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Show 6 Monday, November 26, 2007 SPORTS www.dailyutahchronicle.com Magical run falls short credited the Utes' "leave it all out on the floor" mentality as SPORTS EDITOR the boost they needed to play It's a good thing the U volley- beyond their No. 5 seed in the ball team handles its own travel championship game. In the first game, the Utes used arrangements, because from the outside looking in, the Utes an 8-0 run to break a 6-6 tie. Utah looked destined for an early trip then cruised to an early 1-0 lead. home from Las Vegas and the In game two, the Utes nearly went up 2-0, but eventually fell to the MWC tournament. "You never make reservations Rebels 33-31 to go into the break before the end of the tourna- tied at one game apiece. After the ment," Utah head coach Beth break, Utah fell rather easily to Launiere said. "We planned on the Rebels in game three to put Utah's back against the wall. winning it." But just as they had done all And the Utes just about did tournament, the Utes used wellthat. In the end, the Utes' plans placed serves to knock their to stay in Sin City through the opponent off balance. Then the championship game of the MWC Utes capitalized. After allowing UNLV to rally tournament held up. Their intent to return with a championship back from an early game-four trophy, however, fell just three deficit to tie the game at 7-7, points short as UNLV beat Utah Utah went on a 6-1 run. Lori 3-2 (24-30, 33-31, 30-17, 21-30, 15- Baird, Whitney Webb, Kate Robison and Kat Haynie all had a 12) in the championship game. "For me, it was 10 months or hand in the run that put the Utes a year of just a lot of hard work, on top. After UNLV managed to and we came up just a few points fight its way back to an 18-18 tie, short," Launiere said. "But I felt it was a 5-0 run off the serve of better coming out of the locker Haynie that put the Utes on top room this year than I did last for good in game four. year." After jumping out to a 4-1 lead Utah entered the champion- in the championship-deciding ship game with its only ticket fifth game, Utah looked well on into the NCAA tournament on its way to finishing its Cinderthe line. Connie Dangerfield ella run on top. In the end, it was Tony Pizza Lori Baird, who received AII-MWC honors last week, dives to keep the ball alive in the Utes'win against UNLV on Nov. 16. The Utes lost to UNLV this weekend in the title match of the MWC tournament. Utes net 2 of 3 in Hawaii Women's hoops gets national attention Natalie Dicou STAFF WRITER While the rest of the student body braved the chilly weather, the U women's basketball team enjoyed a weekend in Hawaii. But the Utes, who played three games in three days, didn't have much time to lounge on the beach. In an extended weekend three games in three nights, Utah picked up wins against Akron and Nebraska, but not before opening with an overtime loss to Marist. The Utes (3-2) have yet to be outscored in regulation. Both of their losses (to then-No. 5 Stanford and Marist) came in overtime. Stanford has since climbed to No. 4. None of the three teams Utah played against in the Oahu Classic are ranked in the Top-25, but two have received votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. "This was a really big win for us because both Marist and Nebraska are receiving votes," head coach Elaine Elliott said after a 56-44 victory over Nebraska on Saturday. "Nebraska, out of the Big 12, will get great (ratings percentage index) numbers and beat some people." In Saturday's game against the Cornhuskers, the Utes led for most of the game. Late in the second half, Nebraska made a run. "They basically had one stretch (where) they hit some shots with about 12 minutes to go," Elliott said. Now in her 25th year as head coach of the Utes, Elliott knew just how to reassure her troops. "Listen," she told her team. "Don't panic. That's their run. We didn't think they're going to do it for 12 minutes—and they didn't." The Utes composed themselves and went on to pull out a 12-point win. In the tournament opener on Thanksgiving, the Utes didn't finish out their opponent as well. "It still sort of stings because that was our game," Elliott said two days after falling to Marist, 81-77. "We totally did not finish out a game that we led the entire time." At one point during the first half of the Marist game, the Utes held a 20-9 advantage, but the Red Foxes rallied late in the second half and forced overtime. Elliott lamented the loss but thinks that Marist is "very, very, very good" Overall, Elliott was pleased with how Utah played in the tournament. "We played two very strong teams and managed to split, and that's good. We certainly would not have wanted to go 0-2 against them if we could've helped it." Utah's big three stepped up throughout the tournament. Point guard Leilani Mitchell averaged 20.3 points. The senior also chipped in 4.7 assists. Shooting guard Morgan Warburton averaged 14 points while Kalee Whipple added another 13 per game. Whipple, a sophomore, played her best game of the tournament in the finale against See UTES Page 8 UNLV's Lauren Miramontes who not finish with a losing record. Although finishing at 15-15 is was too much for the Utes. The Rebel outside hitter had five of hardly what the casual observer her 30 kills at the end of the de- would call a successful season ciding game, including the game- given Launiere's track record, this year's championship run winner, to cut Utah's run short. "That was our goal—to play managed to mean a little more. '1 think this season was as as one," Launiere said. "We certainly think that if we play tough as any season ever, but evas one, the championships will ery week we just got to get better," come. We fell a little short, but Launiere said. "We just fell three points short, but we never quit" it showed up." Notes: After the game, the emotions Lori Baird was named to the of the tumultuous season came All-MWC team before the conpouring out for the Utes. "To be honest with you, it was ference tournament started. She pretty emotional for me," Lau- finished the regular season secniere said. "There haven't been ond in blocks per game (1.53) and that many tears that I've seen in fifth in hitting percentage (.316). the locker room in a long time." Baird had 18 kills, four blocks Going into the MWC tourna- and five digs in the championment, the No. 5-seed Utes were ship match. Kate Robison ended set up for the tough road to a her career with a double-double conference crown. Utah had (17 kills and 14 digs). Freshman to defeat a TCU team it hadn't setters Stephanie Shardlow and beaten all year in the first round. Keisha Fisher also had doubleThe Utes did that by way of a 3-0 doubles (34 assists, 17 digs and sweep. Next, the Utes used then- 34 assists, 10 digs, respectively). renewed confidence, especially Connie Dangerfield finished on offense, to beat nationally with 31 digs in the championship and Whitney Webb also finished ranked Colorado State. with 18 kills and four blocks to The win meant that Utah was the first No. 5 seed to ever reach end their respective careers. the conference championship 2007 is the first year a Beth Laumatch. It also put Utah above .500 niere-coached team hasn't made for the first time all season and guaranteed that the Utes would See VOLLEYBALL Page 7 LATEST RIVALRY MATCHUP RIDDLED WITH ERRORS continued from Page 1 Kyle Whittingham said. Mack's one-yard dash was the first touchdown of the game for either team, as the majority of the game was marred by key penalties and costly turnovers. BYU quarterback Max Hah1 threw an interception and running back Harvey Unga fumbled in the first half for the Cougars. When Hall did connect deep with Collie for a 67-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter, an offensive pass interference call negated the play. Utah's Brian Johnson, meanwhile, threw two interceptions and completed just five of his 11 passes for 30 yards in the first half. Johnson finished the game completing 17 of 29 passes for 129 yards, but was the focal point of the Utes' final scoring drive, using both his arm and legs to get Utah down the field. As a team, Utah recorded only 50 yards of total offense in the opening half, despite operating with a short field numerous times. "They're not the No. 23 team in the country for no reason—they can play," Johnson said. "We knew it was gonna be tough sledding in the first quarter. It was gonna be a softening process." Late in the second quarter, Utah middle linebacker Joe Jiannoni intercepted a Max Hall pass and returned it to the BYU 16-yard line. But on the ensuing drive, the Cougars' Jan Jorgensen hit Johnson as he released the ball, and BYU's Corby Hodgkiss intercepted the errant ball at the five-yard line. "The way to help out a secondary is with a ferocious front seven, which is what (BYU) had," Whittingham said. "If you've got a good front seven, you can live with a secondary that's not as good as you'd like." The Utes came out in the latter half and nearly drove the length of the field on the opening drive, but a holding penalty and a sack forced them to settle on a 35-yard field goal to make the score 6-3. Utah finished the game with 10 penalties for 94 yards—nearly double that of BYU—in front of a raucous BYU crowd. Two of the penalties came on the Cougars' final drive of the game. Unga proved to be the Cougars' biggest weapon. The freshman finished with 141 rushing yards and one touchdown despite spraining his ankle just before halftime. The win gave BYU its second consecutive Mountain West Conference championship. BYU will go for its second-straight MWC sweep next week against San Diego State. As for the Utes, they will await a Bowl bid. "We didn't play well by any means, but the guts we displayed and the gumption we displayed is something to be proud of in itself," Johnson said. "It tears your guts out when you lose like this, but we battled to the end." c.brunner@ chroiiicle.utah.edu BYU's Harvey Unga and Sete Aulai celebrate Unga's fourth-quarter touchdown. LENN1E MAHlER/ThtDaitfUtahQninHh Defense makes, then breaks Utes in loss Tony Pizza SPORTS EDITOR Gabe Long forces a quick pass out of Max Hatl In the first half of Saturday's game. Strong defense on both sides kept scoring low. PROVO—For three years, offense has taken center stage at the annual matchup between BYU and Utah. This year, it was defense that ruled the state's biggest rivalry game. Not that it was any surprise. Going into the game, BYU ranked No. 14 in the country for total defense. Utah was right behind its southern rival at No. 16. The stat sheet was a direct representation of the Cougars' defensive performance as BYU held the Utes to 244 yards of total offense—which is nearly 130 yards fewer than their season average. Utah's defensive effort was evident in a different way. BYU was able to move the ball 287 yards by the end of the third quarter. Tailback Harvey Unga had 128 yards on the ground by himself. But it was Utah's ability to slow the Cougars once they crossed midfield that enabled the Utes to have a strong showing defensively. During the first three-anda-half quarters, BYU had five drives inside of Utah's 35-yard line, including two that went inside Utah's five. The Utes yielded just three field goals out of those visits. "I couldn't be more proud of a defense," Utah safety Steve Tate said. "It's a tough offense to prepare for. We just knew that this game was going to come down to third downs and-getting out of bad situations, and we did that most of the game." It was that Utah defense that also delivered the first blow of the game. On BYU's third offensive possession, Joe Jiannoni intercepted Max Hall's pass at the BYU 16-yard line on the first play of the drive to put Utah's offense in the red zone midway through the first quarter. Utah's offense failed to exchange the turnover for pouits. See DEFENSE Page 7 ™ |
