Section:
B
Riding roughshot
The University Daily Kansan
Jockey Ken Shino tied a national thoroughbred racing record yesterday, winning eight races. The first round out of 45,600
Sports
The feat paid out at $45.60
Inside: The women's tennis team smoked Iowa State 7-2 yesterday in Kansas City, Mo.
SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: Gene Elstun, co-captain of the 1957 Kansas basketball team that made it to the title game, died Thursday.
SEE PAGE 4B
MONDAY,APRIL 3.2000
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Connecticut clobbers Vols in title game
Huskies' women earn school's second crown
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA
Connecticut had too much talent, too much depth and too many quick hands. And now the Huskies have something else as well — a second national championship.
With an impressive display of ball-hawking defense and efficient, balanced offense — the foundation of UConn's play all season — the Huskies overwhelmed Tennessee 71-52 last night and won the
women's NCAA title.
The top ranked Huskers (36-1) beat No.2 Tennessee for the second time in three meet.
ings this season and did it in a way that left the Lady Vols (33-4) dazed and looking helpless.
Tennessee was in the Final Four for the 12th time, seeking its seventh championship. But the Lady Vols could offer only token opposition to UConn, which completed an impressive run through the NCAA tournament.
No one in the tournament came closer than 15 points to the Huskies, whose only loss was a 72-71 setback to Tennessee Feb. 2.
Shea Ralph led the Huskies with 15 points in seven of eight shooting and had seven
assists and six steals.
Svetlana Abrosimova had 14 points, and Asjha Jones had 12.
The Huskies got a big lift from Kelly Schumacher, who had six points and a Final Four-record nine blocks.
Relying on its depth, Connecticut kept sending fresh waves of substitutes into the game, eventually wearing out Tennessee.
Tennessee had averaged 80 points a game, but it took the Lady Vols, who had four of their first five shots blocked, almost 13 minutes to score 10 points.
National Player of the Year Tamika Catchings drew the brunt of Connecticut's defense as first Swin Cash, then Jones and Ralph took turns guarding her.
She finished with 16 points leading the Lady Vols.
The championship came five years to the day after Connecticut won its first title.
And for Geno Auriemma,
Connecticut's coach,
the championship was all the
more thrilling because it came in his backyard.
Auriemma moved to this
country with his family from
Italy when he was 7 years old and
grew up in the
Philadelphia suburb of Norristown.
Kansas denies Aggie sweep
He also guided Connecticut to its other title in 1995, when the Huskies beat Tennessee 70-64 in Minneapolis and finished 35-0.
Offense comes alive in yesterday's 8-1 win; Aggies win series 2-1
By Amanda Kaschube sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Coach Bobby Randall knew that pitcher Pete Smart would start last Friday's game against Texas A&M and that Rusty Philbrick would throw on Saturday.
But Randall wasn't set on yesterday's starter, Brandon O'Neal, until the junior had already thrown for 20 minutes during warmups.
"I told Brandon earlier that I didn't think he could go nine innings," Randall said. "We were hoping for five or six. We weren't sure who was going to start." But pitching coach Wilson Kilmer wanted O'Neal, so Randell went with him.
Maybe Randall should listen to Kilmer more often.
Maybe Randall should listen to Kilmer more often. O'Neal struck out 10 and allowed only six hits in an 8-1 Kansas win — the first against the Aggies since 1985 — in the final game of the three-game weekend series at Hogland Ballpark. The Aggies (20-16, 10-5 Big 12) won the series 2-1, after winning 6-3 Friday and 8-6 in extra innings Saturday.
By winning the final game, the Hawks (18-15, 6-9) avoided what would have been their first sweep by a Big 12 Conference opponent this season. And that boosted O'Neal's confidence.
"It was a big game for us," he said. "Our goal is to not get swept the entire season. I made up my mind that I wouldn't get beat. This is the first time I've felt 100 percent since last fall. I have pop on my ball, and I'm back on track."
Making only his second start, O'Neal recently returned to the mound after suffering tendinitis in his right throwing arm during the fall. After yesterday's performance, he may have earned himself a spot in the starting rotation.
"He has velocity and sink," Randall said. "You think he's throwing a slider, but it's a sinking fast ball."
He retired seven straight batters, but catcher Brent Del Chiaro fumbled a throw off a bunt and allowed the batter to reach first. O'Neal countered with a fastball that helped force Texas A&M lead off hitter Chris Russ to pop up to shortstop John Nelson.
O'Neal controlled the pace of the ball game from the beginning.
The Aggies' only run was scored after a strikeout in the fifth inning when David Evans reached first base on a wild pitch. He scored off a double from the next
See JAYHAWKS on page 8B
Junior outfieldder Doug Dreher throws to first base. The Jayhawks avoided be swept in their three-game series against Texas A&M after winning yesterday's game 8-1. Kansas has not been swept by a Big 12 Conference opponent this year. Photo by Brad Dreier/KANSAN
Jayhawks travel for year's first scrimmage
Running back Henri Childs eludes the Kansas defensive line in a successful run to the end zone in a scrimmage Saturday near Topeka. Saturday's scrimmage was the first of the year for the Kansas football team. Photo by Craig Bennett/KANSAN
By Allan Davis sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The Jayhawks were on the road, but for once the outcome was never in question.
The Jayhawks have posted only one road victory in the Terry Allen era.
"I guess we won," coach Terry Allen said. "The officials over there said, 'Congratulations on the road win.'"
The Jayhawks scrimmaged Saturday at Shawnei Heights High School in Tecumseh, just east of Topeka, in front of about 350 spectators.
"It wasn't too bad," he said. "We didn't kick the ball around. For a first scrimmage, it was pretty good. I think we've got some big practice ahead of us, some interesting evaluation to take place up front in the offensive line, and we're still trying to secure things as far as the secondary."
Although in scrimmages the defense is not allowed to tackle the quarterbacks, the offense gave up what amounted to five quarterback sacks.
Allen said he was satisfied with the scrimmage.
area we just have another potential problem was the defensive line, as minor injuries sidelined two linemen. Nose tackle Dijon Dillon injured his back, and starting nose tackle Nate Dwyer's shoulder was bothering him, but the injuries weren't serious.
"We can't do that," Allen said. "We're not great in the defensive line yet, so that's an area we just have to get better at."
"That left us with five defensive linemen," Allen said. "So we're anxious to have the arrival of those junior college
During the first half of the scrimmage, the defense didn't demonstrate any glaring weaknesses, allowing the offense zero points on six possessions. Fullback Moran Norris came the closest to scoring, dragging defenders inside the 10-yard line.
defensive linemen, I think it'll help our football team, obviously, from an ability standpoint and a depth standpoint."
In the second half, the offense started each series with the ball in good field position. Halfbacks Henri Childs and Harold McClendon scored touchdowns, and placekicker Joe Garcia kicked three field goals.
Three junior college defensive linemen have committed to join the Jayhawks in August and will compete in the fall.
The defense managed to score a touchdown in the second half of the scrimmage when linebacker Tim Bowers grabbed a tipped pass and took it for six points.
Allen, who took practices on the road when he coached at Northern Iowa, said the Jayhawks could have another road practice next year.
Otto Schnellbacher, president of the
Topeka Jayhawk Club who was instrumental in bringing the scrimmage to the Topeka area, said he hoped it could become an annual affair. Schnellbacher was a 1947 All-American end at Kansas and played on the same team as two-time Kansas football coach Don Fambrough.
"I saw in the paper where KU mentioned that they would like to go off campus to have a practice," Schnellbacher said. "I got in the car, drove over and saw the coaches and said we'd like to have it in Topeka, Kansas. They said OK."
Schnellbacher and Bruce Price, another member of the Topeka Jayhawk Club, made arrangements with Shawnee Heights High School to hold a scrimmage at that location.
The point, Schnellbacher said, was to put more fans in Memorial Stadium for games.
more fans in Memorial Stadium for games.
"It'll bring Topeka people enthusiasm about the sport," he said. "And football needs to really get going at KU, and it will under Terry Allen. I'm very pleased with Terry Allen. I just think that we have the coach we need."
Michigan State, Florida clash in championship game tonight
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan State and Florida both started the season in the Top 10 and never dropped far below. Now they're the only teams left.
There are no other similarities.
While the Spartans are most effective in a half-court game, where they can crash the boards and be physical, the Gators prefer to play at warp speed, using a 10-man rotation and full-court pressure.
Michigan State, 31-7, was the only No. 1 seed to reach the Final Four and has lived up to the role in its bid for the national championship. The Spartans won every game in the NCAA tournament by at least 11 points, including Saturday night's 53-41 victory against Wisconsin.
Florida, seeded fifth, got a first-round scare from Butter before wearing down higher-seeded teams — Illinois, top-ranked Duke and Oklahoma State — with its hectic pace. The Gators, 29-7, used the same style to end North Carolina's surprising run with a 71-59 win Saturday night.
"We like to run, too." Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "Maybe some of that is our style also . . . I think we have an understanding for that. I think these guys want to run, too."
The Spartans can get up and down the court, having scored more than 80 points nine times this season. In the tournament, however, they have averaged
b2z with the five starters averaging between 27 and 35 minutes a game and only two reserves averaging more than 10.
Florida has averaged 79.4 points in the five tournament games, just off its 84.1 mark for the season. The 10 Gators who create all that havoc on the floor average between 13 and 31 minutes a game.
Michigan State starts three seniors, while Florida has one on the team and plays seven sophomores and freshmen in
"Our youthfulness has won us a lot of basketball games this year," said Kenyan Weaks, Florida's lone member of the Class of 2000. "I don't know if that's going to be a big problem in this game."
the rotation.
But Donovan won't change a thing.
"We're going to play our guys like we normally have, and I don't know if we'll be able to wear Michigan State down," he said. "We have to just try and play our style."
Michigan State is trying to become the first Big Ten team to win the national championship since Michigan won in 1989. The Spartans' only national championship came in 1979 when Magic Johnson led them to the title as a sophomore.
The Spartans are in the Final Four for the second straight year. They lost to Duke in the semifinals last season.
"That was cool, but we went home empty-handed." Cleaves said. "It's great to get here, but you'll always be remembered as a national champion."
national championship Florida is looking for its first national championship while keeping alive the Southeastern Conference's even-year streak. Arkansas won in 1994, and Kentucky won in 1996 and 1998.
Donovan, one of six men to play and coach in a Final Four, will try to join even more select company.
Only Bob Knight and Dean Smith have played in a Final Four and coached a national champion. At 34, Donovan
would be the third-youngest coach to win it all behind Indiana's Branch McCracken in 1940 and Wisconsin's Harold Foster in 1941.
"I haven't focused on the fact we're 40 minutes from a national championship," Donovan said. "Probably more that we're playing Michigan State and what we have to do to beat them."
Florida and Michigan State will meet tonight at 8:18 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Channels 5 and 13.
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