University Daily Kansan / Monday, November 27, 1989
Sports
9
Kansas wins Dodge NIT Randall's 25 points lead Hawks past Redmen
By Dan Perkins
Kansas sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas Jayhawks have a lot to be thankful for already this season despite having to put off Thanksgiving dinner for a few daws.
The team did not have an "official"
Thanksgiving dinner until yesterday
afternoon because of another matter
it had to take care of Thursday. And
the sign in Coach Roy Williams yard
 said it all — "NIT CHAMPS."
Kansas that task Friday night by defeating No. 25 St. John's, 68-37 in the Redmen's backyard, in the Indiana Square Garden in New York.
The victory was the Jayhawks' right upset of a ranked team in the BCS.
Williams said that he thought all along that the Jayhawks had a chance to win the tournament, but he said that wasn't what was important.
"I really did," Williams said, "but the important thing is that I got the kids to believe it, and they're the ones who got here, not Roy Williams."
With a four game sweep of the tournament, including wins against second-rated Louisiana State, 89-83, and No. 1 UNLV, 91-77, in just five days, the Jayhawks are expected to pick up a few more than the 30 votes they received for the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll.
Williams is playing down the importance of the first four games of the season, although he has been a part of the team for most of his making a Final Four appearance.
When asked if Kansas was a contender for the national championship, Williams said, "I don't know. Ask me at the end of the eason.
"I hate to talk about national championships when 287 teams haven't played a game yet. Every year, 30 to 40 teams have a chance, and you might extend that list because the year that Kansas won it, they were rated lower than that."
The Jayhawks' toughest game of the tournament, which began with a 109-83 rout of Alabama-Birmingham, was the championship game against St. John's.
A basket by Mark Randall gave Kansas a 2-0 lead with less than a minute gone in the game, but the Jayhawks trailed 10-2 before they scored again.
While Kansas was missing eight of nine shots, the Redmen were nearly perfect from the field and for the first time in a tournament. Kansas looked beatable.
But the Jayhawks went on a 32-9 run and by halftime they led 38-25.
Terry Brown and Jeff Guelden sparked the Jahaywahs' early come
1.
hate to talk about national championships when 287 teams haven't played a game yet. Every year, 30 to 40 teams have a chance, and you might extend that list, because the year that Kansas won it, they were rated lower than that.'
Roy Williams Kansas basketball coach
back with three consecutive three pointers within a minute, pulling the Jayhawks into the lead, 11-10.
"I think it was good for us," Williams said. "It's the first time we were behind. I think it showed what kind of team we have."
What Kansas showed Williams, as well as the nation, was the key to the victory. Randall Shaw
The 6-9 junior entered the game averaging 17.7 points per game and nearly matched those numbers in the first half with 17 points.
Randall finished the game with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and won the tournament's most valuable player award. He also added 18 rebounds and three steals.
"He played a game tonight that everybody would like to have in their lifetime," Coach Roy Williams said. "He runs the floor as well as any big man in the game."
Kevin Pritchard, who scored nine
points against St. John's, was named to the all-tournament team.
But with Pritchard and Randall in foul trouble, St. John's slowly began chipping away at the Jayhawks lead until finally pulling ahead 56-55 with six minutes remaining in the game.
Most of the Redmen's scoring came from Greg "Boo" Harvey. Harvey was the game's high score with 28 points, but he was held scorele in the last 8:45 of the game by Kansas' switching defenses.
"We ran some different defenses at him, tried to give him some different looks, and I think that, helped," Williams said.
With the changing defenses, Kansas outscored the Redmen 10-1 the rest of the game.
"I're really happy for our kids," Williams said. "They are intelligent kids that believe in what we're doing. They held their poise when St. John's made their big run and came down and got two easy lavaws."
The Jayhawks reached the finals with a 91-77 victory against the top-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels on Wednesday night.
After trailing 38-28, the Jayhawks took charge in the last four minutes of the first half by outscoring the Giants by grabbing a 42-38 halftime advantage.
The Jayhawks eventually extended the lead to 20 points at 83-63, erasing all doubts about the final outcome.
Against the Runnin' Rebels, six Jayhawks scored in double figures, led by Mike Maddox's 17 points off the bench.
Randall added 16 points and Pekka Markkaneneach scored 14. Rick Calloway scored 13, Pritchard 12 and Gueldner 10.
The biggest factor facing Kansas entering the game, Larry Johnson, became a non-factor from the beginning because of the defense of Randall, Markkaren and Maddox.
The Jayhawks' next game is 7:30 Thursday night against the Idaho Vandals in Allen Field House.
Johnson, who entered the game averaging 24.5 points per game, was held to just 13 points, including just four in the second half.
Sport briefs
Kansas ended the first half of Friday's game with a 23-18 lead over Toledo but steadily lost ground to the Rockets in the second half.
With 2:27 remaining, Toledo guard Jodi Whitte tossed in two free throws, putting the Rockets up by one, 45-44. Kansas center Lynn Page brought the Rockets back down with two layups, leaving Kansas with the lead, 48-45, with one minute left on the clock.
Forward Misti Chennault was the game's high scorer with 13, and Page laid in 10 points and 10 rebounds.
KANSAS BASKETBALL! The Kansas women's basketball team won the first round of the Wahine Classic in Honolulu, beating Toledo 49-45 Friday but losing in the semifinals to Hawaii on Saturday 72-62.
Kansas struggled all the way through Saturday's game and left the first half trailing 29-21.
Michigan State, a tall, talented team, plays a smaller, quicker and smart Kansas State team tonight.
Guard Lisa Braddy was the high scorer for the night with 17, followed by forward Shannon Bloxom with 14. KANSAS STATE: The championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage is a matchup of two different states. Each team will be the team that's most ready.
Spartans coach Jud Heathcote agreed that Smith is a great player but said, "my favorite player
Each team has one outstanding player, and they vividly illustrate the contrast.
"Hopefully, we've learned enough to make progress against a great player," Kruger said. "We're going to try to make Smith work as hard as possible to get what he's going to get."
sarts in the first two innings. Florida State's Tharon Mayes scored 27 points in the opener, and Hawaii's Chris Gaines had 30 in the second. K-State had to come from behind twice.
Steve Smith is a 6-foot-6 junior for the Spartans who does everything in a big way. After two Shootout games, Smith was second in scoring (26 average), tied for second in rebounding (10 average) and first in assists (8 average).
Kansas men's cross country team runs through Lawrence in one of this year's last practices.
Steve Henson, a 6-foot-1 senior who runs the Wildcats, averages 17 points and 6.5 assists while making the big right decisions in key situations.
...
Kruger said the Wildcats didn't do a good job of stopping the individual stars in the first two Shootout games.
"I just think he's an outstanding player," K-State coach Lon Kruger said of Smith. "He makes the others around him better."
They have never played on each other's home floor and they have not played after Jan. 1 of any season. All the games have been neutral-court, made-for-TV matchups or in tournaments.
The coaches, with 1,197 victories between them, met for the eighth time in 1986. They are the championship of the Maul Classic in Lahaina, Hawaii, at stake.
"Norm and I have a way of finding each other early in the season," said Smith, who leads the overall series between the coaches 4-3.
already is Steve Henson."
MISSOUIRI BASKETBALL: Dean Smith and Norm Stewart keep meeting by chance, rather than by design.
The Hawaiian setting wasn't unusual for Smith and Stewart; they split two earlier meetings in the 50th state.
As usual, when they meet, both teams were ranked — North Carolina at No. 7, the Tigers atop the Second Ten.
"We don't schedule each other much; we just seem to find each other in tournaments," Smith said. "I am more nervous than I have for Norm and his program."
"You know you're going to get a good game when we play." Stewart said. "They're always good, and we've won our share of games."
Runners see 10th-place finish for triumphant end to season
By Paula Parrish
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas cross country season ended last week with a simple message — proclaimed on a 14-foot banner in 3-foot-tall script: "What a Team!"
And although there were only a handful of celebrants to greet the men's team on its return from Annapolis, Md., on Tuesday, jubilation for its 10th-place finish at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships was boundless.
"It was the first time this team's been to nationals, and I think we couldn't have done better," said Steve Heffernan, referring to the runners on this year's squad. Heffernan led Kansas, as he has done all season, and finished first for the Jayhawks and 58th overall with a time of 31 minutes, 2.98 seconds on the 10,000-meter course. John Nuttall of Iowa State took first with a time of 29:30.55.
Donnie Anderson finished second for Kansas and took 82nd overall with a time of 31.29.64. He was followed by Drummit Brummett, 86th, 31.19.44; Sam
Froese, 95th, 31;36.90; Stewart Gillin,
114th, 32;01.06; Mike Spielman,
134th, 32;19.31; and Ladd McClain,
151st, 32;44.65.
"It was definitely the most fun race of my life," Anderson said. "We knew that we went in and raced well, we had a chance at the top ten."
Kansas scored 314 points. Iowa State, ranked first in the nation going to national championship, ranked second before the meet, took eighth with 305.
Twenty-two teams and 30 individuals combined for a total of 184 competitors, by far the largest meet for Kansas' men this year.
"It really wasn't that bad," Heffernan said. "People gave you a lot of room. It was a big course."
Coach Gary Schwartz said before the meet that he expected his team to finish somewhere between 12th and 18th.
"It's a real tribute to the guys on the team," he said. "This is something I had on my goal sheet for two years from now."
Kansas qualified for nationals by placing third at the NCAA District V Regionals on November 11. Iowa State and
Nebraska placed first and second, respectively. The top three teams from regionals qualify for nationals.
Kansas' men were ranked as high as 20th at midseason, taking first in three of their first four meets and placing second in the third.
But a third-place finish at the Arkansas invittional, Oct. 14, dropped them to 21st. A disappointing fifth-place finish at the Big Eight Championships, Oct. 28, dropped them out of the top 25. Heffernan, who had expected to finish among the top ten in that meet, fell down during the race and was able only to scramble back to place 20th.
"It was a real motivator for me,' Heffernan said. "I wanted to come back and prove myself."
Heffernan did it with style, placing ninth at regionals and helping his team qualify for nationals.
"I think it sends a message that we want to be taken seriously," said Schwartz, who is in his second year as cross country and track coach. "I want to make cross country a sport here at Kansas again, not just something to get ready for track."
Holiday tournaments reel from Big Eight triumphs
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Big
Eight Conference could hardly
hope for a better basketball
etaway.
First, unranked and almost forgotten Kansas thrust itself back into the limelight by upsetting No. 2 LSU and No. 1 UNLV in successive games and made the championship round of the preseason National Invitational Tournament. Kansas then best St. John's to start with a 4-6 record.
Then No. 11 Missouri staved off challenges from Evansville and No. 12 Louisville and made the championship round against No. 7 North Carolina.
And Kansas State will play today for the championship of the Great Alaska Shootout.
In Big Eight games Saturday, Missouri beat Louisville 62-79, KState downed Hawaii 79-76, Iowa state defeated Detroit 77-88 and Nebraska beat Missouri-Kansas City 91-76.
The Tigers played an outstanding first half against Louisville and then, to quote Missouri coach Norm Stewart, came to a grinding halt.
"With a lead like that, we figured every time we did not score at least ran some time off the clock," Stewart said. "We'll get better said. That was some game."
Missouri (2:4) led 79-57 when Louisville scored 11 straight points. Doug Smith made a free throw, but the Cardinals went on another 11-0 run and drew within 60-79 with 81 seconds left.
Missouri scored just three points in the final 8:03, but they managed to hold off Louisville.
The Tigers then ran down the 45-second check and scored on a shot by Anthony Peeler. Louisville (1-1) missed a 3-point attempt at the end of the game.
"We had a lot of good offer in the second half and the difference was just a matter of hustle." Louisville coach Denny Crum said.
Kansas City Chiefs win against Oilers; Houston sets record for most penalties
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When the home team plays its best game of the season and the visitors play their absolute worst, rots happen.
"Let's face it — we're not 34 points better than them," Coach Marty Schottchenheimer said yesterday after his Kansas City Chiefs hung a 34-0 shutout on the Houston Oilers, who set a team record with 16 penalties.
The Oilers (7-5), who had won five of their previous six, were shut out for the first time in almost three years while setting the club record with 16 penalties for 115 yards. They also go into the record book as the most shutout in a game by beaten opponent since a 40-3 victory over San Diego 21 years ago.
The Chiefs, who had only 15 yards in penalties, got the first shutout since 1981, and the Ollers were making no excuses.
"We couldn't get open." Houston coach Jerry Glauville said. "We couldn't pass protection. The defense
didn't stay onside. We didn't play well. I didnt coach well."
"I guess you can say it's not as bad as if you lost by one point," said Houston quarterback Warren Moon, who was pulled in the fourth period after an 8-for-20 day for 99 yards. "We got blown out."
Moon's one interception triggered a sideline brawl that resulted in 24 yards in Houston penalties and gave the Chiefs complete control of the momentum.
momentum:
After Walker Lee Ashley made the interception early in the first period, Moon and rookie linebacker Derrick Thomas wrestled each other into the Chiefs' bench and sent players, coaches and officials scrambling to separate them.
Moon was given a 15-yard penalty, then Glanville caused another penalty by arguing with the referee.
ity by arguing that the penalty yards gave the Chiefs a first down on the 8, and after a facemask penalty against the Oliers, James Saxon carried over right guard from 4 yards out for a 10-0
lead.
"They've always been known as kind of a dirty bunch of players." Chiefs' linebacker Dino Hackett said. "Then when they tried to start some stuff against us and we shoved it right back in their face, it set the momentum right there. It said we weren't going to take anything from them."
Nick Lowery, who missed three potential game-winning field goals last week at Cleveland, kicked a 31-yarder in the first period and a 34-yarder in the second.
"What a big momentum shift." Chiefs guard Mark Adickes said. "Any time you get a turnover, it turns the momentum. But then for there to be an altercation and the guy to blame is the quarterback, and then you get 24 yards in penalties, and then you get another penalty that puts you on the 4-yard line."
The Oliers, who had not been shut out since losing 27-0 at San Diego on Dec. 7, 1986, broke their record of 15 penalties, established Oct. 6, 1985
against Denver.
"There is no two ways about it." Houston running back Alonzo Highsmith said. "They beat us in every phase of the game."
With 4:16 left in the first half, Albert Lewis blew in from the right side to block Greg Montgomery's punj. Paitice Pearson fell on the ball on the 1-yard line and rolled into the end zone for a 20-0 lead.
"Nothing was going right," Glan-
ville said. "Maybe down the road
that experience will help us."
Steve DeBerg, who completed 15 of 28 passes for 224 yards and no interceptions, drove the Chiefs 51 yards in six plays in the third period and hit Jonathan Hayes with a 7-yard touchdown strike for a 27-0 lead.
Christian Okoye's 17-yard run up the middle capped a nine-play, 71-yard march in the fourth period. Okoye had 67 yards, pushing his season total to 1,943 and making him the Chiefs' first 1,000-yard rusher since the late Joe Delaney in 1991.