Show Section Tuesday November 18 2003 Page The Herald Journa 1 The long road to reinstatement Inside This is the second of a Jive-poseries chronicling the demise and resurrection of the Utah State women 's basketball program which resumes play Friday against Southern Utah after a hiatus rt - 16-ye- ar By David Cordero sports writer B2 Monday night action ketball would return at Utah State Rod Tueller the school's athletic ' said he would director front 1985-9- 3 have reinstated it in a heartbeat had he revived any pressure from a con : Sports briefs Nielson runs to USU weekly award ularity in the United States But between 1987 the last year a women's basketball team at USU existed and 1999 more and more colleges around the country were adding women's basketball Utah Slate still had only a men's squad Soon the university would have the dubious distinction of being one of just three Division I colleges' without a women's loops program The other two Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel are predominantly male schools' "No one would ever really call you See LONG on B4 National Baskotball Association ' Utah State cross country runner Mike Nielson Was named the Utah State Athlete of the Week for his performance at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships last Saturday The weekly honor is voted on by a ' state media panel Nielson? senior from Bellevue Wash fmished lOth at the regional meet and qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual He covered the 0000-metcourse in 3 :474 minutes en route to earning honors Nielson has had an outstanding sea- son leading Utah State in each of the ' four races he has Competed in this year He won the Idaho State Invitational placed eighth at the Minnesota Griak Invitational was 28th at the NCAA as well as 10th at the regional meet He is the first cross country runner tp ' cam USU's weekly award r The Aggies finished sixth at the regional meet NieLsonand women’s runner Ashley Johnson will compete ' at theNCAA Championshipsal Cedar ' Falls Iowa on Nov 24 1 USU athletic department There was some discussion on bringing it hack in 1996 when it needed to add another women's sport hut the decision made was to start up soccer instead Hard to argue w ith that At the time it was the fastest growing sport in terms of female partid-- pation in the nation ' Three years later a goal by Brandi Chastain in the World Cup final gave women's soccer unprecedented pop-- tip off (HiCuiiU'i'fi) There was no magic formula in ' determining if or when women's bas- 49ers runs past Steelers in ference standpoint "I think we made a public statement that we ' would reinstate women's basketball in a minute if it hud anything to do with expansion" he explained "If the Big West or (Western Athletic Conference) or some other conference said it was needed or if the NCAA said you had to have it to maintain (Divi- sion I) status we were prepared to reinstate it" Yet that pressure never came Year after year there was a void in the Kirilenko scores 25 as Jazz deal Magic 10th straight loss er on 1 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Jazz keep winning at home and the Orlando Magic keep losing our wins’’ — everywhere' Carlos Arroyo had i6 points and five' assists and DeShawn Steven- The Jazz overcame their poorest shooting performance of the season son scored 10 All of Utah's starters and extended Orlaiido’s losing scored in double figures ' streak to 10 with a 8 victory v Tracy McGrady finished with 29 Monday hight points to lead the Magic but hdd " “These are the kind of games just three points in the final quarter with on foiir shbts McGrady missed a 3- rather be involved not you’d ' ' because of alt the things you pointer at the buzzer that ' “ hear other people saying would have snapped the about what's going pri with Magic’s losing streak: “Sooner or later we will:' theirteam’Jazz coach Jeny ' break this streak” McGrady Sloan said ' ' ' The said! “They had great team go Magic haven’t won since opening night After defense in the fourth quarter Magic 88 ' the game coach Doc Rivers When I penetrated they ' addressed speculation that he could' always had someone there: ' be fired early in his fifth season McGrady is averaging more than 33 points the last four garnet but with the Magic who have reached the playoffs the last three years he didn't have miich help Monday ' ‘T read or Lhear what is being juwan Howard who finished with 2 (points and Gordon Gjricek : written in Orlimdo and I guess I should feel pressure in that way' whq scored J 2 after missing eight but management has stuck behind 'games with a foot injury were the me’ Rivers said '"Obviously I’m only other Orlando players in dou- We’re a better not happy with hie figures " basketball team than that but I will Howard in his first season with' the Magic' stood by Rivers after the say this: Do you judge me on three V game: years of overachievement or 10 "I support Doe no matter what’ games ofunderachievement?” The Magic had chances down the Howard said " We're not even stretch to tie or even win if but ' thinking about nothing like fhat: couldn’t come through and the Jazz We’re focusing on this team and improved to 50 it home: trying to Win ballgames" had chance it tie to Andrei Kirilenko scored 25 points a McGrady after Arroyo missed twb free and pulled down IQ rebounds Mitt throws with 14:4 seconds ugo and Harpring had 14 points and 19 instead of rebounds and Greg Ostertag had 10 the Jazz up shooting passed it to Derrick Dial points and 10 rebounds for Utah Which outrebounded Orlando 52-- " who Was picked up Sunday Dial's baseline jumper bounced high off 3 The Jazz had 23 offensive the rim and over the backboard rebounds to help compensate for ' the floor Utah turned over the inhbunds from shooting ' “We’ve always been a pretty ' pass and the Magic had a final Orlando's Drew Gooden (0) has his shot blocked chance with second to go but good rebounding team’’ Ostertag the first half Monday night at the Delta Center was way off said “We’re going to have to crash McGrady s ' - 90-8- ' ‘ : ‘ lw Aggie spikers ink high school standout UtahState'shead women’s yoi-leyb- 'i coach Burt Fuller announced Monday the signing of Amanda Fahnestock to a National ' Letter of Intent to Compete for the Aggies beginning inthe fall pf 2004 She is currently a senior at V Eagle HighSchoolin Eagle ' Idaho Fahnestock a middle ' all- blocker earned state honors the past three years ' as she led Eajgle High School to thestate championship in 2002: and a 2003 She also earned honors in each of her four years in high ' school ' j "We are extremely excited to wel- come Amanda to our volleyball Fuller said "Amanda is athletic strong and versatile She has ' had a great high Khiobi and chib career and will be ready to make the on jump to college when campus in August Most of her experience is in the middle but she has played some on the outside Amanda is going tohelp us in so many ways we can't wait till she gets here" ' Along with volleyball Fahne-stoc- k earned three varsity letters in track and won two district champi- onships in the high jump in 2001 and 2002 leading her team tp two straight state championships O- ot first-teaj- m ' runder-upfinish- in - 90-88b- iit pn-gra- she-anive- the boards on both ends this year That's going to be a big key to alj 1 32-for-- s 1 ' AP photo by Utah's Greg Ostertag during : Rockets stay hot defeat 76ers By The Associated Press Mores 74-6- Big 5 basketball Utah 46 Georgia State 38 NFL v- - San Francisco 30 Pittsburgh 14 NBA ' Houston 74 Philadelphia 66 Washington 106 Atlanta 97 New York 89 Boston 86 Dalas 105 Portland 96 Utah 90 Orlando 88 AP photo': PMadeiphia's Aaron McKie center is trapped between two Rockets ' : NHL ‘ BulMo 2 Ottawa MEITS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Span 7pun ESPN — Praaeason NIT first round Davidson at Texas Tech 8 pjn By ESPN2 —Anaheim at Colorado Huntor sportt writer ': ESPN — Prsseason NIT first at Georgia round Louisiana-Lafayetl- e Tech with 1:55 left and his two free :' throws with 54 seconds remaining provided the final margin Paul ' Pierce missed an offbalance 3- pointer on Boston's last possession The win was only the third of the season for the Knicks who got 26 points from Allan Houston and 21 Michael Doleac scored the Knicks’ from Keith Van Horn — 13 in the filial four points and grabbed eight of third quarter when the Knicks made his nine rebounds while playing the up most of a big deficit entire fourth quarter helping New ' Wizards 106 Hawks 97 ' York defeat visiting Boston Jarvis Hayes keyed a fourth-quaDoleac subbing for starting center run with a ter Dikembe Mutombo hit the Knicks’ final shot from the field See NBA on B4 v -- : r- go-ahe- - : Brown nearing return Cox could go Saturday Jdf CUD QJB 1 Oa television Cuttino Mobley scored 19 points and Yao Ming and Jim Jackson each added 12 to lead the Houston Rock- ets to a 6 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers bn Monday night The Rockets who won for the ' seventh time in nine games took a lead late in the first quarter and never trailed again They led by as many as 15 in the fourth The Rockets shot only 33 percent but the Sixers were even worse at32 ' percent Huuston went from range while the Sixers missed all nine attempts Allen iverson scored15 for the Sixers who had their lowest point total of the season They played without starters Denrick Coleman (left knee strain) and Glenn Robin- son (left ankle strain) Knkks89 Ce(ttes86 While the Utah wwn’i State football team boalMbal has high hopes that injured quarterback Travis Cox will be able to play this weekend the men’s basketball team is also optimistic that its quarter- - r back will be able to return to action in a few days Senior point guard Mark Brown pulled his left hamstring during USLT s Hoops Fest event on Oct 30 and he has basically been sidelined ever since Brown did run during the Aggies' practice oo Monday but he isn't expected to participate in live action drills for a couple more days See BROWN an B3 By Shawn Harrison sports editor If any Aggie fans had wondered just how valuable quarterback Travis Cox was to the team they found out last Saturday The junior signal caller took a hit to his shoulder trying to go after a fumble and left the game after just one play in the second half Utah State then proceeded to turn the ball over five more times and lost to 4 Troy State Travis getting hurt hurt us tremendously" Aggie head coach Mick Dennehy said "We felt good coming out from halftime We had made some adjustments and Travis 23-1- Sec COX an B4 — l |