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Show MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2000 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL SPORTS Lady T-Birds win fourth straight BY JERAD CIARUS JOURNAL STAFF WRITER Attention'! Attention!! Due to a four-game winning streak. SUU has changed its mascot from the Thunderbird to butter, because the women's basketball team is on a roll. Well, the mascot hasn't changed, but the Lady 'Birds swept their games this weekend with a 68-60 win over Mid-Con leader Western Illinois on Thursday night and followed that up with a crushing of Chicago State 92-52 on Saturday night. SUU improved to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in the Mid-Con. SUU Head Coach Hillock credits this winning streak to the team's hard play and its many hours of shooting. The game against Chicago State ended with Sally Johnson setting the school record of 14 assists fdr one game. ..., "Coach called a timeout and informed us that I was two assists away from the record and the team rallied around . 5 me and made shots." said Johnson after her record ~ breaking performance. ~ Johnson also had her first-career double-double by --fr adding 11 points. She also grabbed six rebounds and ___.- --~ ~~ ~ had three steals. <:-:-----::-"'-' · _ .._"* __.,._______________JS Megan Lofthouse and Lindsay Hille led the team with Megan Lofthouse showed why she is the team 's 20 and 16, points respectively. Chicago State dropped fo leading scorer by putting up 20 points against Chicago 0-17 with the loss and as all the fans and players State and 18 points against Western Illinois. witnessed, staged the highlight of the weekend as Kym .- i Cagers .e ~joying homestand 7.7 seconds left as the fans screamed and the band played the victory song. Chandler proved to be a vital part in the "It's hard on the other team because they 'Birds victory, pulling in four offensive think they have a rebound and Fred comes in · rebounds in the and makes the final five minutes. play," said "I think the Monaco. turnaround was House B.J. and his finished with 13 offensive points, five rebounds." said rebounds and Monaco. three steals. Chandler's Players feed rebounds kept off of the the ball away energy of their from the teammates. Leathernecks, "When but gave the someone 'Birds second makes a big chances to play, everyone score. steps up,· said Hancock led all House. scorers with 21 After House's points, including monster dunk, an exciting 12the 'Birds took foot baseline off and never jumper as the looked back. buzzer sounded, Others dtd ending the first step up and half. extended the Monaco added 'Birds' lead. 17 points, and Hancock kept ..., dished out eight the momentum < . going during ~assists. 5 By winning the run by ~ these two hitting one of his three threegames, the team ~ has.earned new pointers the ?z confidence. next time the Thunderbirds ~ · we know we can play with any brought the All Chicago State's Jermaine Hicks and Jason team in the ball down the Wesenberg can do is stand and admire Fred House, as conference," said court. he dunks the ball after receiving Jeff Monaco's pass. Hancock. Justin Sant SUU continues its homestand by hosting also hit from long-range with 3:30 left, putting UMKC Thursday at 7:35 p.m., and Oral SUU up 64-56. Roberts Saturday at 7:35 p.m. Then Monaco beat his man and hit a SUU lost a tough game at UMKC 70-79 12-foot jumper to put the 'Birds up 70-56. earlier this month, and has yet to play Oral Sant fin ally ended it for the Cougars by Roberts this season. hitting a three-pointer from th~ left comer with (continued from page 1) 9 Westwood played "shoeless." Westwood lost her left shoe and was forced to play at least 15 seconds without it. The Lady T-Birds shot a season-high 50 percent from the field and broke a school record with 13 three-pointers in the game. Another noteworthy event was that every Lady T-Bird who dressed to play scored. SUU once again showed why they are in the top five rebound-margin teams in the NCAA as they out rebounded Chicago State 54-28. The game against Western Illinois was a tough battle, but the Lady 'Birds continued their domination of the boards by out-rebounding the Westwinders 45 to.28. Lofthouse and Hille again led the team with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Hille came up big making seven of her eight free throw attempts in the final 2:30 of the game. We stuck with our game plan and used dribble penetration to open up shots for us." said Hillock. "We were mentally tough and ready for this game.· Ali Gressman played a huge role as well, as she held WIU leading scorer Rhonda Gondringer, to 12 points on 4-20 shooting. To sum up the weekend the Lady 'Birds outscored their opponents 160-112 and out reounded them 99- 56. SUU will next host Mid-Con foes UMKC and Oral Roberts on Jan. 27 and 29 respectively. Both games are set for 5: 15 p,m. Determination is important to Garr issue for her: she just wanted to improve. Garr worked hard and eventually became strong enough to earn a Stephanie Garr came to SUU last scholarship. year as just an average pole vaulter. "She went from an average pole But because of her determination, vaulter that possibly didn't have the said track and field coach Eric ability to compete at the division l::ioule, she has become one of level to a SUU's top definitely athletes. division one Garr said she caliber athlete,· began her track said Houle. and field career Houle said he in ninth grade. expects her to She began as a eventually high-jumper become a even though she conference wanted to be a champion. pole vaulter. Her According to high school Houle, Garr has coach told her sustained a she could not ..., height of 1-0.5' participate in the ~ The nation's pole vault record is just because she 1il over 15'. was female and ~ Already this he didn't want i3 year, Houle her to be injured. said, she has hit Garr's ~ the 1O' mark. determination "The door's showed through Stephanie Garr flies over the bar wide open for and she was during one of last year's track meets. her to eventually accomplish just about anything , allowed to participate in the poleincluding being one of the top pole vault event. vaulters in the country." said Houle. After graduating from high school. "I'm a determine& person. When I Garr said she decideci to attend SUU because of its biology program . have a goal . I work at it until I get better." Garr said. She said she later found out a.bout After graduation, Garr said she the excellent track program at SU.U. wants to go into medical school. She Houle did not offer her a scholarship said she plans to continue running, if at first because he said she was just not on a team, just to keep in shape an average competitor. However, and have fun. Houle said money was never an BY TYLER JOHNSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER g i ' I. |