SPORTS
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, February 27, 1992
9
Big Eight will run at Anschutz
Kansas track teams seek to improve '91 record
By Chris Jenson Kansas sportswriter
The Kansas men's and women's track and field teams hope to be less than gracious hosts for this weekend's Big Eight Conference Indoor Championships.
"The team is really optimistic," Marybeth Labosky, junior, said. "Everyone is anxious to show what we can do." The Big Eight leagues will be surprised.
Kansas is hoping that its recent success and improvement will carry over to the Big Eight meet, which begins at the Hornet in Anchizt Sports Pavilion.
Action begins with the pentathalon. The 5,000 meter race and the pole vault will also take place tomorrow Other finals will be held Saturday.
Coach Schwartz said he was optimistic about the team's prospects.
"Everybody has their head where it should be," he said. "We have a lot of good indications."
The Jayhawk men are returning with 1991 Big Eight Indoor champion Michael Cox in the 3,000 meters, who adds depth and quality to their roster.
Cox said he expected the meet to be totally different from last year's.
"The field is a lot stronger this year," he said. "It should be exciting."
Cox said he was a no-name in last year's 3,000 meter race and now people would change their strategy to include him.
"I would like to see it go out slow and tactical," Cox said. "That kind of race favors me."
Kansas will have a distinct advantage in racing on the home track. The track in Anschutz measures 252 meters. Six of the Big Eight schools have regulation-size indoor tracks measuring 200 meters. Only low
State has a bigger track at 300 meters.
"Our track gives us an advantage because it is slow," Cox said. "Most large tracks are faster, but ours is like running on oatmeal."
The Kansas men have won 24 Big Eight Indoor titles, the most in the conference, but they have not won a title since 1983.
Nebraska is favored to win both the men's and women's titles. The Huskers have won the women's title for the past 12 years, while the Nebraska men finished second to Iowa State last year.
Although the Jayhawks are not expected to win the title this year, Schwartz said he expected the team scoring to be close.
"It is going to be a very tight race after first place on the women's side and after second place on the men's side." he said.
women's teams finished fifth last year.
"Our intent is to score in more events and to score more points than last year," he said.
The women's team will be lead by freshman Nietzsche Shafer in the sprint events.
Senior co-captain Cathy Policies will lead the women in the middle distance events, along with sophomore Helaen Helafabr, who was third in the 800 meeters at last year's Big Eight Championships.
Another group of Jayhawks to watch is the men's two mile relay of Cox, Jason Teal, Dan Waters and Jon Handy.
"Weare all really excited," Palacios
"We are going to bleed pink and
blue."
Mizzou wins tightens race in Big Eight
The Associated Press
Missouri kept its hopes of a Big Eight Conference championship alive. Oklahoma State broke its four-game loss streak and Colorado secured its position in the conference basement last night.
Jeff Warren scored 20 points and Anthony Peeler hit four key free throws in the final minute to lift No. 6 Missouri to a 75-71 Big Eight victory against Iowa State last night.
Missouri rallied from a seven-point deficit in the second half to secure its fourth straight 20-victory season. The Tigers, whose record is 20-4 overall and 8-in conference play, went ahead with an 9-0 run late in the game, then held off a final Iowa State charge.
Iowa State, 18-9 overall and 4-7 in the conference,
lost for the third straight time. The Cyclones led 42-
38 at halftime and 49-42 after Fred Hoiberg's layup
with 15-53 left.
But Iowa State went scoreless for the next 4:21 and Missouri ran off 12 straight points to take a 54-49 lead. Peeler, returning from a one-gam suspension, was able to play 16 points and finished with 16 points, 12 in the second half.
Kansas State's Vincent Jackson scored eight points to spark a 20-8 Kansas State flurry to open the second half, helping carry the Wildcats to a 74-66 Big Eight triumph over Colorado last night.
Colorado, 12-12 overall and 3-8 in the Big Eight, responded with a 16-4 run of its own to creep back to 62-52 with 5:20 left, but the closest the Buffaloes could get was seven points on a James Hunter basket with 52 seconds remaining.
Kansas State, whose record is 14-100 overall and 4-1 in the Big Eight, hit its first seven shots of the second half and nine of its first 11. The outburst enabled the Wildcats to expand their 10-point halftime advantage to 22 points, 58-36, with 11:49 to play.
Askia Jones led the Wildcats with 21 points, including 17 in the first half, while Jackson and Gaylon Nickerson added 13 apiece and Wylie Howard had 11. Nickerson's 40-foot basket just before the half-time buzzer gave the Wildcats a 38-28 half time and seemed to trigger the second-half explosion.
The return of Byron Houston helped things return to normal for No. 14 Oklahoma State.
Houston, who missed the previous game with a sprained left ankle, had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks last night as the Cowboys ended a 14-0 streak with a 72-31 victory against No. 25 Nebraska.
"I think he's the type who rises to the occasion," Nebraska coach Danny Nee said. "He knew his team needed him, so he comes out and meets the challenge."
The Cowboys, 22-5 overall and 6-5 in the Big Eight, held Nebraska to 39 percent shooting and limited leading scorer Eric Piatkowski to five points, nine below his average. No Cornhusker scored in double figures.
Nebraska, which got into the Associated Press Top 25 this week for the first time this season, drowned to 17- overall and 5- in the Bie Eight.
"It was kind of hard to play on it," he said. "Once it got pretty loose, I was able to move around a little bit. I still wasn't able to explode, but I was able to play."
He scored eight of the Cowboys' first 16 points as Oklahoma State took an early 16-7 lead. After the Cornhuskers went on a 9-2 run to make it 18-16, Oklahoma State scored the next nine points to take a 27-16 lead.
Houston played with his ankle heavily taped, but played 31 minutes and did not seem to lack much quickness or jumping ability.
JustinKnupp/KANSAN
UNLV team plans suit for postseason eligibility
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — While attorneys for coach Jerry Tarkanian contemplated their next move in a bitter fight with UNLV administrators, supporters of embattled university president Robert Maxson planned a pep rally today in favor of academics at the school.
Jumping Jennifer
Hoping to qualify for the final round of the women's long jump, Jennifer Porter of Hutchinson Community College, strains to get every inch out of her last jump of the qualifying round. The NJCAA Region VI Indoor Track Championships were held yesterday afternoon in Anschutz Sports Pavilion. Ten community colleges attended the championship.
UNLV players, meanwhile, pressed ahead with plans to sue to get the sevent-ranked Runnin' Rebels in the NCAA tournament, despite reservations by some about the success of the suit.
"They say they've got a legitimate case and they're going to fight it," said junior guard Dexter Boney. "But it all may be for nothing and that can be discouraging."
Stein declined to discuss the substance of the suit, but said that he would ask a judge to issue a temporary restraining order and later an injunction.
Attorney Steve Stein, who represents the players, said that they were unanimous in supporting the suit, which he said would be filed either tomorrow or Monday in Nevada state court.
tion to allow the Rebels a chance to compete in the postseason tournament.
"We're going to file." Stein said. "The players are all for it."
UNLV, 24-2 and riding a 21-game winning streak, was banned from live television and postseason play this year as the resolution of a 13-year battle between Tarkanian and the NCAA.
Tarkian, who agreed to the ban so last year's talent-laden team could compete in the tournament, has said that he would not coach the team in the playoffs even if they managed to get
in
Tarkanian's attorney, Chuck Thompson, said yesterday that the coach remained firm in his conviction that he had rescinded a resignation he gave to Maxson last summer after pictures were published of former UNLV players in a hot tub with convicted game fixer Richard Perry.
Thompson said that Tarkanian would continue to act as coach, even at Tuesday's home game against Utah State, the final game of the regular season for the Rebels.
Kansas women clinch Big 8 title
By Cody Holt
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team wrapped up a share of the Big Eight Conference title on the strength of a 78-72 overtime victory against Oklahoma last night in Norman, Okla.
The Jayhawks overcame an 11-point second half deficit behind strong defense and a 16-point second-half performance by junior guard Stacy Truitt. Truitt and freshman forward Angela Aycock led Kansas with 22 points each.
With just over 7minutes left in the game, Kansas took its first lead in the second half on a Truitt steal and basket. The Jayhawks led 67-60 with 1:35 left in the game on an Avcock jumper.
Kansas turnovers allowed the Sooners back in the game when senior forward Angie Alexander hit a three-pointer with 15 seconds left on the clock tying the score at 67.
Kansas senior forward Terrilyn Johnson was fouled with eight seconds left but failed to convert the front end of a one-and-one and the game was sent into overtime.
Kansas scored first in overtime and never relinquished the lead.
The Jayhaws did receive a scar at 73-72 when the Sooners stole an inbounds pass with less than 10 seconds on the clock. It took another defensive play by Truitt to block an open Sooner layup with 4 seconds on the clock.
Oklahoma inbounded for two final shots that both fell short as the clock wound down and Kansas escaped with a one-point victory.
Colorado, 18-8 overall and 10-3 in conference play, keeps its chances alive for a share of the title with a 65-42 victory against Kansas State in Manhattan.
Aycock led the team with 12 rebounds. Senior guard Kay Kay Hart grabs seven steals and dished out five assists to lead the Jayhawks.
Kansas plays its final game of the season Saturday against fourthplace Missouri at Allen Field House. Missouri defeated Kansas 57-56 Jan. 15 in Columbia, Mo.
Colorado plays host to third-place Nebraska in the two teams' season finale.
Any combination of a Kansas victory or a Colorado loss would give Kansas its first outright conference championship since 1981.
Kansas tennis wins after difficult start
Bv Lvlle Niedens
Kansan sportswriter
After losing 5-1 to No. 16 North Carolina in the first round of the tournament Feb. 20, the unranked Jayhawks rebounded with a 5-1 victory against No. 18 Duke and completed the tournament with a 6-3 victory against No. 14 South Carolina.
The Jayhawks turned one negative into a weekend of positives as they culminated their indoor season with a 17th place finish Saturday at the USTA/TCA National Indoor Championships in Louisville, Ky.
"I think that's the best back-to-back wins we've had in my 10 years here," Kansas coach Scott Perelman said.
"We had quite a little chat immediately following the North Carolina match," Pereman said. "I thought we were going to either come back strong or roll over, and we came back real strong."
The victories improved the Jayhawks' record to 9-4 overall and 3-3 against ranked opponents this season. Perelman said that losing five matches in straight sets to North Carolina helped the Jayhawks focus in their later matches.
Senior Patrick Han, who plays No. 4 singles for the Jayhawks, said Kansas
played with a fierceness against Duke and South Carolina that the team lacked against the Tar Heels.
Han said he didn't think the team had been ready to face the Tar Heels and that travel problems the day before the match may have been the reason.
"We did to Duke what North Carolina did to us," Han said. "Coach Perelman thought we could have had a little more fire and a little more competitiveness against North Carolina, and the good thing about this team is that we respond."
"We weren't fierce competitors at all," he said of the North Carolina match.
Pereman said that traveling could not be used as an excuse for Kansas' performance, even though it took the Jayhawks seven hours to reach Louisville after the team missed its connecting flight in St. Louis.
"To lose in the first round and then to turn that into a real positive on the national scene is a nice accomplishment for the team."
Pereman said Kansas's biggest task next week would be to make the transition to playing outdoors at the March 6-8 match at Tempe, Ariz. The Jayhawks will be competing there in the Arizona State/Peml Invitational.
SPORTS BRIEFS
'Hawks to face Sterling
The Kansas baseball team's home opener against Sterling College, originally scheduled for yesterday, will be played at 3 p.m. today at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Monday's rain froze overnight,
causing the game to be delayed. The field was able to thaw Tuesday but was still unplayable yesterday.
The game will be nine innings, and sophomore Chris Corn will be the startling pitcher. The Jayhawks have a 16-game winning streak in home openers and have not lost a home opener since William Jewell beat Kansas 4-3 on March 25, 1975.
Academic team named
Missouri forward Jeff Warren was named to the Big Eight All-Academic basketball team for the second straight year.
Warren was named to the six-member team yesterday after compiling a 3.17 grade point average last year. He is a business administration major.
Players had to have at least a 3.0 GPA and earn a letter to qualify for the team.
Also named to the team were Mike Bergman, Iowa State sophomore, 3.15, management; Greg Hester, Iowa State junior, 3.67, mechanical engineering; David Johanning, Kansas senior, 3.18, graphic design; Bruce Chubick, Nebraska junior, 3.07, history; and Brent Price, Oklahoma senior, 3.44, communications.
Switzer libel trial begins
Jury selection began yesterday in Austin, Texas, in the $30 million lawsuit by a newspaper reporter who accuses former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer of libel, slander and invasion of privacy over allegations made in Switzer's autobiography "Bootleger's Bov."
Jack Taylor Jr., a reporter with the Los Angeles Daily News, and his wife Myrna Lee are seeking $5 million in damages and a $25 million punitive award.
They allgee that Switzer, in his book, falsely linked Taylor, formerly of the Dallas Times Herald, to an alleged scheme to plant drugs on Oklahoma football player Brad McBride in 1988.
Switzer's attorneys said the facts of the chapter dealing with Taylor were "substantially true." Switzer also filed a counter lawsuit for $6 million, alleging that Taylor illegally obtained the former coach's income tax records.
Potential jurors were given a copy of the book chapter dealing with Taylor and a questionnaire asking if they or anyone close to them had suffered mental, sexual or drug or alcohol-related problems.
Testimony in the case, which is expected to last three to six weeks, will come from journalists, law authorities, investigators, former football players and economic experts.
From staff and wire reports