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Show T-birds lead RMAC race; face Westminster, Mesa on Road Trip lit 4 ' S If you know a good fortune teller or have an accurate crystal ball sitting around, Southern Utah State's basketball team would like to borrow one, or the other. The T-Birds stand atop the topsy-turvy Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference basketball race by a mere half -game going into the final week of the season. It might take both the fortune teller and the crystal ball to determine the final standings. Coach Stan Jack's crew travels to Salt Lake City Saturday for an encounter with arch-rival Westminster, then Monday, the Thunderbirds have a showdown with Mesa. The 'Birds go into Saturday's contest with an 18-5 overall record and a 14-4 RMAC mark. Westminster, which had a good shot at the title before a disasterous trip to New Mexico, has a 15-9 overall record and is 13-6 in the RMAC. The Parsons could still tie for the championship, cham-pionship, if they knock off SU and if Mesa beats the T-Birds. Mesa, however, must also lose two games in order for the Parsons to tie for the crown. Mesa stands 19-8 overall and 13-4 in the RMAC. The Mavericks favor; all three of their final games are in grand Junction. Western New Mexico and New Mexico Highlands will be foes out to knock off the Mavericks, as will the T-Birds. Though nothing official has been announced, SUSC looks like a good bet to get a playoff berth in the NAIA's District Seven, but the T-Birds need both wins to capture the RMAC title, something that has eluded Southern Utah since it joined the RMAC. Southern Utah and Westminster West-minster have met twice earlier in the season with the Thunderbirds prevailing 82-62 and 84-71. The Parsons are a different squad now however, with the addition of some new players: Allan Cottle and Tillman Overstreet. Westminster is led by former T-Bird Bob Lyman, who scores at an 18.1 point-per-game pace and leads the RMAC in fieldgoal percentage at .628 percent. Colby Adamson controls the boards for the Parsons with a 9.6 average. As a team Westminster leads the RMAC in fieldgoal percentage with a .536 mark and freethrow percentage at .751. Three Parsons, besides Lyman, shoot over the .500 mark: Adamson (.602), Cary Veis (.572), and Overstreet (.571). The Parsons are the only team in the RMAC this year without a home loss. Mesa, the defending RMAC champ, owns a 74-66 victory over the Thunderbirds. The loss is the only one this season suffered by the T-Birds in the confines of War Memorial Fieldhouse. That game wasn't one of the best for Southern Utah; the 'Birds hit only 26 percent from the field. Terry Meisenheimer and big Ed Carter did most of the damage. Meisenheimer ripped the nets for 23 points while Carter hauled down 19 rebounds and added 14 points. Carter leads the RMAC in rebounding with an 11.2 average. A year ago the T-Birds went to WILL HELP CAUSE. Quinton Davis, who has seen a lot of action at the center spot for SUSC T-Birds will be counted on to aid Coach Stan Jack and his crew in final two outings in RMAC race. Davis is a 6-7 senior from Ogden. RMAC standings for teams with playoff possibilities: Southern Utah 14 4 Mesa 13 4 Westminster 13 6 Western New Mexico 12 6 Southern Colorado 12 7 Grand Canyon College -- -(-Grand Canyon has already clinched a playoff berth as the NAIA District Seven top independent. in-dependent. The Antelopes will host this year's March 2-3 playoffs. The playoff games will be played at the Phoenix College Gym. Grand Junction for the NAIA District Seven playoffs to face the Mavericks, and the SU crew came up with its biggest win of the season, 95-86. The 'Birds had lost a last-second contest earlier at Grand Junction, 77-75. Statistically for the T-Birds, four of the five starters average in double figures. Kerry Rupp (6-5 (6-5 senior forward from Magna) is averaging 16.1 pointrs to lead the squad. Steve Hodson (5-10 senior guard, Orem) 14.1, Amos James (5-10 senior guard, Henderson, Nev.), 10.9, and Eric Daniels (6-6 senior forward, Moab), 10.8, round out the double figure scorers. Quinton Davis (6-7 senior center, Ogden) scores at 8.4. The rebounding is also led by Rupp with an 8.0 average, while Daniels and Davis haul down 6.7 boards. The T-Birds split last week in New Mexico, getting by N.M. Highlands, 77-76, and losing a heartbreaking 66-64 decision to Western New Mexico. James led the T-Bird scoring attack against Highlands with 18, while Rupp had 25 at Western N.M. |