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Show P3 The Daily Utxh Ctwonfcte, Monday, February 22. 1C32 Six .1 D ra Coiogs with Hammer , o Victory salvages season for Utah by Joe Baird Chronicle staff ' Going into Friday night's meeting with the Runnin' Utes -- in the Special Events Center, the BYU coaching staff probably wasn't overly concerned about Craig Hammer. senior forward had not been Afterall, the Utes' much of a factor in the Cougars' easy win over Utah earlier in the season, and his 41 percent shooting mark from the field this year was hardly the stuff that would warrant any 5 special defensive measures. e Hammer felt good shooting around in the for eight warmups though; and after ripping the Cougars straight hoops in the first half, the BYU coaches were plenty concerned. By then it was too late. Hammer continued his tear in the second half; and it was 22 points that led the Utes to their 68-6- 1 his career-hig- h win over the Zoo. could stop him. Cougar Coach Frank Arnold ' Nobody sicked three of his best boys on the Murray native Fred Roberts. Timo Saarelainen and Bob Capener but Hammer 4 from the field popped it in from everywhere, going for the evening. And if Hammer wasn't burning the nets with the it was Angelo Robinson or George Furgis who seemed to hit key buckets just when it looked like the 9 Cougars were going to get back in it. well-bred Which never really happened. Like a pit bull, Utes went for the throat early and never let go. the ' &g After playing see-sawith the Cougars enroute to a 6-- 6 & tie, Robinson laid one in off a Pace Mannion steal and then Hammer went to work, hitting the Utes' next six baskets. The Cougars never recovered. "We felt like it if we could get a lead, we could spread them out and make them come out after us," Ute Coach Jerry Pimm said. "Once we got it, we were able to drive and be more choosy with our shots." Ute guard Pace Mannion goes on the offensive against 68-6BYU in the SEC Friday night. The Utes won, continued on page eight 9-1- pre-gam- 11-1- 25-foote- I'M ' w 1. Women's team nears title with win by Peter Behle Chronicle staff Outscoring BYU by 1 8 points in the second half, the Utah women's basketball team trounced the Cougars 82-6- 8 Friday night in the Special Events Center. With the victory, the Utes completed a three-gam- e season sweep of BYU and nearly clinched the Intermoun-tai- n conference title. The win also kept the Utes' hopes of a n playoff berth alive. "It was a really big win for us. We played our best basketball of the year in the second half," said Utes Head Coach Fern Gardner. "We should win our last two conference games (UTEP and New Mexico, both on the road) to win the conference and still have a chance for the NCAA playoffs." as BYU Friday night, the Utes fell behind 18-1- 0 candidate Jackie McBride scored the first 14 post-seaso- ca by Peter Behle Chronicle staff Even after they fell to 4 oh the year after a depressing loss to the Air Force, the Utes still felt they could give the season some meaning. If Utah was to drop BYU, the season would be that much less painful. Utah's Craig Hammer summed up the team's feelings. "It salvaged the whole year for us," he said. "It brought us right back to the peak. We all were confident going into the game, we knew that if we played well we could beat 'em." 22 points, Hammer hit on 1 1 of 1 4 shots for a career-hig- h g a season-loncame to the game with although he 41 a was from "It floor. of the funny thing; all percentage I'd in warmups said. "But been shooting poorly," he year confidence. need were shots the the falling, and you really "Coach Pimm has stuck with us all year," Hammer continued. "We busted our butts all week in practice; we knew we could do it." After beating the Utes by 23 in Provo earlier this year, the Cougars came into the SEC with a confident attitude, maybe too confident. "If they came into the game with a cocky attitude, I'm sure it changed quick," said Utah's Peter Williams. "They never had the lead. We did what we had to for the whole game." "We shot a lot better than when we played down there," said Angelo Robinson. "It's how we should have played all year long." Utah spread out the court, in the second half, inan effort to take some minutes off the clock. "BYU is so big that they couldn't cover us when we were in the spread," said Utah freshman George Furgis. Playing before 14,126 fans and a nationwide television audience on ESPN had to put pressure on the players. "I have confidence in my free throws; I wasn't nervous," said Utah's Tim McLaughlin after sinking four clutch free throws to help ice the victory. . "5T5 Tscr 1 Cougar points. Utah tied the game at 29, but fell back to trail 35-3- 1 at the half. Utah outscored BYU, 1 9-- 4 at the start of the second half, to lock up win No. 1 6 on the year against 1 0 losses. The Utes are now 2 in the conference, one up on the Cougars. "We didn't change anything at halftime," Gardner said. "I just told the team we needed more offensive boards." Utah's big front line of Debbie Asper, Sandy Kovach, and Anne Handy combined for 57 points and 31 rebounds on the night. Kovach played one of her better games all year, hitting eight of 12 shots from the field. "She's really hard to stop once we get the ball to her inside," Gardner said of Kovach "She's got good hands. She had a real great game tonight. "I think it's a disadvantage to play the same team three times in one season," Gardner said. 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