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Show 8 Wednesday, March 5, 2008 SPORTS www. dailyUtah chronicle, com Men's Hoops Women's Hoops Skiing Baseball Skiing Gymnastics Softball Utah (25-3) @ Colorado St. (2-25) Utah@ NCAA Championships All Day, Bridger Bowl, Mont. Utah (0-7) @ Southern Utah (5-3) Utah @ NCAA Championships All Day, Bridger Bowl, Mont. No. 7 Oregon State (8-2) @ No. 2 Utah (10-0) Utah (10-5) Arizona State (21-3) 3:30 p.m., Tempe, Ariz. 7 p.m., Fort Collins, Colo. 1 p.m., Cedar City 7p.m., Huntsman Center SB) 82 61 Skid halted in blowout fashion "I've never been around such tough guys like they are mentally. And then SPORTS EDITOR Johnnie, I'm gong to miss him just as a Whether Wednesday night had friend—him and I are close." Although the seniors stole the more to do with the Runnin' Utes being that good or Colorado State show Wednesday night, it was Utah's being that bad, the U men's bas- defense that made that possible. ketball team stopped its four-game "Our defensive goal was to hold losing streak in impressive fashion. them to 38 percent (shooting)-—they Shaun Green had a season-high shot 38.6 (percent)," Boylen said. Colorado State started the game 20 points and was just one rebound shy of a double-double as i-for-6 from the field and quickly Utah dismantled the Rams 82-61 at found itself in a deep hole. home on Senior Night. Utah jumped out to an early 8-2 "Obviously we caught a team lead with less than five minutes that's'injury-riddled and young," elapsed on the clock. By the 5:35 U head coach Jim Boylen said of mark in the first half, the Utah band announced that the home team's the struggling Rams. Senior Johnnie Byrant was one lead had reachedfive,10,15,20 wonof four players to score in double derful points when. Luke Nevill's figures in the win. Bryant scored 14 layup made the score 29-9 in fapoints—including a 4-for-7 shoot- vor of the Utes. The Aussie center ing performance from the 3-point scored 19 points on the undersized line—in his final home game of his Rams, who were once again without collegiate career. But it was anoth- 7-foot center Stuart Creason, who er senior that brought the house already missed nine games earlier this season with a foot injury. down with his 3-point shooting. Marcus Walker, who leads the Sparsely used senior forward Chris Grant hit a fading 3-pointer MWC in scoring, had just 10 points with 1:44 left in the game to the de- on 4-of-ii shooting because he was light of teammates and fans alike. hounded all night by the Ute deThe Salt Lake City native scored fense, particularly Lawrence Borha. five points and dished out two as"Lawrence Bohra did a heck of sists in six minutes of playing time, a job on Walker," Boylen said. "We which matched his season high. nominated Lawrence for (MWC) "That was great," Green said. "It Defensive Player of the Year. I was just a great finish to the game. think he's done a great job on (the other team's) leading scorer." I'm just so happy for Chris." In a press conference earlier this With Utah holding a double-digit lead from the 11:32 mark in the week, Boylen talked about the imfirst half on, Sayre Brennan played portance of his team driving to the a career-high 3 minutes to end the basket. Twenty of Utah's 55 fieldgame, which allowed the 9,075 in goal attempts were either layups attendance to show their apprecia- or dunks, but Utah converted on only 13 of them. A steal by Carlon tion for the departing seniors. "Sayre and Chris, they mean so Brown resulted in Borha missing a much for the team because they get us breakaway layup in the first half, prepared for each game," Green said and then Bohra missed a breakTony Pizza T Y L E R COBB/flwDatff UtahCtocnldt Johnnie Bryant drives past a Colorado State defender during Tuesday night's game at the Huntsman Center. Bryant finished his last home game with 14 points and three rebounds. away dunk as a result of another steal in the second half. In a game where many Ute players had the chance to shine, the two newest starters did their fair share of glowing. Luka Drca seemed tofindcomfort in his new starting point guard role and handed out 10 assists to just two steals as a result. Kim Tillie scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds in his second start of the season. With its regular-season home schedule coming to a close, Utah will play its final game of the season on the road against UNLV on Saturday. t.pizza@chronicle.utah.edu Jtah 82, Mln csu McFarland 31 ® Colorado St.61 FG 3PT M-A M-A FT Reb M-A O-T A PFPts CM) 0-1 0 2 IS 0-1 0-2 2 3 1Q 04 1-5 3 2 6 1-4 2 1 5 1-2 6-17 3-9 Walker 32 4-11 2-6 Nigon 25 2-3 2-2 Simmons 2-4 0-2 23 Gardner 31 3-6 3-5 2-2 0-3 3 2 11 dayman 13 CM 0-2 2-2 1-1 0 2 2 Cohen 18 1-2 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 3 Woodard 0-0 0-2 4 0 9 23 4-9 1-3 VanTasse! 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 McGinley 2 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 200 22-57 12-32 5-7 6-22 14 14 61 Team UboundiM lOZmttt 3i- iwln i (Wwdwi Z Cot**). Bteekr 1 UTAH Tillle Green Drca Borha Brown Bryant Grant Smith Brennan Kepkay Grim Nevill Totals Min IS 34 28 28 13 n 6 i 3 17 5 20 200 FG 3PT M-A M-A 6-7 0-0 8-11 4-6 1-3 0-2 1-3 CM) 1-4 CM) 5-9 4-7 1-1 2-2 0-0 04 0-0 0-0 1-3 1-3 0-0 0-0 7-13 0-0 32-55 10-19 FT M-A 1-1 0-Q 0-0 2-2 0-0 0-0 Reb O-T A PFPts 0-4 0 3 13 4-9 1 1 20 1-6 10 1 2 0-2 3 3 A 0-2 2 1 2 0-3 2 0 14 0-0 0-0 0-0 CM) 0-0 5-6 8-9 0-0 2 0 5 CM) 0 0 0 0-1 0 0 0 0-3 1 2 3 0-1 0 0 0 2-4 2 1 19 8-39 23 12 82 T u n tobouncte 411 QKtmrrtX Stuli. Dtu,Batu.B &,«•=! IDiW LTee,fcxhi.K«j*«y). n2IT* Hatf-tim««ort:UUh39 ( CSU23 Attendance: 9.075 Bryant gets warm send-off As Senior Night commenced at the Huntsman Center, the last of three seniors to be recognized was the most ubiquitous. Clapping his hands and keeping his head toward to floor to avoid the powerful emotion, senior captain Johnnie Bryant took those inevitable, sauntered steps to mid-court. With his family by his side and a mentor waiting to embrace, Bryant knew that his time had finally come. The sharpshooter from Oakland, Calif., has seen his CHRIS athletic and academic ca- KAMRANI reers experience a whirlwind effect. Bryant went from not being able to play basketball at a university out of high school'to walking away from the U with two degrees—one in human development and family studies and the second in sports management. "I never envisioned myself having two degrees from a university," Bryant said. "My mentor told me in high school, *You're going to graduate from high school, you're going to graduate from college.' He gave me that hope, and you know, I ran with it." To say that Bryant is a leader and an example to others would be selling him a bit short. J.B. is all those things and more. As the heart and soul of this young Utah team, Bryant showed what it means to be a class act and what it means to sacrifice for the sake of winning and, most importantly, the team. "We're planting the seeds right now, but I won't be there when it grows," Bryant said. "But that's the card I was dealt, and I'm going to do everything I can do to lay the foundation." After presenting Bryant and his family with a plaque and a bouquet, Utah head coach Jim Boylen appeared to be left teary-eyed right before tip-off. When he took the job last March, Boylen realized that Bryant would be best used as a remarkable sixth man. In doing so, the coach and his sixth man inauspiciously portrayed the meaning of what it means to sacrifice. Boylen went on to dub Bryant a "foundationbuilder." "Johnnie Bryant is just a great kid," Boylen said. "I've tried to make him understand how to play winning basketball, and he's ran with it coming off the bench." Bryant did what he does best in his last game at the Huntsman Center, finishing with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Bryant wasn't the leading scorer, but he was the star in a sense. The crowd favorite brought the usual "JB" rain, and with 1:05 left in the game the sixth man was summoned to the Utah bench for the last time at the Hunstman Center. Boylen was quick to embrace Bryant and gave him a strong hug. The crowd, which was hushed for most of the night, erupted and gave the departing senior a standing ovation. Once the final buzzer sounded, Bryant was the first player to walk over to the MUSS and recognize the fans who have supported him over the years. Cheers of "JOHN-NIE BRY-ANT!" were ringing throughout the arena. "The community's been great, the MUSS has been great, and that's gonna ,be something I remember the rest of my life," Bryant said. As he embraced fans and soaked in cheers, Bryant took it all in as a victor, a teammate and BRIEF Shawn Green hugs Johnnie Bryant after playing his last home game for the Utes against Colorado State. Senior Night honored Bryant, Chris Grant and Sayre Brennan with a ceremony before the game. The Utes defeated the Rams 82-61. a friend. For someone who has been required to be the pinnacle of toughness this season, in the end, it took Bryant all the resolve he had to remain that way with his emotions. c.kamrani@ chronicle.utah.edu The Utah Ski team is heading back to Montana for the NCAA Skiing Championships. The event is being held at Bridger Bowl/Bohart Ranch, where the Utes took second place in the NCAA West Regionals on Feb. 22 and 23. The Utes will be the only western team with a full 12-member roster. It will be the second consecutive year that the Utes field a full roster at the championships. The Utes finished fourth last year at the championships, featuring thenfreshman Snorri Einarsson as the 20-kilometer classic winner. "We are excited about this year's championships," said EH Brown, director of the U ski team. "We have gotten through the season as one of the top teams, but the NCAA Championships is a whole new game." Ski Racing magazine picked the Utes to win the championships this year on account of their tremendous depth as a team. According to Ski Racing, the Utes have contenders in all Nordic and alpine races. Montana State University is hosting the event. The NCAA Championships start March 5 and continue on till March 8. Christopher Kamrani Women's hoops look to continue Rams' woes Natalie Dicou STAFF WRITER Two streaks are on the line tonight when the U women's basketball team pays a visit to Colorado State. One of the streaks is raising eyebrows nationwide for being impressive. The other streak you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. On the line are the U women's basketball team's 20-game winning streak and Colorado State's 18-game losing streak. As dominant as the U women's basketball team has been in the Mountain West Conference, Colorado State has been that dominated. The two teams are living opposite realities. The Utes are 14-0 while What: Women's Basketball Who: . Utah @ Colorado State Where: Fort Collins, Colo. When: Tonight, 7 p.m. the Rams are 0-14. The Utes haven't lost since Dec. 3 and Colorado State hasn't won since Dec. 4. The Utes have guaranteed themselves a conference title and are looking forward to a possible NCAA tournament run, while the Rams are counting down the days until the off-season. With all that in mind, it's difficult to see how the Utes could get themselves fired up for a rematch with a team that they destroyed 68-28 a month ago. "It is different," said head coach Elaine Elliott. "There's not a builtin enthusiasm for this type of game, but you know, we trust the kids, and we want to be who we are, and we want to be consistent in our play." Senior point guard Leilani Mitchell, who has been named MWC Player of the Week five times this season, is excited about Utah's postseason prospects but still knows there's work to be done. "It's toward the end of the season, and we are looking forward to the postseason," the Washington native said. "Next week's going to be fun. Just being a senior, I know I'm just trying to enjoy every practice and every game. It's not really hard for me (to get motivated), and I think the rest of the team is kind of that way." The Rams have lost 21 of their last 22 games including a 40-point blowout to the Utes at the Huntsman Center. "First of all, they're better (now) than when they played us (last)," Elliott said. "I mean, they're not a 28-point a night team. Their kids are fighting hard. The thing that's good about them is that they want to play. There's nobody in this program that's quit." While the Utes have three play- ers—Mitchell, Morgan Warburton and Kalee Whipple—who average more than 15 points a contest, the Rams don't have a single player who averages in double figures. .Their scoring woes are exacerbated by the fact that they shoot poorly from the field (32.8 percent). The Utes, on the other hand, shoot a conferencebest 47.5 percent per game. Still, Mitchell says she's not tafc-' ing the game lightly. "We just need to use these next couple games to focus on getting better ourselves," Mitchell said. "Next week the conference tournament is going to be tough, and we just need to make sure we're at the top of our game...We need to take them seriously." n.dicou@chronicle.utah.edu |