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Show 1 Ejifr Rata tftT CHRONICLE 7- - RIB .' mm U Buzzer Beater Shocks Mustangs ballad. Utah looked stale on offense and brutally inept on two-chor- GREG BEACHAM d defense. "We were ordinary in our effort," Utah head coach Rick Majerus said. will be perLAS VEGAS-The- re This was one of the rare occasions ' when I life Ave moments in thought our effort was not your haps when the Earth spins off its axis, where it needs to be. I hope this and everything that you believe will was an aberration." "We just didn't have it tonight," become, for that instant, absolutely Van Horn said. "I reaDy don't know incorrect Treasure these moments. . backKeith Van Horn made a why we played so badly." With 8:19 remaining in the game, handed tip-ias time expired, and Southern defeated slammed home a vicious Utes Poerner the Runnin' dunk after leaving Van Horn at the in the quarterfinals Methodist of the .WAG ' Tournament top of the key like an unwanted Wednesday night in Las Vegas in ten. The score gave SMU a front of a temporarily insane crowd-I- t lead, and there was absolutely no looks so rational, doesn't it? reason to believe the Utes would When you write it down, when you survive the quarterfinals of the tour' see the replay for the 300th time on nament they were favored to win. Southern Methodist would not the ESPYs next year, when you tell the story to your friends, it seems score again. Coach Mike Dement denied it, but the Mustangs got plausible, even somewhat possible. ' But it wasn't Van Horn's shot, scared; they started to run an awkn offense SMU had ward and the game which it punctuated, bounce and were as nonsensical painfully gotten every up till then, as unpleasant : a naked Rick every big rebound, every tip. The Utes were already on a plane to Majerus. For 33 minutes on Wednesday, a Tucson as the No. 3 seed in the ' "thoroughly mediocre group of West ' But the Methodists dominated the No. 3 Mustangs didn't finish Utes without even trying. The what they started. In the first half, their offense was simple: Get the Mustangs star, Jay Poerner, played AD American Keith Van Horn like a Chronicle Sports Editor , n 59-5- 8 58-4- 8 slow-dow- - dam a a 1 j -- Andrt NEDer tries to dribble by Jemefl Rich in m WAG qiuuterfcud matAop Thurad 59-5points and dished oat seven assists, induding the game winner to Keith Van Horn, as Utah prevailed 4. . v see "Utes" on page 9 Miracle at The Mack: A Shot Thai Will Live in Infamy last night in the WAC, Tournament quarterfinals and the Utes down by one, the game was over. It looked like there was no way could Utah pull this one out But 'Van Horn had one more trick up his BRANDON WINN Chronicle Sports Writer LAS VEGA- S- Be on the watch for it, appearing soon at all the major Las Vegas casinos: It's the masterful, the amazing, the magical duo that is Keith Van Horn and Rick Majerus. You've heard of Siegfried and Roy? Well, forget about them. Wayne, Newton won't be able to compete. rr sleeve. Now is where things really start to get interesting. After a strong showing at the first day of competition of the .NCAA skiing championships, Utah fell to third place overall after yesterday's events. The Utes team score of 341 trails Colorado (362) .:i:.V';:;;J"'-'- Andre Miller inbounded the ball from underneath his own hoop and -lofted a high, arching pass into the ait. Van Horn faked left, spun back right and jumped. He floated for a second, ' reached back behind his, body and tipped Miller's pass toward the hoop. The next dung the crowd saw was the entire Ute bench in a pile on the floor, and the Mustangs sitting in shock. 'J.-"7 It was impossible, illogical, unthinkable. The game was over, but nobody could believe what had just : ', : happened. r "Even in practice that play doesn't work nine times out of 10," said SMU center Jay Poerner. 'Cfsz "The amazing thing is that Poerner is right For that play to work just right at that moment is a bit strange, v Van Horn will go to thc'NBA and ' enjoy a long, illustrious career and never hit a shot even remotely rcsem- bliag the one he made last evening. cross-countr- " Tom Jones will go broke because the us Van show outdoes, outshines and outweighs all the other cheesy Vegas lounge acts. This dynamic duo specializes in performing many of the classical stunts we've come to know and love, except with little twists they've added on their own..-- , Instead of making people disappear, they'll make certain losses vanish into thin air with a snap of their fingers. And instead of pulling rabbits out of their hats, they'll amaze fans by pulling victories out of the jaws, throat, esophagus and stomach of defeat Van Horn even performs a act of courage in a routine he . "He's an and he calls "the bottomless pit" an .made play,"'SMU The act takes place in the Stardust coach Mike Dement said regretfully. Casino's buffet where Majerus b eatIt was more than an ing after fasting for a week. Van Horn It was an All World play. It was play. somehow gets, in the way and, well, an idea. great plays, one for the f , , you get the It was one fans can brag about ages. before the But the two join ; Vegas from 20 now when they say, years circuit, they treated the SMU; was there " It was great, it "YeahvT the of one to Mustangs greatest magic was special, it was awesome.' shows of all time-fr- ee of charge. ." It , U With 0:00.3 left in the Horn-Majer- and . all-tim- Utah-SM- : '. Vermont e The day was dominated by skiers from Alaska-Anchorag- lhw - .; v. 1 I e, who took home individual . NCAA titles in both the women's 5K and men's 10K classical events. On the men's side, Frode Lillefjell edged Vermont's Thorodd Bakken by three seconds, winning with a time of 30:45.9. Bakken has only lost three times during his collegiate career. . For the women, Doris Hauslctiner shocked the field, wining with a time of 17:50.. ; j- - . r pa:.;,: I f , - 1 ; V e was-ma- gic first-plac- y (369.5). i-'y- death-defyin- g Utes, Buffs at NCAA Slopes 5 game UV Holds Off t O v I 1 Keith Van Horn has scored a lot of points daring his Ute career, but perhaps none will be more memorable than the two he scored to help Utah avoid an SMU upset .'-V'.'C ; 59-5- 8. . "I'm probably the most unlikely NCAA champion you 11 ever meet" she said. Tor the Utes, the outstanding freshman tandem of Rune and Frode Kollcrud finished fourth (32:07.3) and ninth (32.39.5) respectively. The tandem had placed in the top three in every meet they competed in during the regular sea--' son. . see "Skiing" on page 9 |