Show N 9 Prep baseball 10 Gonzaga’srun 12 The Herald Journal Logan Utah Saturday March 20 1999 Insido Hungry Hornets sting Jazz Despite cold shooting Charlotte ends Utah's Downhill racers going wild over ' Miditower Page 10 fiporti bHofi 'Abegglen honored OGDEN Utah (AP) — Ron Abegglen who led Weber State to the Big Sky Conference basketball title and an upset victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament was named the league’s coach of the year on Friday career at Abegglen whose eight-yeWeber State ended with an 82-7- 4 overtime loss to Florida in the tournament’s second round received the award on a CHARLOTTE NC (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets had their worst shooting game of the season Friday night and it was still good enough to beat the team with the best record in the NBA “We couldn't hit the broad side of a bam" coach Paul Silas said after the Hornets shot 33 percent on the way to defeating Utah 83-8- 2 in overtime "But we played mentally tough And that’s what made me proud I've been preaching to the team that if you play hard good things will happen" Charlotte's fourth victory in seven games since Silas took over the team wasn't assured until Karl Malone missed a at the buzzer "Hopefully we can keep this going" said Eldcn Campbell who led Charlotte with 19 points “This team is really gaining confidence You can see it in everybody on the floor" All five starters scored in double figures for the Hornets who won their fifth consecutive home game and snapped the winning streak of the Jazz who came in with an NBA-be- st record of 19--4 “I can't say enough about the job Paul Silas is doing” Eddie six-gam- run e Jones said "Paul is giving every individual in this locker room confidence And that makes all the difference in the world" Silas who got the job last week after Dave Cowcns quit fostart has turned the Hornets around with llowing a 1 defense and it showed again against Utah Charlotte held the Jazz to 37 percent shooting more than 10 percent helow their league-leadin- g average “They looked like they wanted to play more and win and that's what happened” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said of the Hornets “We haven't had any enthusiasm or desire We’re not setting screens We wallowed through a couple of plays It doesn't look like we want to have any team concept The team needs to find out if they want to be a championship team" Charlotte which forced the extra period by rallying from eight points down in the final 2 12 minutes of regulation harassed Utah into 20 turnovers and converted them into 19 points Jones paced the Hornets with five steals Jeff Homacek had 21 points and Malone added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz who missed 14 of 34 free throws and lost in Charlotte for the fifth time in six games six-ga- AP photos Charlotte's Eddie Jones (6) knocks the ball away from Utah guard John Stockton during the first half of Friday night's game ar vote of the conference’s nine head coaches Friday! scores NBA NCAA Toumamont Duke headlines Elite Eight TT Indiana 96 Chicago 87 Philadelphia 105 LA Lakers 90 Toronto 93 LA Clippers 82 Charlotte 83 Utah 82 OT Atlanta 93 Phoenix 85 Detroit 94 Dallas 87 Minnesota 105 Denver 101 Portland 90 San Antonio 85 Golden State 90 Seattle 78 CkD © NHL Langdon returns to help Devils win 30th straight game EAST RUTHERFORD (AP) — Even Duke couldn’t have kept playing as well as Duke had been lately Detroit 5 Tampa Bay 3 Buffalo 3 NY Rangers 2 OT Ottawa 2 Dallas 1 NJ NY Islanders 3 Vancouver 1j IHL The Utah 4 Manitoba 3 SO On tolovlf Ion tournament stretch 1 by a more mortal had some saying Duke 78-6- looked almost normal "Anything would have been a letdown" Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of his team's recent pm ESPN2 — Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament Mideast Regional semifinal tsams TBA at Cinckinafl 1 pm NBC — PGA Golf third round at Orlando WGN — Preseason ball Chicago Cubs vs Bay Hill Invitational Fla Major League BaseChicago Whits Sox 130 pm CBS — NCAA Basketball Tournament regional finals doubleheader teams TBA South Region at Knoxville Term and West Region at Phoenix 1pm ABC — NASCAR Racing Craftsman Truck Series Florida Dodge Dealers 400 at Homestead Fla ESPN — LPGA Golf Standard Register Ping third round at Phoenix tdOpjn 450 am ESPN2 — NASCAR Auto Racing " Win"Happy Hour Series final practice for Financial 400 TranSouth ston Cup 1pm AP photo J will play Temple which beat ) d ing where it is now 14-- 1 and from which it has moved to the Final Four half of the eight times the Blue Devils have gone there under Krzyzewski “When you bring really great teams into an arena you're going to win a hell of a lot of games" Krzyzewski said “I should have good records in a lot of buildings” The latest win came as a result of some good defense by Duke and a solid offensive outing led See DUKE on Page 12 Spartans sink Sooners ST LOUIS (AP) — Michigan State continues to grind away and now is a victory away from the Final Four The Spartans seeded No 1 in the NCAA Midwest Regional held Oklahoma to 33 percent shooting and just four Friday victory night in a 54-With their 21st straight victory the Spartans (32-4- ) advanced to the regional finals for the first time since their national championship season of 1979 Michigan State shot only 40 percent but used a tremendous defensive effort to advance No 13 Oklahoma (22-1got just seven points from its leader Eduardo Najera from and finished range after 1) making 23 from beyond the arc in the first two tournament games The rugged nature of the game was underscored with 9:34 to play when Najera and Matcen Cleaves each got knocked out Cleaves' head hit Najera's jaw as Najera set a screen and both were laid out for a few minutes Each returned shootCleaves had just nine punts on 12 had Hutson assists Andre But with two ing points Morris Peterson 11 and AJ Granger 10 tor the Spartans Michael Johnson had 12 while Ryan Humphrey had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma which had been die lowest seed AP photo See SPARTANS on Page 12 Michigan State guard Mateen Cleaves (12) is pressured by Oklahoma Michael Johnson during Friday’s NCAA Midwest Regional game i ESPN — Women's NCAA Basketbal Tournament Midwest Regional semifinal teams TBA at Normal IN ESPN2 — Major League Soccer NYNJ at Miami 1pm — Women's NCAA Basketbal ESPN Tournament West Regional semifinal teams TBA at Los Angeles ESPN2 — Auto Racing Exxon Work Sports Car Championship 12 Hours of Sebring finish of race at Sebring Fla 150 am ESPN2 — Women's NCAA Basketbal Tournament Midwest Regional semifinal teams TBA at Normal HI FSR — MLS Soccer Colorado at Los Angeles today's quota “If we are going to bring boxing back to New York to end up with fixed fights with fixed results we might is well call it wrestling" — Mayor Rudolph Giuliani about the Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfielddraw play “We’ve been playing great basketball actually unusually great basketball" Their 30th straight victory may not have been as Duke's Trajan Langdon center grabe a rebound In front of Southwest Missouri State's Matt Rueter left and Friday night Ryan Bettenhausen during the East Regional Semifinal In East Rutherford N 46 ESPN2 — Women's NCAA Basketball Division II Championship teams TBA at Pine Bluff Ark 3:30 am — NASCAR Auto Racing Busch i ESPN Grand National Series Darlington 200 that 12th-seed- ed Tournament East Regional semifinal teams TBA at Greensboro NC (33-1- Airlines Arena a build- saw them win by an average of 31 points So Friday’s night's victoSouthry over west Missouri State in the East Regional semifinals ABC — Senior PGA Golf Legends of Golf second round at St Augustine Fla ESPN — Women's NCAA Basketball d sec- Continental two wins in an 1 1 g a m e ESPN — Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament Mideast Regional semifinal teams TBA at Cincinnati 10:30 Am CBS — NCAA Basketball Division II Championship tsams TBA at LouisvNe Ky 11:30 Am ESPN2 — Auto Racing Exxon World Sports Car Championship 12 Hours of Sabring at Sebring Fla Duke sixth-seede- lOth-sccdc- average of 41 points Those were the last lOajn the Final Four for the ond straight season Purdue 77-5- 5 on Sunday at games by an ESPN2 — Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament East Regional semifinal teams TBA at Greensboro NC 12:30 Blue top-rank- ed Devils had won their first two NCAA dominant as the recent streak but it did get the Blue Devils within a win of Utah State gymnasts go after big road score By Shawn Harrison sports writer The Aggies (11-- have scored in the 2) 193 range in three road meets but had to count falls in each outing After moving up in the rankings this week the Aggie gymnastics team is bound and determined not to let up No 12 Utah State takes on Auburn tonight in Auburn Ala The Aggies will be trying to replace a 19395 rood score to improve their Regional Qualifying Score “This meet is extremely important for us to solidify our position in the top 12 going into the last two weeks or the national rankings” USU head coach Ray Com said “We just have to go out there and do the same type of performance that we have been doing all dong “We've had a great homestand but I feel confident we can now go on the road and do well" “If we can eradicate that we'll be just fine” Com said has struggled a bit this Auburn of The Tigers have a season-hig- h year 19403 and an RQS of 1928375 But there is potential for a big scoring meet tonight as this will be Auburn's find home meet of the season and the career home finale for retiring coach Robert Dillard who is completing his 24th season there “The potential is there for a big score" Com said “Any time it’s the last home meet senior night and dl that the potentid is all there It can only be there If we hit our routines like we have been doing I'm very confident that we will" The Tigers are led by (3-1- 3) he used against Alabama last Saturday Sarah Wentworth She has a season-hig- h of 39475 and ranked ninth nationally Junior Christy Denson who is 12th Senior with an RQS of 392562 nationdly will go in the USU went 195575 in its last meet The Amber Jamison (3900 high) is penciled in Aggies have sewed in the mid 195 range to do dl four events but may just do two three times in the last four meets Each That would mean junior Jessica Porter time a mistake or fdl has been counted (3920) would go in the score of 3955 Denson has a season-hig- h “This is the first time we will be on the road since we started sewing red big" and an RQS of 391937 She leads USU on senior Krissy Richards said "We are all the uneven ban (995) and floor exercise confident we can go there and score We (9975) and is tied with Jessenia Ahrego on can't let down The scores can be redly vault (9825) Laurie Cannon has the team's best score on the beam (9925) good down there especially if we hit" Richards said die team has been trying The team left early Friday morning to not to focus on the team's ranking but did get some rest after the long flight admit "we are all excited to move up to 11” “Long trips are always a concern” But was quick to add “We know we Corn said “The only difference is we will need a good meet this weekend We have be going down to sea level and we will to do good to keep from being passed” have that extra liter and a half of oxygen Com plans on using a similar lineup that versus coming up here” I 1 v o |