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Show StatesmanSportS Monday, Jan. 28, 2008 Page IS Gymnasts get first win ByCANDICESANDNESS staff writer Aggie gymnasts seized their first win of the season against Cal State Fullerton on the road, pushing their record to 1-3 overall and in the Western Athletic Conference. "It was a very high-pressure meet today with Cal State Fullerton's alumni on hand as well as a great overall crowd," gymnastics coach Ray Corn said. "Things got a little ugly at the end, but we fought through them and experienced our first win of the season." The team performed and looked like a team going out for a victory and not just out there to compete, Corn said. "I think that is the biggest thing we learned tonight," he said. Before the last rotation, Utah State was in the lead with a two-point edge on the Titans. "I am extremely pleased," Corn said. "The team understood what it took to be under the pressure in the last and final rotation. We have to learn how to control our emotions (in live competition), and we need to Ieam not be afraid of failure and aggressively attack." Cal State Fullerton was ahead in the first two rotations, but the lead turned around as Utah State had the advantage on the floor exercise and ended with a 48.72548.450 mark on the balance beam. After the second half, the Aggies "really just kind of lit it up," and the team swept a slim win as they sustained their beam performance. On beam, the first two Aggie women hit their routines, and the next three Aggies fell, but only two falls were counted, Corn said. "Going into the last rotation, we cracked on the balance beam, but we didn't completely break," Corn said. "I think the nerves got to us a little but and we did just enough to secure a win." With the determining factor lying in the hands of USU's senior Kate Omann on the beam, Omann nailed a 9.525 to secure a narrow win for the Aggies, 191.700191.600. "All kudos to Kate Omann for sealing the win for Utah State," Corn said. "She went up there and looked undaunted, and 1 know she was nervous but she didn't let it get to her and she stayed on that event." The one-tenth edge was the closest it has been since losing to BYU last year, 193.375-193.275. "It really doesn't get any closer than that," Corn said. "It was an exciting event." On the beam, Utah State captured second to fifth place finishes, where junior Nicki Felley, Omann, freshman Lyndsie Boone, and sophomore Heather Heinrich bumped up the Aggie score. Utah State had two event winners, as freshman Jasmine Minion won the vault rotation and freshman Nicole Simoneau tied for first on the uneven parallel bars. The Aggies also had three of the four all-arounders, with Felley capturing top honors with a 38.650 while Heinrich was third with a season-high 37.350 and senior Megan Tschida was fourth with a 36.625. Sunday was Tschida's first time competing in the all-around since 2005, her freshman season. Tschida came in second on the floor exercise where she nabbed a 9.850. "It's certainly Megan's favorite performance. It's the event where she has a tremendous amount of ownership," Corn said. "She tumbles well and dances well, and it's outstanding." Heinrich came in second on the vault, finishing with a 9.775. Com said the team learned how to win on the road and that securing a win in California "is always tough." Although the Aggies had a first season victory, Corn said it wasn't a great score, but they are content with the win after losing the first three. "The scores are pretty tight in California and they usually are," he said. "We're excited to come home with a victory." -candice.sandness@aggiemail.usu.edu Four: Key bench players get suspended for NMSU game [J continuedfrompage 13 really a cop out. If you get beat by six or eight you can say it might have been different. So, no. That's not disrespect to those kids that aren't here. We got thumped. Our guys were, if anything, jacked up and ready to play. I don't think emotionally it affected our guys at all." In DuCharme's absence, freshman Matt Formisano got into the game and scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting. "It was unfortunate how it happened," Formisano said. "But we had to say, 'Hey we're not going to use this as an excuse and do the best we can with what we have.'" Formisano said playing time is nice, but more important is the success of the team. -samuel. hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu Split: Hockey team goes 1-1 in weekend action [I continuedfrompage 14 HOUSTON (AP) — Deron Williams had 17 points and 12 assists, Kyle Korver added 17 points, including two late 3-pointers, and Utah took advantage of Yao Ming's absence to beat Houston. Yao, voted the starting center for the Western Conference in next month's All-Star game, sat out with an upper respiratory infection, the first game he's missed this season. Tracy McGrady shook off a dismal first half to score 21, but Houston's offense sputtered all night. The Rockets shot 44 percent from the field and went 9-for-19 from the free throw line. Carlos Boozer had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but went 4-for14 from the field. Korver made up for it, going 6-for-9 with three 3-pointers. ( ,A 1 I1 \ It ; A Call For Help We're hereto listen. We're hereto help. FREE Confidential Services vvww.itsaboutlove.org 752-5302 /7i IV UOtiH, Suite \ UTAH STATE GOALTENDER GREG FIN ATT I (30) makes a save in Saturday nights game against Eastern Washington. Finatti gave up five goals against the second-ranked team in the West. TYLER LARSON photo NHL All-Star game close affair ATLANTA (AP) - Marc Savard scored the winner, Rick Nash scored three goals, Eric Staal scored a brand new truck. There was plenty to see in this NHL AllStar game, even without Sid the Kid. Savard, known for more for his passing than shooting, found an open net with 20.9 seconds left to lift the Eastern Conference to an 8-7 win over the West on Sunday night. Suddenly, Atlanta was home again for the Boston Bruins forward. While the Thrashers faithful chanted and cheered for current favorite Ilya Kovalchuk, they showed a little love for Savard, who turned a 20-year stop in Atlanta into a lucrative Jazz win 97-89 in Houston Single & Pregnant? Ge'ersald. MacDonald scored the first goal of the game, taking a lightning-quick feed from Geer and surprising Montana State goalie Stu Barnes. USU built a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission when Maciej Michalik fired a tumbling groundball that went between Barnes' legs. The Aggies continued to methodically build their lead in the second period as Scottie John scored on a blueline slapshot, MacDonald got his second goal, and Geer took a breakaway to the far post and backhanded the puck home. Although MSU got on the board with an unassisted power-play goal early in the third, the Aggies kept working and MacDonald completed the hat trick a short while later. Ryan Osterheldt and Geer poured in two more goals in the third period to make the game an official blowout. "It was a lot of fun. There was a lot of people here," MacDonald said. "The hockey's pretty similar, I mean, my line, we've got great chemistry so it's been pretty easy." Geer said MacDonald has fit in so well because he plays a similar style of hockey to Geer himself. "Me and him kind of have the same style of play," he said. "He's a little bit quicker than I am. We seem to find each other on the ice." The Aggie goal was ably protected by Dan Cornelius, who turned aside 19 shots and boosted his goals against average for the second straight weekend. -graham.teny@aggiemail.usu.edu UTAH JAZZ FORWARD ANDREI KIRILENKO (47) of Russia, hangs from the basket after dunking the ball in front of Houston Rockets' Steve Novak during the second half of a basketball game Sunday, in Houston. Kirilenko scored 17 points in Utah's 97-89 win. AP photo free-agent deal with Boston before last season. "It wasn't a tough shot, but it sure felt good when it went in," Savard said. "I got booed on Saturday and a little today, but I liked playing here for the Thrashers. It got my career on track. It felt great to come back and play in the All-Star game. "Getting the winning goal just made it more special." Leading up, there was much talk about who wouldn't be at the All-Star game. Sidney Crosby, the defending NHL MVP and scoring champion pulled out due to a sprained ankle, and starting goalies Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo both withdrew for personal reasons. That left it wide open for others to grab the attention. Of the 42 players, 15 made their All-Star debuts. The West started fast, then got buried. They rallied in the second, caught up in the third and even went ahead. They had Nash's hat trick to thank for that, and solid play from MVP Eric Staal and Savard to lament. Real early it looked as though it would be a night for the West when Nash scored the first of his three a record-quick 12 seconds into the game. "We came out a bit slow and they took it to us,M Nash said. , ..• . 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