Basketball's Week

Santa Clara, which surprised SAN FRANCISCO in the recent West Coast AC holiday tournament final, never had a chance against the talented Dons last Saturday. Big Erwin Mueller, Joe Ellis and Ollie Johnson put San Francisco ahead by 27 points with 10 minutes to play, and then the reserves held on for an 89-77 victory. But the Dons still had to share the conference lead with PACIFIC, a 61-52 winner over St. Mary's.

The ever-changing Western AC had a new leader. ARIZONA, with its good defense operating superbly, took all the run out of freewheeling Brigham Young and Utah. The Wildcats edged BYU 75-73 and then out-shot Utah 57-48. But New Mexico's defense went to pieces against WYOMING. The surprising Cowboys cut down the Lobos 79-74 at Albuquerque, breaking their 11-game winning streak. Independent COLORADO STATE'S strategy for Utah State was simple: mix ball control with sudden offensive strikes to throw the slower Aggies off balance. It was successful, as Lonnie Wright scored 23 points, and Colorado State won 89-78.