By, GEORGE FRANCO

Denver Post Executive Sports

Editor

FORT COLLINS, Dec. 20.—Bill
‘(We'll be lucky if we finish sixth)
Strannigan isn’t a very good sales-
(man. :

True, his seasonal employment
as basketball coach at Iowa State
loesn’t require too much talent
long salesmanship lines. But few

mong the local group which

ard his prediction ‘‘we’ll be

 

>yclones Nix
‘Prophet Bill’

 

lucky to finish sixth (in the Big
Seven conference race)’’ would
buy that after. watching his cur-
rent Cyclones breeze by Colorado
A. & M., 72-60, here Monday night.

But the dapper tutor gets an-
other chance to prove—or dis-
prove, if you would—his prophecy
when he brings his team to Den-
ver to meet Hoyt Brawner’s Pio-
neers Wednesday night at the
D. U. Fieldhouse. |

Little Gary Thompson, the 5-

 

m\ter of the final mar,
#|Crawford, a hustling’ 6-foot 5-inch

 

‘test 8-inch home-grown (Roland,
Ia.) product, was Strannigan’s
‘key agent in the victory, total-.
ling 24 points by nearly every
conceivable method and twice
personally putting the damper
on determined Aggie rallies.

The first came after A. & M.’s
most serious threat midway in
the first half when Aggies’ Stan
Albert and Boyd Grant shot their
mates into a 17-16 margin with
10 :45 played. This was the only
time A. & M. managed to lead.

‘}I-STATE AHEAD TO STAY

Thompson immediately put
Iowa Staté ahead to stay after
Grant’s. long - one-hander had
fetched the Aggie edge. First,
he hit a driving layup after team-
mate Arnie Gaarde’s neat theft
and followed with two more quick
fielders to put Iowa State ahead,
22-18, with 14:45 played.

Then, in the second half,
his mates helped _ erect
‘a more comfortable 8-point
edge with 8:30 played only to
have Aggies’ Dick Gregory re-
duce it with three quick points.

Thompson canned two free

throws, a layup, a jump shot
-and a second layup in that

     

|| order to double A. & M/s out-
|| put and give | Towa State/ a 54-45
edge with 12515 playe 5

After that it was. jyst.a. mat-
as John

re, and vet-
Lyle Frahm

 

 

| |CAN’T CHECK LONG SHOTS |