BIG 12 CHAMPIONS
The Iowa State Cyclones lost to the Texas Longhorns 57-56 last night in Austin, Texas, which guaranteed the KANSAS JAYHAWKS the Big 12 Conference Championship. Last season, Kansas won the final Big Eight Conference title. Kansas has now claimed the first ever Big 12 title. Kansas has a 12-14 performance record and heat both Colorado and Iowa State twice, the only teams in contention for the title. Kansas has three regular-season games remaining, and will face Kansas State at 3 p.m. Saturday at Allen Field House.
SPORTS
BRADY VISITS TOPEKA TO TALK GUNS
President Reagan's former alde JIM BRADY visited Topeka to testify against legislation that would allow Kansans to
carry concealed weapons. Brady said passing the legislation was not a solution to rising crime. Story on 6B
TECH PLAYER SUES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1997
Texas Tech coaches used defensive lineman STEPHEN GAINES for his playing ability, then discarded him when he became academically ineligible during his senior season, the player claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Gaines, who played for the Red Raiders in the 1990, 1992 and 1993 seasons, sued the
school, two coaches and a former counselor on numerous counts, including racketeering, fraud, forgery and negligence.
SECTION B
No.12 Kansas 70, Missouri 60
KANSAS (20-4)
Trapp  FG  FT  TP  TA
Pride  1-5  2-4  1-2
Staikard  1-5  2-4  1-2
Hablebill  3-4  3-4  9
Dixon  8-13  8-13  9
Raymont  3-10  8-12  14
Grayer  1-5  0-0  12
Canada  4-9  4-9  12
Reed  2-2  0-0  4
Scott  0-1  5-6  5
Fletcher  0-0  0-1
Tesla  23-53  20-38  70
MISSOURI (10-16) FG FT TP 0
Bonds 0-6 0-0 0-0
Akpaffiong 3-9 0-0 0-0
Dixon 2-8 2-8 6-0
White 3-7 0-0 0-0
Herni 8-13 6-6 26
Williams 1-5 6-0 26
Thornton 0-1 1-2 1
Johnson 3-5 3-5 1
Trundle 0-1 0-0 0
Monteau 0-0 2-2 2
Total 20-50 14-17 60
Halftime: Missouri 34, Missouri 25.3 Points goal:
Missouri 6-10 (White 2, Heal 4, Marmel 3)
Kansas 0-3 (Habilee 0, Foulden 1; outson John.)
Missouri 25 (Alkoffinger, Dixon 6), Kansas 37
Washington 25 (Garrett, Warren 9),
Kansas 13 (Dixon, Reed 4). Total: Missouri
25, Kansas 17. A: 1,916
Women's game notes
The No. 12 Jayhawks have won 18 consecutive games in Allen Field House, a streak that ranks seventh in women's college basketball. The Kansas women's record for consecutive home victories is 20 games. The Jayhawks can tie the record by winning the rest of their regular-season home games.
KU students bring home regional basketball title
Guard Tamecka Dixon is the second player in Kansas history to record more than 1,500 points and 300 assists. Former Kansas Jayhawk Lynette Woodard is the only other player with those numbers.
Four University of Kansas students won the Central Regional Championship at the Schick Super Hoops Tournament.
Derek Lind, Lawrence sophomore,
Ryan Kruse, Watertown, S.D. sophomore,
Fred Souder, Bartlesville,
Okla., graduate student and Manny Ortiz, Puerto Rico sophomore made up the winning 3-on-3 team that captured the 1997 title label.
Teams from 50 regional colleges and universities competed at Iowa State last weekend. It is the country's largest 3-on-3 collegiate intramural basketball tournament.
The four students qualified for the tournament by winning the on campus Schick Super Hoops competition held at the University a few weeks ago.
Each member of the team was awarded an NBA/Schick Super Hoops jacket.
-Kansan staff report
Sacramento to remain site of the Kings' court
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings are in Sacramento to stay after the team's majority owner accepted the terms of a $70 million loan from the city.
Kings owner Jim Thomas said that he had reached agreement on the naming rights for Arco Arena, the team's nineyear-old home court, which left him able to agree to the terms of the 30 year, low-interest city loan.
Thomas originally faced a Feb. 15 deadline for reaching an agreement, and the loan offer officially expired last weekend when that deadline was not met.
The city council on Feb. 5 agreed to loan the Kings $70 million, money that Thomas said he needed to reflance his debt on the arena. The Los Angeles businessman said last year that the nature of the Sacramento market, along with the debt on the arena, left the team in serious financial trouble.
The Associated Press
Jayhawks'win regains lead
Kansas women beat Missouri, top conference
By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter
The No. 12 Kansas women's basketball team got revenge and took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 Conference with a 70-60 victory against Missouri last night.
The Jayhawks had been tied for the Big 12 lead with No. 9 Texas, which lost at Iowa State 74-56 last night.
Kansas guard Angie Halbleib had a team-high 16 points against Missouri. Although she had gone 1-for-8 in the first meeting, Halbleib drilled 8-of-13 shots from the floor this time.
playing through various injuries. Dixon landed on her hip when she dove for a loose ball, and later twisted both ankles.
"I never really lost confidence in my shot," Halibble said. "As a shooter, I'll continue to take the open shot when I get it. The shots felt good tonight, but they haven't felt that good in a while. Hopefully I can carry this over into the next game."
Kansas guard Tamecka Dixon scored 14 points, had six rebounds, four assists and three steals, despite
All three injuries occurred during the second half when the Jayhawks maintained a comfortable lead against the Tigers (10-16 overall, 3-10 in the Big 12).
"The ankles bothered me, but I never had time to think about them until the game was over." Dixon said. "Early in the game I missed some easy shots and some easy opportunities, so I decided to help the team in other ways."
Kansas was leading 16-11 with less than 10 minutes left to play in the half before it went on a 9-0 nm in the next five minutes. Five players contributed points during that stretch, which helped Kansas maintain a double-digit lead until the final minute of the game.
kansas and Missouri played each other closely during the game's first 10 minutes.
"The toughest thing to do now is keep the intensity up every single game," Kansas women's head basketball coach Marian Washington said. "We had to keep fresh legs on the court throughout the game to help everyone stay focused on maintaining the lead. It's easy to let up against a team like Missouri and
"As a shooter, I'll continue to take the open shot when I get it."
Angie Halbleib Kansas guard
then, before you know it, the lead's gone. We didn't want that to happen tonight."
Kansas (20-4 overall, 11-2 in the Big 12) has a one-game lead against Texas in the conference standings. Three games remain in the Big 12 regular season.
ayahwk center Nakia Sanford and forward Patience Grayer, had solid performances underneath the basket.
Sanford recorded nine points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots, while Grayer had 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Missouri was led by guard Julie Helm, who had a career-high 26 points and four assists. None of her teammates broke double-digits in scoring.
Tamecka Dixon, senior guard, grimaces after pulling down a rebound against Ekpedeme Akaffiang and Susan Dixon of Missouri.
Geoff Krieger / KANSAN
Pollard returns to court rested, ready for action
After a month out, center back in game
Kansan sportswriter
By Bill Petulla
Kenneworth sportswriter
The cast is off, the nail polish is removed, the hair is cut and the sideburns are trimmed. That could only mean one thing. Kansas center Scot Pollard is back.
Pollard, who many feel is the final piece of the puzzle as Kansas gears up for the stretch run of the season, will return to the court tonight at practice.
Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said Pollard would practice with the team, marking his first on-court action since the announcement that he suffered a stress fracture on Jan. 22.
"Scot will practice Thursday and we'll try to get a half of a practice out of him to see how he feels," Williams said. "Yes (he'll play on Saturday). And he won't be out there just to shoot a three-point shot."
Williams said that Pollard, who will play against Kansas State, wanted to make his return last Monday in against Missouri.
Tyler Wirken / KANSAN
"He really wanted to play," Williams said. "He made sure we put his name in the scorebook. At halftime, he would have given every possession he had in the world to put a uniform on."
Senior Scot Pollard intently eyes the ball as a Connecticut player grabs it during the Jayhawks' game in Hartford, Conn. After becoming injured 28 days ago with a stress fracture in his foot, Pollard will return at 3 p.m. Saturday to play his final game in Allen Field against Kansas State.
worries put him under pressure. Kansas is 7-1 without Pollard, its only loss has been in a 96-94 double-overtime defeat to Missouri on Feb. 4. In that game, the Jayhawks were outrebounded 43-37 and Pollard's two backups, centers B.J. Williams and J.T. Pugh, both fouled out.
"I think we're a much better rebounding team with Scot," Williams said. "Before Scot got hurt, we were second in the country out of 302 teams, and without him we're barely positive."
Raef LaFrentz has stepped up in Pollard's absence. LaFrentz, who is slotted as a forward, has been called upon to fill the void left by Pollard at the center position. LaFrentz, however, has used the crisis to his advantage.
Roy Williams said Pollard brought the Jayhawks more muscle underneath the basket.
Guard Jacque Vaughn said Pollard's return would lighten the load on LaFrentz's shoulders.
In each of the eight games without Pollard, LaFrentz has led the team in scoring, averaging 22.8 points per game. LaFrentz also is averaging 10.3 rebounds in Pollard's absence.
"Raf has done a tremendous job for
us," Vaughn said. "But with Scot in there, Raef won't have to guard the five man again."
Roy Williams said one reason Pollard's return would be significant was that he was one of the finest defensive centers he had ever been around.
"Scot is the best all-around defensive center I've coached," Williams said. "Greg Ostertag may have been a better shot blocker, but Scot, as far as getting position, playing it properly ... is the best defensive center I've had."
In other news, league officials said Missouri center Derek Grimm wasn't expected to receive a suspension for throwing a punch at LaFrentz Monday night.
With 31.3 seconds remaining, Grimm swung at a falling LaFrentz. A minor scuffle ensued, but it was immediately broken up by players and officials.
"In my estimation, I think the issue is put to rest," Big 12 supervisor of officials Dale Kelley told the Lawrence Journal World Tuesday from his Tennessee office.
Jayhawk's top guns
NAME EVENT PLACE TIME
The following members of the Kansas track and field team are ranked in the top five in the Big 12 Conference:
NORTH
Pierre Lisk 55-Meters 4th 6.27
Nathan Prenger 55-Meter Hurdles 3rd 7.38
Gene Coleman 600-yards 3rd 11.09.8
Ricardo Amezuca 5,000-Meters 3rd 14:20.40
Jerry Pullins 5,000-Meters 4th 14:22.51
Marc Romito Pole Vault 17-1.12
C
**Women**
Lynn LoPresti 5,000-Meters 5th 18:06.84
April Kockrow Shot Put 4th 47-8
Candace Mason Pentathlon 3rd 3,596
Big 12 track championship this weekend
Jayhawks prepare to hurdle the intensified competition
For the second time in three weeks, the Kansas track and field team will travel to Lincoln, Neb., to compete against some of the best track and field athletes in the world.
By Matt Woodruff
Kansan sportswriter
But this time, it will be for the first-ever Big 12 Conference Indoor Championship.
"This will be the most competitive conference meet I've been in," said Kansas coach Gary Schwartz. "There will not be any weak or cheap points. You're going to have to earn everything, and that's the way it should be."
Less than nine months after holding the "The Final Chapter" — the final track event in the history of the Big Eight Conference — Nebraska coach Gary Pepin and his team will play host to the fierce competition in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
"It's going to be way stronger than the Big Eight Conference has been in the past," he said. "It's going to be a terrific track and field meet, and I'm sure this new conference will be one of the top two in the nation."
In all, there will be 77 automatic or provisional qualifiers competing in 17 NCAA events on the women's side and 60 competitors in 17 different events in the men's fold.
"We're expecting a sellout crowd, and we have athletes on both sides that are leading their events in the United States," Pepin said.
One of those athletes is Nebraska shot-putter Tressa Thompson, who has the best-ever collegiate performance in the event (60-73/4).
6
The Cornhuskers were picked by Track and
See TRACK, Page 3B