Show Page 16 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday August 30 1998 Comets even series Nebraska bashes Louisiana Tech Cooper sparks comeback with 27 points HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston with a minute to go to tie it Comets were down 12 points late in the game and saw their hopes of repeating as WNBA champions fading They refused to fold “We just said that they just had given us their best shot" Cynthia Cooper said after she led the Comets from the doubleovertime victory digit deficit to a 74-6- 9 over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday to even the best-of-- 3 WNBA Finals Cooper the WNBA’s MVP in both its seasons had 27 points six assists and three steals Her four points in overtime accounted for half of the Comets’ total "Overtime showed what we were made of” Cooper said “It showed we wanted it more than Phoenix” “I think the only people who believed we would pull this out was ourselves and the fans” added Sheryl Swoopes who finished with 14 points — including the other four in overtime — and 13 rebounds The victory set up a final game Tuesday night in Houston “Now both of us are under pressure" Cooper said “Let’s see how they react” Cooper who struggled most of the game had 10 points in the late rally including a with 1:25 to go in regulation that gave the Comets a 66-6- 4 lead Kristi Harrowcr who finished with 12 points for the Mercury hit a jumper 66-6- 6 and both teams then missed chances to win in regulation “Houston did a very good job on getting back into the ballgame” Mercury coach Cheryl Miller said “Obviously we didn’t play well down the stretch plain and simple “We didn’t handle the pressure" Michele Timms led the Mercury with 21 points but was held scoreless in the overtime "What you saw tonight is why Cynthia Cooper is MVP" Timms said “She’s like a panther that studies her prey and then she just pounces on you She waited until her team needed her” In the overtime Cooper charged down the court after a turnover by Jennifer Gillom and her layup with 3:19 left in overtime gave the Comets a 68-6- 6 lead Neb (AP) — As far as coaching debuts go Nebraska’s Frank Sdich chose to LINCOLN look at the bottom line “The only thing I was interested in was the win" the relieved Solicit said Saturday after No 4 Nebraska outmusclcd Louisiana in the Eddie RobinTech 56-2- 7 son Classic despite an NCAA-treor- d 405 yards receiving by the Bulldogs’ Troy Edwards “That was a tremendous amount of yards but that’s the wav' it goes’’ Solich said “There’s no question we've got work to do but for a first ball-ga'it’s OK We'll take it the way it came' nnig c Comhusaen who extended their The Mercury who led most of the game scored only three points in the overtime on a free throw and by Gillom who finished with eight points Gillom’s basket cut Houston's lead to 70-6- 9 with 2:31 left but Swoopes made a and the Comets held Phoenix scoreless the rest of the way “In a span of 35 years I’ve been involved in a lot of comebacks but never of this magnitude" Comets coach Van Chancellor said Timms’ three-poiplay with 7:24 to go ot AP photo The Houston Comets’ Cynthia Cooper (14) elevates tor a shot against the Phoenix Mercury's Jemmifer Gillum during the Comets’ overtime win In the WNBA Finals in regulation gave Phoenix its largest lead of the But the Comets then outscorcd Phoenix game 62-5- 0 16-- 4 — including a 13-- 0 run — to send the game into overtime “I think what we started to do was try to protect the lead instead of play basketball” Timms said nt home win streak to 43 straight and the nation' longest major-colleg-e winning streak to 15 games “It wasn't the prettiest” fullback Joel Makovkka said “but a win is a win” Behind the efficient quarter-backin- g of Bobby Newcombe making a debut of his own the Huskers rolled to a 35-- 6 lead as the sophomore passed for one touchdown and ran for two But then the Urn show took over as the duo established nuiqerous records against Nebraska which won or shared national titles in three of the last four years of Tom Osborne’s reign Edwards caught TD puses of 94 80 and 52 yards and finished with 21 catches — thrte short of Jerry Rice’s NCAA mark of 24 set in 1983 ds Rattay-to-Edwar- Labor dispute jeopardizes NBA streak NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA holding a consecutive games record that would make Cal Ripken envious looks ready to sacrifice the streak The league’s perfect record of never having lost a game to labor strife — that’s 35001 in a row or 13 12 times Ripken's total — went into serious peril last week when chances dimmed for a resumption of collective bargaining talks before the scheduled opening of training camps “At some point you have to elect to deal with the lesser of two evils and I think we’ve concluded that to once again make a bad economic deal is even worse owners that what’ll flow from losing games” deputy commissioner lost Russ Granik told The Associated Press strongly indicating that the league-imposlockout will last into the fail and perhaps the winter ed "What’s changed here is there’s a sense that we’re not going to do whatever it takes to make a deal We’ve got to have a fair mie'’ In other words the NBA is prepared — some would say planning — to sacrifice games in November and December in the hopes it will put pressure on players as they miss paychecks leading to a better collective paring the NBA’s labor woes to major league baseball and its disastrous strike of 1994 which started during the pennant race and forced the cancellation of the Worid Series “Obviously here ours if we lose games will be at the beginning of the season It might go all season but at least it’s not going to start at the climax of the season and go from there” Granik said An arbitration hearing on whether owners should have to pay guaranteed contracts during hiathe lockout is on a nine-da- y tus and isn’t scheduled to end g until Sept 8 briefs must be filed by Sept IS and arbitrator John Feerick will then have 30 days to render his Post-hearin- 25-ye- ar The previous record for receiving yards was 370 shared by Michael Letch of ns Princeton (1991 vs Brown) and Barry Wagner rtf Alabama A&M (1989 vs Clark) The major-collerecord of 363 was set by ge UNLV's Randy Gatewood against Idaho in 1994 Rattay rocked the Huskers by passes for completing 590 yreds — all record numbers against Nebraska “They pretty much tried to play said Edwards me 46-of-- one-on-on- e” who led the nation in '97 in receiving yards while Rattay led in total offense “I'm not a trash talker but I’ve worked hard all summer and 1 don't believe any defensive back in the country can with me” go Huskers defensive coordinator Charlie McBride agreed draft “He’s a first-roun- d choice" McBride said “He can run off with it and run by most people he's going to play He’s that good” for Newcombe finished 168 yards and carried 12 times one-on-o- for 12 yards The teams combined for 1031 yards with Louisiana Tech outgaining Nebraska 569-46- 2 “It was my fust game and it's an experience I'll never forget" Newcombe said “I will treasure it and won't be as nervous the next game” Red balloons soared into the sky as the 221st consecutive sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium' celebrated the Huskers' first score for their new coach got tickets? 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