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Show SPORTS * Standard-Examiner ne Friday, December 31, 1993 56 ‘Cats red-faced after home loss By JEFF SIMON Standard-Examiner staff OGDEN — Big time basketball came to Ogden Thursday night and put an emphatic stamp on the Weber State basketball team. Time might not even heai the wounds Purdue inflicted on the Wildcats. Weber State was embarrassed by the Boilermakers 108-73 in front of their largest crowd (9,305) in three seasons at Dee Events Center. It cannot get any worse for WeberState, which suffered its most humiliating loss ever at home. DePaul, during the 1987-88 season, beat the Wildcats 88-65 at home. All-American Glenn Robinson, after a rather quiet first half, scored 21 points after the Purdue 108, WSU 73 Number-10 Boilermakers win by 35 points. iday break. “1 didn’t think we could do that, but we openingtip. It was supposed to be a game that could put have pretty good kids that are mature,” Keady said. Weber State on the national map. It was supposed to be its game of the vear. Instead. Purdue forced the Wildcats into silly and Weber State, now 9-4 on ihe season, suffered its second straight loss after last week's defeat at Brigham Young University. “I'm about as discouraged as I’ve been with this ball club,” WSU coach Ron Abeggien said. “I really thought we could give them a break to lead Purdue with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Forward Cuonzo Martin added 22 points and Matt Waddell 11 as the 10th-rank- game.I can’t believe we played so poorly with ed Boilermakers improved ‘o 10-0 on the sea- the nice crowd.” son in their first game following the The Wildcats actually played the Big Ten Christmas break. power to closer games earlier this year at the Purdue coach Gene Keady was pleasantly Great Alaska Shootout and last year at surprised by his team’s play following the hol- Purdue, This one was a mismatch from the sometimes stupid errors that resulted in many easy baskets for the Boilermakers. Weber State had 26 turnovers, seven more than in any previous game this season. The Wildcats’ offense was impatient all night with forwards Johnnie Moore and Kirk Smith getting just seven shots between them and making six. WSU guards Robbie Johnson and Ruben Nembhard weren’t anywhere to be found on the offense with Johnson going 2See WSU on 6C Close encounters Utes, BYU fall by same 28-21 score Utah unable to dig out of 1st-half hole SIDE LINES Delta defeat Goiden Eagles lose another home game. 7c Dues blues NFL, Redskins at odds over union dues. 9c NBA sc New York 102, Washington 84 Orlando 108, Miami 1 Charlotte, 115, Chicago 95 Sacramento 97, Detroit 91 San Antonio 107, Indiana 82 Milwaukee 105, Cieveland 103 Houston 110, Minnesota 104 Denver 101, Goiden State 96 Phoenix 119, Philadelphia 107 Boston 119, LA Clippers 111 SPORTS SHORTS Hunsaker takes job with Helicats HARTFORD, Conn. — FormerBall State coach Dick Hunsaker has found a new job as the coach of the Continental Basketball Association's Hartford Helicats. Hunsaker, who was a longtime assis- tant at Weber State before moving on to Ball State, replaces Randy Smith, fired because of the By RANDY HOLLIS Standard-Examiner staff ANAHEIM, Calif. — It was a tale of two halves and, for the team’s dismal University of Utah, virtually a tale of two teams. 6-11 start in its Hunsaker first season. “To be perfectly honest,| would be less than responsible First, there was the Utah team that cameoutin the first half and almost self-destructed, falling behind the University of Southern California by a 28-0 margin early in the second quarter. to the players and ourfansif ! didn't take this step with the intention of strengthening the team’s performance,” general manager Richard Coffey said Wednesday. Hunsakerwill join the team sine Thursday in LaCrosse, Wis. Hunsaker resigned from Bail State on Oct. 12 amid a scandal over violations of NCAA rules. A university investigation found four players had received illegal inducements, Freedom Bowl extra benefits and unauthorized financial aid. And then there was another proud, determined, never-say-die Hunsaker, who won 97 games and took the Cardinals twice to the NCAA tournament, denied knowledge of the violations Utah team.that outplayed the heavily-favored Trojans in the second half but, after digging itself such a huge first-half hole, couldn't quite climb all the way He compiled a 97-34 record back out and dropped a 28-21 de- in four years at Bali State. cision in the 10th annual Freedom Bowl on Thursday night at Anaheim Stadium. Maravich’s mark may be hard to top STS The greatest numberin college basketball history will always be 44.2, Pete Maravich’s scoring average Ste @ TOO LATE: Utes wanted to avoid another catch-up. 6c In a sense, it was a case of deja vu all over again, as the Utes’ shaky first-half performance was almost a carbon copyoflast year’s Copper Bow! loss, when the Utes fell behind Washington State 21-0 in the first quarter and then valiantly battled back, only to come up short 31-28. The same fate struck the Utes in the first quarter of Thursday night’s game,.as the Trojans sprinted to a 20-0 first-quarter bulge, boosted it to 28-0 and then had to hold off Utah's gallant second-half comeback bid. “It was almost like watching the same game as last year all over again,” said Utah coach Ron McBride. “But no two games are over three seasons with LSU CHUCK WING/Standard-Examiner Utah running back Jamal Anderson scampers for a first down in Freedom Bowl action as USC’s Donn Cunnigan (37) gives chase. help our defense in thatfirst half, but once we got the jitters away, we were all right. “At first, maybe were little bit in awe of USC. We didn’t know what was going on,” McBride admitted. “Then in the secondhalf, USC quarterback. Rob Johnson, “Give credit to Utah. They that this team has and something I'm very proud of.” USC coach John Robinson, in the man whose last-minute interception against UCLA deprived the Trojans of an opportunity to came back and never quit, and his second tour of duty at the Trojans’ helm, echoed McBride’s sentiments about the Utes’ team. play in the Rose Bowl, atoned for once we realized we were as good “I was impressed with them and as that (Trojans) team, we settled down and started playing. “The second half was definitely Utah's football game. That says a lot about our team, to be down 28 to nothing and get back up off our backs, battle our asses off and have a chance to win the game. That takes a lot of guts and deter- ever the same. “Ouroffense didn’t do much to mination, and that’s something a little proud of them,” he said of Utah’s second-half performance. that miscue by throwing for 345 yards and three touchdowns in earning MVP honors. He had 182 of those yards and them even more in the second two TDtosses in the first quarter alone, when it looked like USC was going to walk all over the Utes. “It was coming almost too easy for us early in the game,” Johnson said. “Westarted taking things for half.” granted. “That shows good coaching and a lot of heart and character to come back the way they did. “We had respect for Utah before the game, and we grew to respect that takes a lot of guts.” After squandering several firsthalf scoring opportunities, Utah finally showed the stuff that propelled it to five wins in its last six regular-season games. Utah's defense, which allowed nearly 300 yards of total offense in the first half, came to life and Starting stopping the Trojans cold. Then on Utah's second possession of the third period, Henry Lusk hauled in a pass from scram- bling quarterback Mike McCoy. See UTES on 6C from 1968-70 To show how far off in the galaxy that numberis today, Orlando Lightfoot of idaho scored 50 points last week against Gonzaga, thefirst 50-point game by a Division | player against a Division | school since March 2, 1992. The 6-foot-7 senior swingman was 18-for-25 from the fieid including 8-for-11 from 3-point range and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Vandals’ 76-69 loss. What makes it even more impressive is that he played just 30 minutes because he missed half the first half with foul trouble Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgeraid couldn't say enough Cougars try for magic, about Lightfoot It was a great Chess match settle for heartbreak myself as a coach going ‘Oh man, he’s good.’ The thing that By JIM BURTON Standard-Exammner staff SAN DIEGO — Brigham Young University quarterback John Walsh, and his coach LaVell Edwards, knew the rabbit was in there somewhere ... they just didn’t know how they were going to get the darn thing out of the hat. Given at least eight chances to do so, Walsh, Edwards and the BYU offense couldn't pull off another one of those famous Holiday Bowl comebacks. Instead, the Cougars settled for heartbreak — a 28-21 loss to Ohio State Thursday night at the 16th annual Holiday Bowl. “We should have won the damn game,” said a visibly frustrated Walsh. “We just couldn't punch it in. That was the difference.” Trailing by the final score, BYU made two late-fourth quarter rallies — including a 52-yard pass that put the Cougars on ue Ohio State 6 with less than a minute remaining — but came up short on each series. The first drive began strangely, a ter the Buckeyes saw a nine-minute—§ WALSH SHINES: No quarter- drive fizzle out at the BYU 21. Back Controversy next year. 6C E:xally holding the ball again, Walsh directed a nine-play drive that got the Cougars down to the Ohio with one howitzer againstfive pop guns,” he said. “I found impressed me most was not even the 50 points so much as the tenacity in doing whatever he could to try and help his team win. He was a hell of a gentieman. I'm honored to see that kind of performance because his approach and professionalism was tremendous Lightfoot averages 26.6 points per game and his 50-point outing broke his own school record of 44 set last year and made him idaho's all-time leading scorer at 1.605 points IRE SPORTS FACT Hottest shots The most career points in college basketball (with player, schoci and points lsted): Pete Maravich, LSU, 3,667 Freeman Williams, Portiand State, 3.249; Lionel Simmons La Salle, 3.217; Alphonso Ford Mississippi Valley, 3,165; Harry State 22, before he threw three straight incompletions. — Kelly, Texas Southern, 3,066 minutes left, forcing an Ohio State punt and allowing the offense one fi- STE Oddly enough, the BYU defense made a rare stop with less than two nal shot. With 43 seconds on the clock, Walsh stepped back on first-and.10 from the BYU 42 and connected with senior receiver Eric Drage, who rambled all the way to the Ohio State 6-yard line. Of his final four passes, Walsh saw the first one dropped by Bryor DoSee BYU on 6C TAKE A TICKET IML hockey: San WS Salt Lake, 7 p.m., Sune Saeats Salt Lake City — Standard-Examiner staff and wire services fi |