Watson was next in line with 10.

Kentucky's veterans, Walt Hirsch, Jim Line and Dale Barnstable were closely watched and could do little. Hirsch gathered nine points but Line and Barnstable could get but two each.

The Cats lost Hirsch, Line, Barnstable and Strong on personal fouls.

Calabrese, a clever all-around player, was the big gun for St. John's, racking up 30 points before he left the game in the last minute of play.

City College of New York burned up the nets in the second half to take a 71-44 decision over Brooklyn College in the opening game. Brooklyn played the Beavers on almost even terms in the first half, trailing by only 27-23 at the intermission.

Spivey held the fans' attention all through the warmup prior to the nightcap. The huge crowd "oh'd" and "ah'ed" as Bill dunked the ball in the basket, shoving the ball through the nets with his hands above the rim.

The game got off to a slow start with only one field goal being scored in the first three and one-half minutes. This was a one-hander by Calabrese who added two free throws to give St. John's a 4-0 lead.

Spivey got Kentucky's first basket on a tip-in shot at the 3:30 mark, but that was all the scoring the Cats were able to do until eight minutes of the period had elapsed.

The Redmen, hitting a high percentage of their shots and presenting a tight defense, ran the count to 15-2 on three baskets by Calabrese, two by McMahon and a free throw by McGuire before Strong, substituting for Len Pearson, dropped in a long one to end the Wildcats' scoring drought.

After Tully hit a free throw, Strong connected again, but the Cats still were in plenty of trouble and midway of the period St. John's was ahead by 22-6.

The Redmen, still clicking and getting most of the rebounds, completely outplayed the Ruppmen for the next seven minutes to boost their margin to 23 points at 33-10.

Bobby Watson dropped in a short one for the Cats but Calabrese added a free throw and it was 34-12 with two and one-half minutes left in the period.

The Cats came to life at that point, two long shots by Strong, one by Hirsch and a pair of free throws by Spivey, cutting the lead to 30-24 at the intermission.

The Cats looked like a good ball club at the start of the second half as they came back to the floor determined to wipe out the St. John's lead. In the first five minutes the teams matched basket for basket - then the Redmen boosted their margin to 18 points at 45-27. This was the signal for the Ruppmen to start their rally.

With nine minutes gone the margin was cut to nine points - at 50-41 - and for the first time the crowd began to sense that Kentucky had a chance. However, at that stage a crip and a free throw by Al McGuire gave the Redmen the boost they needed.

Kentucky kept coming, however, and when Spivey dropped in two free throws to make it 61-56 the crowd roared. It looked like the Cats had a chance.

But St. John's was too smart a club to be caught napping. The Redmen began to freeze the ball and boosted their margin on free throws in the closing minutes.

The Wildcats will leave New York by chartered airliner Friday morning and are due to arrive in Lexington about 1 o'clock.

Bill Spivey (#77) and St. Johns' Ray Tully collide while Bob Zawoluk (#27) pulls his teammate back and Al McGuire (#12) calls for the ball

Walt Hirsch (#22) fights St. Johns' Ray Tully (#20) for a rebound

Len Pearson (#31) leaps high over St. Johns' Bob Zawoluk (#27) to shoot

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