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Show --!THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2000 PAGE 13 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL SPORTS Slow start hurts cagers BY JASEN ASAY JOURNAL SPORTS EDITOR After a bad start. SUU's men's basketball team fought back for the rest of the game, but never caught up to UMKC Tuesday night losing, 79-70. "I'm disappointed.that we lost, and I'm disappointed how-we started the' game; said SUU Head Coach Bill Evans. "But not how we finished the game.· The Thunderbirds (6-9, 2-3 Mid-Con) started out slowly, trailing the Kangaroos (9-6, 4-0 Mid-Con) 10-2 early in the game, then 22-4 after seven minutes of play. At halftime, SUU w;Js down 42-26. The team also didn't shoot a free throw the entire first half. "That's lack of aggression on our part," said Evans during a halftime interview. ·we need to be more aggressive.· The 'Birds were more aggressive and opened the second half with a 5-0 run, only to answered by 15-4 run by the Kangaroos. With just over nine minutes left in the game, the SUU was down 61-37. But the 'Birds fought back, pulling to within just seven points with seconds to play.. "If we wouldn't have dug ourselves into such a deep hole, it would have been a different game," said Evans. SUU outscored UMKC 44-37 in the second half and shot 13-18 from the free-throw line. Most of the come-back was done w ith the team's regular starters on the bench , who according to Evans, weren't playing as hard as they should have. "You have to play this game extremely hard to be successful," said Evans. · some of my guys didn't do that tonight. · Evans said that he was proud of his young guys for stepping up and getting the team back in the game. Justin Sant, who fouled out with 12.9 seconds left, led the 'Birds with 13 points and five rebounds. Fred House added 12 points in the 17 minutes he played. House, who is a fan-favorite because of his spectacular finishes, completed a three-point play when he was fouled on a layup. House beat two defenders on tbe dribble by spinning between them, then leaped in the air and switched the ball to his right hand while being fouled, and shot the ball off the backboard on his way down to the floor. Will Palmer led the way for the 'Roos with 21 points, and UMKC star Michael Jackson scored 13 before fouling out with 3:14 left in the game. B.J. Chandler saw his first action since the end of November, when he was sidelined with a stress fracture in his foot. Chandler, who played five minutes, was thrown out of the game with 1:57 left when he and Kangaroo Myron Brown were called for double flagrant fouls. Chandler went up for a rebound, and the ball was knocked away by Brown, who banged into Chandler. The two players fell to the floor, and Brown's hand slapped across Chandler's face. While the two were on the ground, Chandler tried to push-off Brown in order to get up. Brown kicked both feet at Chandler and missed. "B.J. controlled his emotions and did not retaliate," said Evans. "It was a very bad call. There is no excuse for what the officials did." The team won't play again until Jan. 20 when it will host Western Illinois. "I really think that my guys will learn from this," said Evans. Lady T-Birds travel to UMKC ,,.. The duo of juniors Kaycee Kapels and Lauren Powers Fresh off a huge conference win on Saturday, the are the only two Kangaroos averaging double figures. women's basketball team is on the road Saturday at Kapels, a preseason first team all-Conference selection, 1 p.m. (MST) to face the UMKC Kangaroos (7-8, 2-2 leads the way with a 15.3 ppg average, including a 16.0 · Mid-Con). The Thunderbirds (6-8, 1-3 Mid-Con), ranked clip in Mid-Con games. Kapels had 19 points in the loss seventh in the conference. are looking to get back in the to Valpo. Powers is next at 14.3 ppg; 15.5 ppg in the race for the league title. conference. Powers also leads the team in rebounding SUU holds a 3-2 series edge over the Kangaroos, with with a 7.5 rpg average. Powers the road team winning the past two scored a career-high 20 points in the meetings. The Kangaroos handed the loss at WIU last Saturday. The duo 'Birds their lone conference loss at has led or co-led the•team in scoring home last year 73-67. Last year when in all of UMKC's 15 games this year. the 'Birds traveled to UMKC, they Thunderbird Megan Lofthouse returned the favor and came away was named the IHC Health Plans with a 74-60 win. Player of the Week for her efforts "It's tough to play road games, against VU and IUPUI. Lofthouse especially in our conference," said averaged 18.0 points and 7.0 SUU Head Coach Joe Hillock. "We're rebounds and led SUU to a 1-1 spread all over the country." Last week, the 'Roos went 1-2. record in games last week. Lofthouse scored a game-high 22 They beat Chicago State 56-25, but points in the 'Birds' 74-65 loss to lost by one point to Valparaiso 66-65 Valparaiso Thursday. She and tt> Western Illinois 80-65. After connected on eight-of-13 shots, starting out the season at 5-2, UMKC including her first six attempts - two has lost six of its last eight games. "[UMKCJ is the biggest team in the of which were treys. She also had __, four rebounds, one assist and one Mid-Con,· said Hillock. "We're going ~ steal in 35 minutes. In SUU's 72-64 to have to use our bench against win over IUPUI Saturday, Lofthouse them." 3 recorded her second double-double The Kangaroos have three starters ~ of the season with 14 points and a standing at 6-4, 6-4, and 6-2, and ~ game-high 10 rebounds, five of reserves at 6-4 and 6-2. Hillock says :::; which were offensive boards. She that his team plans on increasing the tempo of the game, and trying to ~ also dished out four assists, blocked The Lady T-Bin.... ds-'""-w-'ill;;;.l;;;;.oo"""k-fi-o-r-6-4__..... - . two shots and made two steals in 33 keep UMKC spread out and away from the basket. forwarq Sarah Pratt to keep pulling in minutes. Hillock also says that SUU will need the rebounds as the face the league's. Lofthouse leads the team in to continue its rebounding tallest team on Saturday. scoring with a 14.6 ppg average, while ranking second in rebounding dominance. The 'Birds have outrebounded their opponents in 11-of-14 games this at 6.1 rpg. Those numbers also rank her seventh and season, but are only 6-5 in doing so. The 'Birds are 10th, respectively, in the Mid-Con. Lofthouse has led the 'Birds in scoring in seven of 14 games, including three of currently first in the Mid-Con and fifth inJtie nation in rebounding margin at +10.8 rpg. Sarah F'ratt leads the the last five contests. After the game, SUU will return home to start a fourleague in rebounding, grabbing an average of 10 per game Mid-Con _homestead to close January. game. g it...- Indoor track starts Saturday BY TYLER JOHNSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER SUU's indoor track and field team will begin a season that, according to Coach Eric Houle, is expected to be just as successful as the season the cross country team experienced. The team will compete in Pocatello, Idaho, at the Snake River meet on Saturday. Because this meet is the first of the season and will not be scored, Houle said he is going to tell his teams not to over do it. "We're not going out to necessarily beat anybody because that can't be the focus at this point," said Houle. He said he would like to see where his team's talents are and what improvements will need to be made for future meets. Houle said this year's teams are the best assembled teams than have ever been assembled at the suu track and field program. Houle said he believes his men can win the conference championships to be held in February. If the men do come out with the win, it will be the first time in the history of SUU that any men's indoor track and field team will have won the conference championships. That would just add to Houle's already incredible year. Houle said there are a lot of excellent competitors on this year's team. Curtis Moore is one of the top 3,000 meter runners in the country and Zak.James is among the top 5,000 meter runners in the country. Houle said he believes both James and Moore have an excellent shot at natjonally qualifying. Houle also said he has high expectations for the women. He said he believes they can finish in the top three at the conference championships. Unlike the men, the women won the conference championship the first year indoor track and field was implemented at SUU. "We know what we're capable of; now let's see how close we are,· said Houle. ' I . |