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Show UNIVERSITY jOURNAL 7. r PACE 6 Thursday, January 12, 2006 EDITOR V ar mm T-Bir- join Centenary as ds By SCOTT MONROE smonroesuujournal.com The Southern Utah womens on the basketball team dropped to in the Mid Continent season, and loss to Conference aftei an Oakland University Monday night. With the win, Oakland improved to overall and in the Mid-CoJunior forward Charmaine Piula led the offense with 14 points, and freshman Anne Westwood added 11 points and six rebounds off tht 7-- 9 0-- 5 82-6- 6-- 9 2-- 2 3 n bench. Nicole Oaklands Piggott and Jayme Wilson were two of three Grizzly players to score in double figures, each scoring 19 points for the Grizzlies. Bonnie Baker added 10 points for Oakland. Darren Vaughan, T' Mid-Con- s rir u 38-35- 2 rH U only winless teams in The Grizzlies took advantage of 25 throws, an area it had struggled with SUU turnovers, scoring 30 points off eaily in the season tile miscues The aie cunenfiy shooting Oakland also won the battle m the 65 percent from the foul line this season. low post, outseormg SUU 38 18 in the paint. The also, outrebounded Oakland Oakland contiolled the , but the Grizzlies game euily. and led by as 11 committed only many as 25 in the first half. turnovers in the contest. From that point, the closest Despite the loss, SUU was margin the 'Buds could get aided from its bench playeis within was lo. SUU giuid Cassic Halil Monday night, as 24 of the WOMENS 63 SUU points were fiom scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds in BASKETBALL the bench the loss. With quality playeis like Westwood, Emily Motherslicd, and Cheryl Grant added eight points and five rebounds foi the Birds. Kristina Peterson, the bench has performed well all season Although SUU struggled in several At press time, SUU and Centenary categories during Mondays game, tlie team hit 86 percent of its free are the only two wfinless teams in 586-199- Mid-Co- 05-0- 6 play. Centenary has lost 12 oonsecuti'. e games tins season, and 25 consecutiv e conference games. Valparaiso and Wcsiein Illinois leinained lie only two Mid-Coteams without a couleicnce loss at press time Despite being winless in couleicnce play. SUU is still filth in oveiall winning percentage out of the nine Mid Con teams. SUU could likely end its six game losing streak when it plays Centenary Monday at r p.m. in Shreveport, La. The team then laces Valparaiso Jan. 21 in Valparaiso, hid The begin a three game home stand Jan. 23 ag mist Western Illinois, arguably the best team in the I Mid Con. Junior forward Julie Stradling goes for a layup in the Jan. 4 loss to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the Centrum Arena. SUU runners move inside, hope to earn league titles By MICHAEL NIELSON mmelsonsuujournal com SUUs indoor track teams will open their seasons Saturday at the Snake River Open in Pocatello, Idaho, where they will face teams from throughout the western Lhiited States Coach Frio Houle said Saturdays meet is comparatively small and will not be scored Track is different from other sports in that it allows people to develop, he said. (At nonscored meets) we can put people in one or two races to help get their feet under them and get them conditioned. Houle said contrary to popular opinion, track is not an individual sport. The ultimate goal is to bring these guys and gals together with optimal physical witii development and then go people as a team, he said. The mens team, which finished second in last years Conference championship, will benefit from experience this year. Eleven of last year's nominees will return to the team, including standout sophomore Jess Baumgartner. Baumgartner is the defending Mid-Cochampion in both the 3,000- - and r 5, runs. However, this year's team runs deeper than Baumgartner. Senior distance runner Chad Sa ikkIj. senior hurdlers Steve Hansen and Ransom M inyard and junior throwers Watson and Gieg Nate Ott will each provide leadetslnp and experience in their respective events. The team has also added freshmen Dallas Eborn, distance runner, Eric Hendricks, sprinter; Wade Nielson, juniper; and Carlos Valle, thrower. Each of these athletes is a high school state champion in Ins respective event. "Tins team speaks well of the kind of allilcte wc arc able to get quality Division athletes." loule said. In the Mid Con prescason coaches' poll, the men weie picked to repeat iheii second place finish, trailing returning champions Oral Roberts by only two points in the poll. The women's team will also return many important athletes this year. The 'Birds will hope for strong performances from senior distance runners Alisha Bennson and Maegan Corry, senior thrower Monica Holmes and spinners Brittany Lee and Kelly Sehoney, a jumoi and a senior, respectively. Sophomore distance runners Taw ny Parks and Jody Welcker will also provide strength for the team. The w omen's team also has plenty of young talent, including Heidi Houle, freshman distance runner; Tiaecc Jones, freshman sprinter; and Meghan Reilly, freshman distance runner The pieseason polls listed the women's finish in the Mid-Coteam with a third-placconfei dice, behind ORL1 and Western Illinois Houle said the women's team may suffer from a lack of depth in the throwing and jumping events. As far as the distance and the sprints are concerned, w e're pretty packed, Erie Houle said. That might be enough to win it and it might not be quite enough. But one thing is for sure: well be in file top three will visit both Pocatello, The Idaho and Flagstaff, Ariz. twice, but will not have a home meet during this year's indoor season. . head-to-hea- d n 000-mete- SUU mens basketball coach Bill Evans speaks to his team in a timeout during the Jan. 4 loss to the Golden Eagles in the Centrum Arena. SUU beat Oakland Monday night first-ha- lf for its first win on the road this season. The Birds will travel to Shreveport, La. on Saturday to play the Centenary Gentlemen, who have yet to win a conference game. Birds gain first road win with 76-7- 3 By DARREN VAUGHAN dvaughansuujournal.com The SUU mens basketball team looked as though it wouldnt win a game in an arena other than the its own all season. Of course, the Oakland Golden are Grizzlies what wondering who couldnt happened to the win a game on the road. Junior Henry Uhegwu had a career-hig22 points and senior Lubor Olsovsky had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Birds to their first road victory of the season, as SUU held off the defending Conference tournament champions, Monday night in h 76-7- Rochester, Mich. The victory improved the record to overall, but, more 3 importantly, it evened their Mid-Corecord at Meanwhile, the Golden in conference Grizzlies dropped to 2-- play and 0 overall. the game 11 seconds into file second went on an 11 0 run half, the 3.41. the next during SUU coni nned to keep the Grizzlies at bay, taking its biggest lead at 73 5h with 0.15 to play in the game The Grizzlies were far from done, as they went on a 17 2 run to close the gap to 75 73 whli less than one minute left to play in the i The game was a nip and tuck affair through the first part of the first half, with Oakland lead with holding a 8 43 left before halftime. Southern Utah gradually started to pull away, taking the lead for the final time 6:09 to play in the first game. half after a After a missed free throw MENS by senior Rand Janes. BASKETBALL by Olsovsky, OU had a pair led by as many The of opportunities to tie at o as seven points, but the Grizzlies in file waning seconds of the game, were able to close file gap to 45-4but were unable to convert on either by ' halftime. to attempt, allowing the However, the game did not stay escape with the victory. close. Junior center Fernando Bonfim After Rick Billings hit a layup to tie provided 13 points off file bench for 25-2- 3 triumph Southern Utah, which shot nearly 5o pci cent tun the field Billings led OU with 19 points, while fellow guaid Calvin Wooten added 16 points and fonvaids Vova Severov as and Derick Nelson had 14 and 12 points, respectively. SUUs 2 2 league record currently puts it in tilth place in file confeience standings, one game behind prescason favorite Oral Roberts, and Valpaiaiso, which beat ORU by 20 points Monday night in Valparaiso, Ind. Oakland slipped to seventh place, just one game ahead of wmless Centenary and Chicago State. The will continue their Mid-Coschedule Saturday night in Shreveport, La against the Centenary Gentlemen The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and can be heard on 1 n , Power 91. 1 e n |