Show J - iy'- Monday1 December 29 2p03 ? The Herald jqurnal USU With :i' ppens up San Fran - By Jeff Hunter sports writer A perfect 1 8r0 through the first nine Gossner Fp6aClaSsics Utah State should find it a challenge to make it an even 2(H) oyer the next two days Unlike some years in which all but the most knowledgeable fans had to ask "Where is that school located?" Y (Samford Meicer Centenary etc) or Armstrong named AFs Male B2 Athlete of the Year Sports briefs ' Y: - FLAGSTAFF Ariz (AP) — Kim from Smith went ' range and scored 15 points to lead four Utah players in double figures Utes beat d and the Northern Arizona 69-4- 5 Sunday Utah took control of the game by opening the second half with a 15-- 6 spurt to take a 43-2- 4 lead with V 15:25 left The Utes (8-led 28-1- 8 at half- timelt was a sloppy first half in which the teams combined for 31 Y turnovers ' : Cariey Marshall and KelsyStire- man each had 13 points for Utah Alyssa Wahl scored 16 points to lead the Lumberjacks (5-and Natalie Metz added eight points and ' ' “ nine rebounds USU: 6-- 1 - At - se 6-- 6 all-Ag- 6-- 8 6-- 9 pm 5-- the Spectrum 'milH pf gTW followed New Mexico State (5-(6-San Utah Francisco State vs by (8-at 8:05 pm The consolation game will tip off on Tuesday at 5:30 pm' and the : 4) ' 1) : 5) 6) 0 6-- ‘ n Oni Snn Monday — 8:05 6-- 7 6-- Lake 1023 FM in Bear Lake TV: Nona in?" "Whatdivisiondotheyplay - Lumberjacks - Su Fimcbh (Chapman Fresno Pacific CS Stanis-laus) the big question is "What are the Aggies' chances of winning this thing?" Ip tonight's opener at 5:30 pJm UT-Sa- n will take on Antonio (4-- Lady Utes chop down USF: 8--5 ty of the teams the tradition of the teams the coached the records every- -' Thing juM kind of indicates that it's the best tournament we've ever had- rAnd we're excileid to hare this : : quality of a field here" "Excited" and understandably- - ' : ' : concerned scenario would While the best-cahave NMSU beating the Roadrunners and USU besting the Dons to set up an clash of past (Big West Con-ference) and future (Western Athletic Conference) rivals in Tuesday's cham- pioaship game qnything is possible UT-Sa- n Antonio did win by eight at Baylor earlier in the year while New Mexico State has suffered loss- es in four of its last five games And whileUtah State is off a great PROBABLE STARTERS San Francisco ht yr ppg TO F- 00 James Sr 135 53 Bayfsas 44 Alvin Broussard 86 Sr 78 54 2 Andra Hazel Jr 81- 45 5 Jason Gaines 43 22 Jerome GumbS' fr4 So 60 33 Utah Stria ' ht yr ppg rpg F 30 Jason WiMams Jr 63 23 F 32 Spencer Nelson7 ' Jr 114 67 C 44 Mike Ahmad Sr 71 37 G 15 CanM Butler 64' Sr 147 30 G i20 Mark Browr Sr 89 50 RADIO: KVNU KVFX AM-61- 0 Logan 963 FMinSaS ' r declaredWhen you look at the quali- - AGGIE BASKETBALL championship game is slated for an 8:05 pm start "I think it'sunquestionably the best field in the history of the Gossner" USU head coach Stew Morrill See BEST on B4 1 23rd-renke- falls shy pf mark 3) ' ' - fl 3) RB joins Steinbreririer released from hospital SARASOTA Fla (AP) — New V York Yankees owner George Stein- brenner was released from the hospi- tal Sunday one day after he fainted ' at a memorial service and his doctor described his health as excellent Steinbrenner wa$ The Y released from Sarasota Memorial Hospital about 745 pm Sunday and picked up by family members hospi- ' tal spokeswoman Lyn Cassan said V “He wanted to go home” Cassan saidadding thatS teinbrenner spent part of Sunday watching football games in his room “He wasn’t very ' ' happy sitting in a hospital bed” : V Dr Andrew G Boyer Steinbren-- ner’s personal physician said in a statement that Steinbrenner recov- ered in a few minutes1 after collaps-7 ing during the church service for football great Otto Graham “He’s doing well ever since" the doctor said ‘To be Mire that it was nothing more than a fainting spell Ahe has had a very extensi ve cardiac ' and neurological work-u- p “All the diagnosticstudieswere normal” he added “He's feeling well and his general heal this excellent” : - i r r-- - H : ' ' " ' I--- Arizona's Nathan Poole Wps Randy Moss’ college teamiiirie and spent all week pretending to be him bn the scout team' The 7 QnpraiTlrihtn criflnc ih Iliri corps oh the 11 ' The Vikings joined the 1978 Wash- 7 ington Redskins as the only teams to 6-start a season 0 and not make the '' playoffs how I words into can’t “I really put feel right now”Daunte Culpepper said “It’s just terrible that you fight that hard all year just trying to stay ' 7 Stive and lose it like that” Poole caught the ballneqr the side- line in thq end zone and was ruled forced out by Denard Walker and Brian Russell The touchdown gave the 7 : Green Bay Packers the division title ' “We said ‘Let’s be the best receiver'' field” Poolesaid: yawaillClllUaiiapo losing-ski- 2-ga- me 'MdrHe undeiabdhe i?he - '' lamo MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Texas7 ' Davidson at Duke arr ' j fmr er '' two-gam- Jazz' nt four-minu- nba KJZZ— Philadelphia St Utah : : - v-- ' ' ' ' Y V ' ' Dickerson in 1984 Dickerson Wafching oh Yv television heldupasignat the end of the game: “19 years artd hunting” and smiled Because the Ravens clinched thcAFC North tii when Cincinnati lost eariiL Sunday if was uncertain if Lewjs would be used for theentire game He did however ' ' V-play the whole game The other members of the ' exclusive 2(XX)-yar- d cluh are: Barry Sanders (2:053 in W7) Tea’ll DavLv(2008 in V-"- ' : - v Y Andrei Kirilenkiq had 21 points : and 1 1 rebounds and Carlos Arroyo when we are down SACRAMENTO Cialif fAPj—1-' scored 15 for Utah Arroyo bad six this the in looked With Chris Webber sidelined all part Stojakovic of Utah’s 2Q turnovers' The Jazz j season Peja Stojakovic has become' ' fourth quarter He made three of four the shot a season-lo- w and all seven free throws the Sacramento Kings' go-t-o guy in free throw linefrom the fteld He finished : v the fourthquarter' ' " ' “We missed a lot from the free He came throughagain Sundays and on ftee throws ‘ The Kings' took control with a 10- - throw line we cant Jet that happen' Stojakovic sebred Kirilenko said 'That was oneof the Ofourth-quartrunfuefcd by Sto-20ofhis37pointsin rTyjfjjS"‘the fourth quarter ’o' jakovic who gave the Kings the key' stats Ajtd at the endwe let Sto-- J Y and Bibby do what they the then hit lead with a jakovic Kings helping wanted Theymade layups created e another to Conclude the spirt for a snap a ' foulsind made 79-7shots” ' Kings 98: losing streak with a lead with 5:47 remaining 1 out came over for Utah were hot “I 9gg9 victory strong in the third looking guys got v the Utah me” said Stojakovic who added quarter using a 17-- 4 run to take a 65-6- 4 -- Following a lead into the fourth period -seven rebpunds and a career-hig- h subpar three quar- ' ’ three3-point-e- rs made The sure six steals “I’mnot why they fame featured a dreary fust tersStojakovic : neither team shooting with half and a three-poithe weren’t io first play dunng a going (shots) well Sacramento led 40-3- 2 after its te APptiotd stretch to j three quartos” Y productive lowest-scorin- g first half of the sea-Sacramento's Anthony Peeler left Mike Bibby scored 23 points for hblp the Kings pull away Sacramento which has defeated the son: (defends Utah’s Carlos AhOyo on Simday “Peja is one of the hot shooters v ' main guy on this team especially ' i 10-of-- 22 Bowl Michigan St ESPN vs Nebraska at San Antonio ' ' the best receiving corps out there" Packers"31 Broncos 3 The biggest cheer at Lamheau Field came for the play jn Arizona that got the Packers into the playoffs Ahmap Green reeled off a touchdown run and Brett Favrecom- pleted a hard week in which he buried his father to lead Green Bay the Packers (1 0-- had little hope' of playing into January only minutes ears Her They celebrated wildly on the- - 14 COLLEGE FOOTBALL 5 pm v ESPN2 — George Washington ‘‘f don’t knowabout staLswisebut we came out with the victory so we was - ESPN run the Jazz five straight times Doug Christie added nine points and nine ‘ if not the best shooter in the league” teammate Vlade Divac - 2pJiL After his Kings pull Gvyay from Jazz in ' pm 7 pm : : On : ‘ '’ V 1 ' ' Stadium M&T crowd Lewis a prolonged stand- gave ' ing bvation 14 : with wound JHe up ' yards on-2carries giving ' him 2066secondmost in history He finishqft'39 - ' Y : ' dippers 88 : " ' Sacramento 98 Utah 89 San Antonio 89 Milwaukee 74 ' Cleveland 86 Portland 74 Phoenix 100 Philadelphia 92 : Denver 103 Golden State 79 Y L A Lakers 105 Boston 82 ' ' ' Y' PlayoffpicturecornpletefbllowingupsetfilledSundayS "''‘Y ' ' Toronto 94 LA: Ottawa 5 Atlanta 2 Chicago 3 Detroit 0 Calgary 2 Edmonton - e HBK I " t--: v 28-ya- id : : : Tv:' 8wwassTnpped'asx?mcials UAPpriptb Aifizona quarterback josh McCown (12) scrambles against Minnesota during-ththird quarter Sunday at Sun Devii Stadium ihv the touchdown Ihe sellout Tempe Ariz The Cardinals knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs on a touchdown with no time Jeff on the dock Bank at impersonation reached perfec- tionSundaywith Poole’s touchdown pass from Josh McCown as time expired that knocked the stunned ' Minnesota Vikings but of the playoffs The play on fourth-andr2- 5 rallied the ’ Cardinals to an 18-1- 7 victory in Tempe Ariz' and fobbed the Vikings" ‘ ofthe NFC North title it dbn’thaive much how clue “You any hiuts” Minnesota’s Corey Chavous said-- '' Indianapolis 20 Houston 17 Tennessee 33 Tampa Bay 1 3 New Orleans 13 Dallas 7 Cleveland 22 Cincinnati 14 Y' Carolina 37 NY Giants 24 Arizona I B Minnesota 17 ' Green Bay 31 Denver 3 Y San Diego 21 Oakland 14 Baltimore 13 Pittsburgh 10 OT toiy ' ' Detroit 30 StLouis20 Miami 23 NY Jets 21 Kansas City 31 Chicago 3 Atlanta 21 Jacksonville 14 ' ' BALTIMORE (AP) Jamaj Lewis became the fifth pjayerin NFL history to run for 2000 yards in aseason reaching the milestone Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 13-1- 0 in overtime ' Lewis began the game need-in'g 48 yards to iidd his name lo an elite list that includes several of the finest runners ever to'play the game He reached exactly 2000 ' yard nin in the first 'quarter with a then followed touchdow n run to nuke it 2025 —: third best in NFL bis- - 7 """ 25-ya- rd Sunday's scores - -': on-x9- ' NFL elite club ’ Y |