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Show Jazz in Another Blowout Lex Hemphill hunc Sports W liter L)S ANGELES They should Use oiu- of lif rides here ut diul rename il the Jd zz Joyride Granted. thf NBA schedule is designed lor results like this, hut rarely has a team dune what the Jjzz did this week - lose by 46. w in by 27 and lose by 34 all in the course u! loo B T I roller-coaste- 'SIX games in eight days takes its loll said the lojcii It a wtek ago ou had said to me we d win three of llie six games and beat Houston and Dallas and San Antonio. I d have said. Ureal And Frank did say. 'Great. to the opposing coach for the second time in fou- - nights One thing about these routs, they're a great formal lor Layden to openly demonstrate his magnanimity in front of the lew fans remaining. as he left his own bench before the final buzzer to congratulate Don Chaney, just as he had done to John Bach in Oakland. Those beleaguered guys ought to be leaving their benches to gladhand Frank because their teams never looked better all year than they did against the Jazz While the Warriors had the second widest margin of victory in their history on Wednesday. the Clippers' win Saturday was their largest since moving West. The last time they beat a team by more than 34 was eight years and two cities ago, when thev were the Buffalo Braves The Clippers had a mere seven-poin- t lead Jjz i DiMn-xIun- r hours The latest of the two losses was Saturday beating administered by the Los night's Angeles Clippers, w ho started the night as the worst team in the West. The team that did the 46 point damage to the Jazz three nights earlier. of course, is the team that's fighting the Clippers for the Western basement, the Gold-eState Warriors 131-9- Consistency was obviously not something the Jazz packed for their stretch of six games in the last eight nights, their most demanding of the season. But then again, these embarrassments only count as one loss each That's how Frank Layden looks at them This Time, Clippers Win Bi toO at halftime but they pulverized the Jazz in Two players who apthe second half. peared to be flawed Top 10 draft choices guard Lancaster Gordon and center Benoit came up with their best games Benjamin of the year for the Clippers, giving the franchise hope that maybe they didn t blow the was silk enough to miss the Clippers mom mg workout Saturday and then made the Jazz ill at night 67-4- ' -- - ke try to focus on eveiy game individual said Chaney, again discounting a get even motive "And well forget about tins game to morrow ." ly, last two drafts after all Benjamin hud 13 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-higsix blocked shots for the Clippers, 22 points on while Gordon had a season-higshooting The Jazz had a right to be surprised, since neither of these two players were really in the Clipper picture the last time the teams played on Dec. 7. when the Jazz won by 40. Chaney and veteran Cedric Maxwell, the 24 Clippers7 high scorer with a Dantley-likpoints (14 for 15 from the line), both downplayed the revenge motive as a factor in this game. Of course, there have been a lot of othsix er Clipper losses since that weeks ago. "I don't think it was as much of a factor as everybody thought it was," said Maxwell, who e Too bad. because it was probably the Clippers' most memorable game of the season Besides the exploits of Benjamin. Gordon, and Maxw ell, five other Clippers scored in double figures, as the team hit its season-higpoint total Funny, that's the same thing the Warriors did Wednesday too "This game and the Golden State game are not indicative of w ho we are," protested Lay-de"1 think the game last night was more indicative " The Jazz were still in Saturday 's game at But they halftime, w hen they trailed by just never defensed the Clippers all night, and in the second half their fatigue stopped them from matching baskets at the other end 64-5- jialt akr tribune I D Sunday Morning January 19, 19K6 Page i (mil But then the Jazz are hardly a great to mi They weren't even a mediocre one Saturdav night GAME NOTES The Clippers did not e en dress their leading scorer. Marques Johnson who was out with a contusion ol the right quadrieep It was the second night in a row that the Jazz played a team that was munis its leading scorer, they beat Dallas without Mark Aguirre Fnduy night vhiiI Call I .I.") I I oral i ' nr Iteennlerl Seme I Section I !u Jazz I; ad lii- g " id vi Iti I, hi the g inn that coming in the fust 2 39 of the scouid tpiai ter w hen tliev blitzed the Clippers 14 il to take a 40 3; lead after trailing at the ipiaMei by 3a 26 But then the Jazz, allowed the Clip pels to score almost at w ill 14 ol t he next In possession'. i, and L A assumed command to: good It was obvious the team looked tired to night, plus, they played well," said Bob Ban sen "It is kind of strange to get beat by 4u win by 30, and get beat by 311 The gre.it teams, it doesn't happen to S'uu don't see she Lakers up and down like that " I ii I ni in.it inn LMT-LMI- S.'lT-LMll- 1 Ute Turkeys Fall to Wyoming Utah State Mauls San Jose By Steve Luhm Tribune Sports Writer The Chicken LARAMIE, Wyo. was here Saturday. But Utah laid the first-hal- f egg. As a result, Wyoming built a lead at halftime and coasted to an Western Athletic Confereasy ence victory over the 41-2- 4 94-7- 9 Special to The Tribune A week off can do wonLOGAN ders for a battered basketball team's psyche. Just ask the Utah State Aggies, With a seven-dalayoff behind loss to them following a dismal Jerry Pimms Santa Barbara Gau-choit was a thoroughly rejuvenated Aggie team that overwhelmed San Jose State here Saturday night before 7,388 Spectrum fans. "Well, I think we've proven to be a pretty good basketball team when weve had some time to prepare." analyzed Aggie coach Rod Tueller, who noted that his team's best performances have come when they've had several days to get ready. Conversely, USUs worst nights this season (such as last Saturdays loss to the Gauchos) have come when that time hasn't been there, and "I just think that kind of says something about our inexperience." the Utah State coach added. Tueller didnt rely entirely on the seven-da- y layoff to get his team going in the right direction again though. He also shuffled the Aggie starting lineup just before game time, bringing in Bill Floyd. Nathan Grant and freshman Gilbert Peete off the bench for this one, while leaving in forward Greg Grant and guard Kevin Nixon. "We wanted a little experience and a little new blood out there," said Tueller of his new lineup. "1 was looking for some intensity and quickness, and I thought they came through very well. All of them." Indeed, Greg Grant was his old, dominating self with a night. But it was Peete, a Oakland native, who really came through for USU, scoring 16 points and crashing the boards for 10 more rebounds. "It really worked all the way down the line for us," said Tueller of his lineup change. And indeed, the USU coach seemed to get solid contributions out of just about everyone even guys like demoted starter Dan (Jonway, who responded with 10 points and eight boards. It also worked very quickly for the Aggies, as they galloped off to a 13-lead five minutes into the contest and went into the lockcroom at intermis- - g Utes. 7 y 1 66-5- 2 11-- 6 3 80-6- 7 t, 6-- 7 3 sion up With 44-3- forward Ricky Berry tak- ing charge, the Spartans made a serious run at the Aggies midway through the second half. , Down Berry swapped hoops with Grant for three possessions. See Column I !)-!- For Utah, the turkey-lik- e first half made things easy for the Cowboys, who upped their record to overall in the WAC. and The Utes. meanwhile, lost for the 11th time in the last 13 games against overall Wyoming and dropped to in the conference. and "Ugly," Ute Coach Lynn Archibald said. "It was real ugly, especially in he first half. We just got away from we our game plan a little bit weren't patient, we didn't go inside and we took some hurried shots -and we got out of our rhythm." on the other hand, Wyoming, played "our best half of the year," to Coach Jim according Brandenburg. And the numbers tell why. The Cowboys hit 67 percent from the floor in the opening half, while the Utes connected on just 32 percent. To make matters worse for Utah, nobody could score over the Wyoming zone defense. At intermission, Utah's top three guards Manny Hendrix, Gale Gonwere a drezick and Kelvin Upshaw combined Conversely, Wyoming was on fire Fennis Dembo came off the bench and scored 15 points on shooting as the Cowboys built leads as before halftime. ) large as 19 "Utah opened in a zone and did a good job defending inside, Brandenburg noted. "But then Dembo came in a knocked down three or four in a row. That got us started." And once the Cowboys got started, Utah couldn't stop them. For Wyoming, Turk Boyd finished with 24 points in just 27 minutes while Dembo ended up with 21. Les Bolden added 19 as the Cowboys beat Utah for the seventh straight time in Laramie. As a team, Wyoming ended up hitfrom the field. Thats a ting sizzling 66 percent, and the Cowboys became only the third team this year to shoot better than 50 percent against the Utes. "Hey," Brandenburg said. "Utah is a good basketball team. I thought we just got the hot hand today. Maybe it was just our afternoon. I dont think this is a true measure of the parity of these two teams." Tribune Staff Photo bv Al Hartmann Joses Ricky Berry nearly gets shot blocked by Greg Grant. Aggies got back on winning track Saturday night. San Weber Stumbles Again By Hay Herbal Tribune Sports Writer 0 12-- 4 95-7- 8 95-6- bage time. Farmer, who was in a state of loss shock following Weber's in Missoula Friday night in losing to Montana, apparently is beginning to adjust to the trials of the road in the full-cou- rt Big Sky. "I guess, "said the new Wildcat couch, "I'm gonna have to give this team a fun pill before out games. We've played very tentatively this weekend. We need to regain that burning desire which has been lacking lately. We are not getting the rebound or diving for the lose ball. The team seems too tight " Cougar Nightmare Ends at Air Force (37-18- Whatever the case, Weber State's once proud 10-- record has disintelog. The Wildcats grated to a have lost four of their last six. And it was blistering shooting again by a Montana team which turned the 'Cats in. Montana State hit 40 of 59 68 percent of its floor shots and made 14 of 15 from the charity stripe. factor in Quickness was the this one. Guards Tony Hampton and Ray Willis simply blazed past Weber State. "Their quickness really hurt us." offered Farmer. "We like to press but often those two guards would blow right past us, so we decided to call that off and play straight man defense." The Bobcats never looked back aflead. MSU ter Weber took a scored seven straight points to get the lead and it was never close after that. Hampton, who had just four points at halftime, finished with a game-hig20. Krai Ferch added 18, while Tom Weber State BOZFMAN, Mont. Coach Larry Farmer is finding out that life on the road in the Big Sky is not much fun. For the second night in succession, his Wildcats got their tails bent, this time by Montana State as the Bobcats here Saturday ripped Weber night. And the game was not as close as the final spread might indicate. Montana State led by 26. during the final two minutes of gar- United Press Internutionoi Wyomings Eric Leckner (right) and Fennis Dembo (below) wrap up Utahs Gale Gondrezick in Saturdays WAC affair. 14-1- 0 h Donako had 15. The Wildcats were led by Darryle See I)-Column Maybe not. But the Utes certainly didn't pluv well. And COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -Like a bad dream. BYU remembered Air Force. Coach Ladell Andersen didn't need to remind the Cougars what transpired on March 4, 1985. Andersen didn't need to review the gloomy details of Air Force Academy's stunning conquest of the Cougars that eliminated BYU from the WAC 82-7- 9 basketball post-seaso- n (48-24)- See , Column 1 I did it in spades." revealed the Cougar coach after In I connected on eight critical free throws in the closing 1:35 to cement its fifth consecutive victory and assume a prominent position in the WAC standings at third-yea- r tournament last March. But for the benefit of those who might have missed one of Brigham momost embarrassing Young's ments last March, Andersen offered a little summation prior to the Cougars first opportunity to avenge said surprise Saturday evening at Cadet Fieldhouse. BYU got the message loud and clear, responding with its finest shooting evening of 1986 to gun down Air Force before 3,600 witness65-5- 7 They fell behind by as many as 24 , and early in the second half 1 By Roger Graves Tribune Sports Writer es. "I don t think 1 had to remind anybody about that, but I did anyway. "What happened last year was in our minds a little bit, because it's a bitter memory for the three or four ol us who were on that team," disclosed BYU guard Richie Webb, who collected 12 points, handed out a game-higfree five assists, and swished throws in the final 24 seconds to ice the triumph. It wasn't like we came out with a real vengeance or any" thing, but we remembered h Sophomore jumping-jac- Jell k Chatman remembered with a game-hig18 points and six rebounds. Junior Bob Capener remembered with 11 points, and the Cougars collectively remembered with 63 2 percent accuracy from the floor in the first hall and 57.5 percent marksmanship for the game. That represents BYU s sec shooting percentage of h See D-- Column 1 Drugs Took Grosscup Down Before He Crawled Up Out of II How serious is this drug problem that the NCAA recognized by voting drug testing for participants in bowl games and tournaments'. Lee Grosscup, Utah's quarterback of 1957, an NI L veteran and a television analyst, can provide the answer, first hand. Vince Dooley, the Georgia football couch and ath- letic director, estimates 50 percent of the athletes tried drugs and 15 percent may be regular drug users But these are estimates. Grosscup olfers himself as Lee Grosscup Exhibit A for the prosecution. Lee will address the Ute football awards banquet Monday night at the Hilton. Drugs and alcohol and their effect on Grosscup will he his primary topic. "Cocaine use is a real epidemic and the drug is very harmful." lie began "1 only tried it once and didn't like it, but I was into marijuana and pills, along with alcohol. Changing alcohol (or drugs is like changing seats on Hie Titanic." Grosscup will celebrate Ins 15th "birthday" lies been "clean" that long, free from drugs, pills and booe in March lucky. But if you drink and have problems, you need help" Grosscup combined booze and drugs, barbiturates and amphetamines, in those days on the Fast Track, but his recovery has been effect booze and pills "After four football take a leave from my At times I wanted to even made a couple of amateur attempts at suicide. realized 1 was an egomaniac with an inferiority complex. "It was so hud I had the DT's from booze and psychosis from drugs and had to be strapped in bed at times "Let me tell you the had on me," he began. games in 1971), I hud to ABC broadcasting job drink myself to death. I 1 "I kept a pill by my alarm clock amt popped first thing in the morning to cure my hangovers. That would get me by until noon and I drank my lunch In the afternoon, it was more pills and booze, to lift me up and then calm me down it wasn't the meeting told me getting answer to anything, that if I d give the therapy 90 days I'd be cured, or I'd have saved enough money to go on an drunk," Grosscup laughed half-drun- "On March 12, 1971, went on a bender to end all benders. I had gone to the mountains with a lady friend to celebrate a birthday. I awoke with a terrible hangover and was scared I had the physical shakes but I had u terror inside. I knew I either had to change my way of life or die. Hart of me wanted to die, but something made me want tu live The man they called "The Man with the Golden Arm" when he was setting passing records for Jack Curtice and Utah can look back at those frightening days and laugh And Grosscup doesn't consider himself a reformer "I saw an advertisement fur a meeting of a well known therapy group that prefers to remain anonymous. Thai turned my life around, hut not immediately. "I still needed a few glasses of w ine before attending the meetings An oldtmier at the "If anyone wants to talk to me about Ins problems, I'll listen and maybe go to a meet mg w ith him But I'm no reformer and a person wlio wants to quit must fight his ow n battles can't help him do that. Some people can drink and have no problem and they are I 1 1 .audits Now complete. "1 can tell people my story and how I was cured, but the truth is, there is no quick fix," lie warned. 'For years, I believed those who said grass' marijuana was no more than a mild know better now, I know that intoxicant physical and mental damage it can cause. 1 learned the hard way. People who experiment with drugs or booze may not be as lucky as I was, 1 didn't land in the gutter, because I still had money, but I gut as close to the gutter as one could, without falling. "Ami may have been lucky. I could have been a suicide victim. Once I waded into the I bay and thought could swim to China. Another time I wound up in jail, handcuffed, and it s a slunk to see the bracelets on these All Amei tea wrists. "I know why people experiment with drugs because I had the same reason, the search lor i spi n something different, a new high.' enced all those feelings and can say truthfully the high' I've experienced in the last 15 years of being my own man and master surpasses 1 1 1 t any thrill booze or drugs provided "When you gamble with drugs or booze, the stakes are high and the otlds are heavily against you. And we haven't seen the cltect-- , the long-timdamage, these drugs will haw on users. It may be years before all the dam age may be assessed. "In my case, 1 was lucky to have saved myself in time. Others who' follow the Lane may not be so fortunate," lie warned Dooley, who realized the seriousness ol itu drug problem on his squad when one of his plavers was having a bad "trip" in the hall the night before a game, figures the drug testing will have a beneficial effect in removing "peer pressure." "Players get with other students or boost cts and someone suggests a snort or a join! and they try it because they fear their IricmK will laugh at them Now, with the testing, tlu-have an excuse for resisting the temptations.' Dooley predicted I only wish every high school and college student mold hear the story of booe and wumci drugs first hand from a like Lee Gtosscup loser-turne- ;tl ion ( W nnl We'll be in Tahiti next week hut the onl gleam in my eye will he the sun rcllectmg oil my trifocal glasses. I |
