| OCR Text |
Show The Salt LakeTribune SPORTS MICE HOCKEY, C-3 MECOLLEGE BASKETBALL, C-4 PREP BASKETBALL, C-5 FRIgaY il WEATHER, C-6 JANUARY29, 1999 Miners Step Past Sluggish Cougars Five UTEPplayers score in double figures against foul-plagued Brigham Young BY JOE BAIRD THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE step slow Thursday and got embarrassed. The Miners shot 56 percent and hit 9-of-19 three-point shots. Five UTEP players scored in double figures, led by EL PASO, Texas — The BYU Cougars points and nearly nine rebounds in conSaid Wesley: “Whenever one of us gets into foul trouble,it’s going to hurt the team. Whenit happensto both of us, it’s a double-whammy.” Just the same, this might have been unavoidable. The Cougarsskipped out of Brandon Wolfram’s 21 points and guard Rico Nelson's 18. madetheir last WAC appearanceat the Don Haskins Center on Thursday night. They won't miss the placeatall. Plagued byfoultrouble and blindsided by Texas-El Paso’s shooting, the Cou- The Cougars’ chances might have been upgraded had forward Silester Rivers victory that sent them to the WACtournament and knocked out UTEP. The less than two minutes into the second fans who were only too happy to run BYU outof the building — perhaps for good. Miners remembered that, and needed no half and eventually fouled out. Rivers finished with four points and two reboundsin 10 minutes; Wesley totaled 11 points and five boards in 27 minutes. “Theylet us bangin thefirst half, then started calling touch fouls in the second,” said Rivers, who was averaging 13 “We didn’t have an answer for them defensively all evening,” said BYU CoachSteve Cleveland. Well, no. The Cougarshaveplayed respectable defense all season, but were a ‘The Miners(12-7, 4-2 WAC) will never be confused with high-scoring Texas Christian. But they got it going early against the Cougars. UTEP hit 16-of-28 first-half shots as center Sharif Fajardo (14 points) dropped in fadeaway jumpersfrom the baseline and Wolfram played garbage collector underneath. BYU (8-10, 3-3) expected trouble from UTEP’s two scoring leaders. The Cougars did not count on Nelson, a nonde- El Pasolast year with a triple-overtime and Mekeli Wesley had been more involved. But each picked uphis third foul gars were blasted 82-72 before 9,021 “We held our composurewell,” said UTEP Coach Don Haskins. “There could be a lot of ugly things out there, but when youstart making your shots, you don't really notice them.” ferenceplay. reminding that BYU would be leaving them behind next year in joining the Mountain West Conference. Just in case, though, fans broke out posters calling the Cougars “traitors” and “WACscabs.”” See COUGARS,Page C-4 Douglas C, Pizac/The Associated Press Jazz forward Karl Malone, right, poses with former sumo wrestler Konishiki during the team’s media day Thursday. It Isn’t Pretty, But Aggies Plow Through Mean Green Retiring? Not Yet, Stockton, BWCteams combine for 28 turnovers in USU’s 92-61 win BY MICHAELC. LEWIS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Hornacek Say “Tt was just one of those nights when we played really hard and things went our way.” LOGAN — TheUtahState Aggies and North Texasbattled Thursday night for possession of the eighth andfinal spotin. the Big West Conference postseason basketball tournament, and the result was a pretty good argument for a six-team BY STEVE LUHM THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Stew Morrill field. Rested, relaxed and free of the physical and emotional pain from Utah State Coach the Jazz’s taxing journey to the NBA The Aggies won 92-61 in the basketball equivalent of a 10-car pileup, in REAR overs and certainly set season-highs in kicked balls, jammed fingers and But they madeonly eight of those in thefirst half — nine, if you count Johnson’s accidental slam — andtrailed by as manyas 25 points. They occasionally shot without even Finals, neither John Stockton nor Jeff Hornacek seems worried about the inevitable. which the teams combined for 28 turnskinned knees. Atone point late in thefirst half, Don- nie Johnson even dunkedfor North Texas. And Johnson is an Aggie. Such sloppiness probably should have been ex- one gameall season, and theyhaveaplayerontheir hitting the rim. Bythe end, UNT simply USU SUMMARY N Fr OR APF TP tanegen 32 22 10 1 1 9 [es i 34 3 0 217 a 3a 4 —Witias 310 r= M4 231024 pected, considering the Mean Green have won but {ii" a Secs roster for whom that victory washis only one in 47 ante ie games since his junior year in high school. Yet the Aggies have fines ‘Totals uransr been so inconsistent in Coach Stew Morrill’s first folle ws, Sil 00 season that they were in jeopardy of falling into a into Alt the Big West Eastern Division standings. That's why Morrill was so pleased a um, tinh 02 Py 2 c io 00 Bi rt) a rd MM tie with the MeanGreenin that his team showed alot 02 0: 1110 a 40 18 2 oo 0000 ue “7 #4 48 ro os Tul always pretty. “Tt was just one of those nights when we played really hard The Ags improved to big enoughfor the Ags to qualify for the ing games are against 1-16 North Texas and 4-13 Nevada. With an offense that more closely re- sembled five guys waiting for a bus, the Mean Green pinned their hopes on a strategy of pressing the Ags after every basket. I'm probably coming back.” said USU’s Pharoah Da- vis, “they just folded.” Asked if this might be the last dance for Stockton or Hornacek, ‘That wasa largepart of the reason the Ags put up longtime such impressive numbers. both need this in their lives right now. I wouldn't be surprised to what happens,this won't be mylast dance.” Combined, Stockton and Horna- cek haveplayed 26 NBAseasons. In- have ever made more cluding the regular playoffs, Stocktonhas shots in an Aggie game without missing — while Tony Brown hit four three-pointers en route to a dozen points. Rick Randall scored a season-high 14 points, and backup cen: Granite Mangled by Bear River Bear River's Natalie Fuhriman, left, fouls Granite’s Angela Strader during the Bears’ 74-45 win Thursday. Fuhrimanscored 11 points for Bear River. Linebacker Tuggle’s Faith in Long-Suffering Falcons Is Finally Rewarded Tuggle had been there through all those losing years with the Atlanta Fal- cons, all those dark seasons outof the playoffs, a franchise losing talent and years. Tuggle endured, and individually flourished. The compact middle line- 4 NHL Hockey New Jersey 2, Boston 0 Nashville 4, Buffalo 2 Carolina 3, N.Y, Rangers 2 (OT) Philadelphia 4, Phoenix 2 Pittsburgh 6, Toronto 0 Chicago 6, Calgary 6 appreciate the moment morethan Tug: gle. “This year has been extra sweet, extra backer is the leading active tackler in the NFL, not that many outside of Atlanta were awareofit At least until this year, this moment, For now against all odds and expecta- tions,the Falconsarein the Super Bowl And when they take the field Sunday against the Denver Broncos, no onewill SCORE.LIN smarter players in theleague.” “Neither one has ever been the kind of guy to I'm going out there and breaking somebody down, Sloan, said “They ve those guys always around longer it’s funny — seem to stay As for their future ability to con tribute, Sloan said, “At this stage they aren't going to be put into the room and a work ethic borne from his father, a tractor trailer driver, and his situation of playing 40 minutes a mother, a factory worker, not only night, But they knowhowto play and earned himaspoton the Atlanta roster they understand the game, That's becomealost art, pretty much.” moreseason. By then he was already earninga reputation as a vicious hitter, He was nicknamed Hammer when a teammatesaid: final year of their contr hill fight. I can appreciatethis now. It's “I've been are now, It didn't comeeasy. It’s an up. just about hanging in there. The square-jawed Tuggle knows all about determined battles. He signed with the Falconsin 1987 as an undrafted. undersized free agent from Valdosta State, an NCAA Division II school in but movedhimintothelineuphis sopho- ‘The Hammer hits ‘em so hard, their mammascanfeelit,” Early on, he was considered an overachie though thatlabel slipped away Georgia. Countless hours in the weight See TUGGLE, Page C-6 Stockton and Hornacek are things being equal, however, Sloan expects them to return, “No oneshould be worrying about See JAZZ, Page C-2 NBA Exhibition Scores A quicklookatkeyfinal results in the world of sports Men's Top 25 NBA Exhibitions Cincinnati 87, Xavier 77 Minnesota 96, Milwaukee 86 Portland 108, Seattle 81 Sacramento 91, Golden State 88 z Coach Jerry always been more here throughall the tough times when the team was down so low, to where we special for me," Tugglesaid. Colorado 6, Anaheim 2 St. Louis 4, Vancouver 2 Arizona 78, Stanford 76 TUPUI 72, SUU 66 WSU 92, Portland State 82 UCLA 69, Washington State 66 Women's Top 25 Tennessee 95. eorgia 79 Men's Big 5 Colorado § UTEP 87, BYU 72 USU 92, ‘ Malone, Stockton “Pullease,” he said. “That's not even an issue, There are no two team-oriented and seemed just too distant. you mat- and Hornacek know howtoplay. defeated team in Big West play at 7-0, Sunday (at Miam!) Hormin- knowing howto play,” and have won eight games in a row — including an upset of No, 12 New Mexico last week, New Mexico State defeated Nevada Thursday in Reno. Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons, 4:48 p.m. (Ch. 13) played almost ters are [avoiding] injuries and According to MIAMI — Maybe he thought this would never happen. In a private moment, perhaps Jessie Tuggle would admit that realistically a Super Bowl season and the 42,000 minutesin 7 games. nacek has played nearly 38,000 utes in 1,091 games. “It di t matter how old are,” said Karl Malone. “What A much tougher test for the Aggies comeson Saturday night, when divisionleading New Mexico State visits the Spectrum, Those Aggies are the only un- SUPER BOWL Keefe year after that, and the year after that.” Laughing, Hornacek said, “I don’t dance — not ever. So, no matter a 18 points on 9-of-9 shooting — only Mike Santos (12) and Bill Floyd (10) BY STEVE DILBECK SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SUN Adam see them back next year, and the ter Dmitri Jorssen added nine. teammate suppressed a grin. “They'll be back,”’ hesaid. “They leadingathalf. Davis led the team with 10-8 overall and 3-4 in the tournament, since three of their remain- really help,” Hornacek said. “Nothing has been decided for sure, but “For whateverreason,” lead of the season (31 league — two games games remaining. That lead should be “I feel good; seven monthsoff can ersalmost without bothering to look. made 9-of-19 three-pointers and won for the 38th time in 39 games when Teas 52.0, Utah Sate 85.6 Shooting — North Texas 4-17 (Wil Tams 26); Utah State9-19(Rolle 27, ries 11, Kanda 22, Brown 49, Steals—NorthTexas7 (Wiams 3), Uah Sate Brown! " ahead of UN'T — with nine after jacking up careless and hopeless three-point- points), shot 63.9 percent, of enthusiasm and aggres- siveness, even if it wasn't gave up, allowing three straight fast-break dunks z They built their biggest 8 o a" Retirement? Stockton, who will be 37 in March, downplays it. Hornacek. who turns 36 in May, has apparently put the notion aside. “I haven't thought about it,” Stockton said Thursday. “I’m just getting ready to play this season. . . At this point, it shouldn't even be a conversation piece.” North Texas 61 te 97 Air Force 32 UCLA 90, W hington 53 N. Carolina 87, Florida State 76 Clemson 55, Maryland 45 Iowa State 79, Nebraska 58 Auburn 71, Mississippi 62 Virginia 81, Wake Forest 50 Alabama 71, LSU 66 UCSB102, Cal State Fullerton 60 Women's Big 5 BYU 64, UTEP 43 Utah 61, New Mexico 50 Portland State 64, WSU 44 SUU 74, TUPUI 61 C3 |
