Sports University Daily Kansan / Thursday, February 16, 1989 9 Steve Traynor/KANSAN Kansas forward Mark Randall grabs a rebound from Oklahoma's Mike Bell. Randall scored 29 points and had nine rebounds during last night's 94-89 overtime loss to the No. 1 Sooners. 'Hawks push OU into overtime, losing 94-89 by Mike Considine Kansan sportswriter Kansas didn't discover the right formula to end its six-game losing streak last night against top-ranked Oklahoma, but the Jayhawks used all of their ingredients in a 94-89 overtime loss. "There is not a coach in America who is more proud of his team than I am," said Kansas coach Roy Williams. "I would be happier if we won, but Iought our guts out. Oklahoma and we gave them a great shot." "I think we didn't realize how close we were," Barry said. "We were in striking distance. If we got a couple The Sooners, ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, won in the last two minutes of the game. The Jayhawks were scoreless in their last three games and a free throw by Oklahoma center Stacey King deciding the game. "They played a great basketball game, which was no surprise to us," said Oklahoma coach Billy Tubbs. "People talk about their slump, but I think our kind of play actually brings people out of slumps." Kansas fell to 16-9 over and 3-7 in the Big Eight Conference for sixth place. Oklahoma, 22-3, remained in the Big Eight lead with an 8-1 record. Senior guard Scooter Barry made free throw nine seconds into the overtime to give the Jayhawks an 81-80 lead. A pair of short-rank baskets by King gave the Sooners the lead for good Senior Lincoln Minor tied it at 89 on a fast break layup with just 2:05 remaining. Sophomore Mark Randall, who was the Jayhawks' leading scorer with 29 points, hit a fire throw and scored on a goaltending call to cut the lead to 57.84 at 3:03. Senior center played against the team with point play to make it 69.47 and grabbed a defensive rebound to give the Jayhawks a chance to tie. Kansas came back with its inside game but couldn't regain the lead. of shots to fall, it could have been different." Minor missed a jumper with 1:30 Kevin Pritchard drove the lane with 30 seconds left and Sooner forward left, who had 22 points, blocked the shot. The Jayhawks recovered the ball and Barry threw a pass across the lane, intended for forward Freeman the other opponents intercepted to end the threat. Williams said he wanted Pritchard to take a three-point attempt on the last play, but the Sooners defense eliminated that option. "It's hard because we had a line-up that had never been in there together all year," Williams said. "We didn't have any other bodies to put in. Maybe a bit better execution but maybe not so open, but Lincoln made a wise decision not to get it there because the pass could have been intercepted." The Kansas starting front line (Milt Newton, Mike Maddox and Randall) had fouled out, leaving players with just seven available players. A driving layup by Kevin Pritchard with two seconds left in regulation sent the game over intotime at 80. "I told them I wouldn't mind a three-pointer if it was an open one." Williams said. "I didn't necessarily want to wait for the last shot to shoot through, but confident we could get the open three-pointer, we could drive the basket. The Jahayws opened the game with a 14-6 spurt. Kansas made six of its first seven shots and forced four of them in a zone defense with its trapping zone defense. “Our pressure was working more then,” Williams said. “But we can’t do that the entire game when you’ve got eight guys to play.” Kansas opened up a 26-19 lead at the 9:09 mark on two of three technical foul shots by Newton, who fin Williams said the Sooners made just three of 10 shots against Jayhawk zones in the half. ished with 23 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Oklaham recovered to take a 41-38 halftime lead. The Jayhawks made 15 of 28 shots in the half for 53.8 percent, however Williams said the team's 13 turnovers helped the Sooners gain the advantage. "I was pleased with every shot in the first half, except one," Williams said. "We did a much better job of taking care of the basketball in the second half. In the first half, I thought the turnovers really killed us." Oklahoma 94 Kansas 89 Kansas M MG F4 FT R1 R A F TP Newton 37 7-14 8-11 8-11 1 1 1 29 Randall 37 8-12 13-16 9 2 9 25 Maddux 37 8-12 13-16 9 2 9 29 Minor 30 8-13 0-1 0-2 4 2 39 Princhard 30 8-13 0-1 0-2 4 2 39 Alvarado 30 8-13 0-1 0-2 4 2 39 West 20 3-7 0-0 3-3 0 12 6 Minor 20 3-7 0-0 3-3 0 12 6 225 30-59 20-45 24-35 16 12 8 68 Percentages: FG, 508 FG, 686 Three-point goals: 5-10 (Pitchard 3, Barry 1, Newton 3, Minor 1) - Blocked Scores: None Turnovers: 2B, Barn 2, Newman 3, Pitchard 3, MacKenzie 1, MacKenzie 2, Maddox 1, team 1) Streams: 6 (Newton 3, Maddox 2, Maddox 1) Technicals: None Oklahoma | | M | FG | FT | R | A | F | T | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Wiley | 6 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | | King | 6 | 1 - 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | | King | 33 | 7-17 | 6 - 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 | | Blayck age | 54 | 4 - 19 | 0 - 1 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 25 | | Mulllin | 40 | 3 - 18 | 0 - 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | | Mulllin | 40 | 3 - 18 | 0 - 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | | Daval | 20 | 3 - 7 | 1 - 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | | Bell | 31 | 7 - 8 | 8 - 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 22 | | Bell | 31 | 7 - 8 | 8 - 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 22 | | Daval | 225 | 34 - 19 | 92 - 16 | 31 | 6 | 18 | 9 | Newton scores big in last night's loss Percentages: FG, 478, FG, 760. Three point goals: Joanne J. Goertzel (1) Blocked Shots: 1 (Ball, 4; King 2). Turnovers: 13 (Jones 4), Bailley 3, Mulins 3, Dawel 1, Baillet 1, Patterson 1, Davis 1, Baillet 1, Dawel 1, Davis 1, Baillet 1). Technicals: Bailley block. Half: Oklahoma 41-38. Speakers: Split. Westbrooks, Zetc A: 15.600 hv Arvin Donlev Associate sports edito After scoring 23 points in last night's 94-89 loss over to top-ranked Oklahoma, Milt Newton was shot and the publicized shooting slump was over. Newton, who was 7 of 14 from the field and 6 of 11 from the free-throw line, said that the solution to his long problem was mental, not physical. "Coach got me to start having meetings with our sports psychologist, David Cook," Newton said. "I think I wasn't in a slump physically shooting-wise, but I was in a slump mentally. "We worked on some stuff that I was supposed to think about. I had a couple of bad games and everyone started writing that I was in a slump and I started believing that. We were thinking those thoughts with positive thoughts." In the six games prior to the Oklahoma game, Newton made only 27 of 86 field goal attempts, which is 31 percent. He said the poor shooting also had affected other parts of his game. "Unfortunately, when I'm not shooting well, the rest of my game goes down," Newton said. "I don't rebound as well. When you start shooting everything seems to fall into place. "You get the boards, you get the breaks and everything seems to happen for you." Besides the 23 points, Newton had team highs in rebounds and steals with 11 and three. One of those steals came with 45 seconds remaining in regulation, which enabled guard Dwayne Holmes to a layup with 2 seconds remaining, sending the game into overtime. Roy Williams said he had talked to Newton prior to the game about concentrating on aspects of his game other than shooting. "I urged him to lose himself in the game and not worry about his shot." Williams said. "I thought he did a good job of that." Sophomore forward Mark Randall also praised Newton's performance. "Milt played a good game tonight." Randall said. "He's just got to keep doing that and not worry about his shot. He's just got to go out there and concentrate on playing the game. If he concentrates on things other than his shooting, things will work out for him." Before the game. Oklahoma coach Billy Tubbs had predicted that Newton would snap out of his slump. "I told (Kansas athletic director) Bob Frederick before the game that Newton would have a great night, and I thought he did." Newton moved to 20th on the Jayhawks all-time scoring list, with 1,032 career points. Despite his performance, Newton said he still would work with Cook to improve his game. Doctor says coaching not likely for Stewart "I just started going yesterday," he said. "I'm kind of upset that I didn't get to him earlier." COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri coach Norm Stewart is not likely to return to his team this season, doctors said yesterday. They spoke optimistically about his prospects for beating cancer. "his chance for a complete cure could be as high as 90 percent," said Walter Peters, the surgeon who operated on the 54-year-old Stewart. Peters joined Stewart's personal physician, Jay Ward, in discussing the coach's health a day after the surgery in which Stewart's gallbladder also was removed because it was "full of stones." Third-ranked Missouri is 21-5 after Tuesday night's 82-75 upset loss at With assistant coach Rich Daly running the team, the Tigers beat Kansas 93-80 and lost 112-105 to Oklahoma, which moved to No. 1 in this week's rankings. Missouri, coached for 22 years by Stewart, will not play again until Sunday when it will be host to Nebraska. The Associated Press Vitale wanted to mop field house Commentator says Williams doing grade-A first-year job Iowa State, its third game and second defeat since Stewart was hospitalized. After Tuesday night's game, center Gary Leonard said the players had been told of Stewart's cancer surgery during the pregame meal. "Most of us were in class all day, so we didn't have much time to think about it," Leonard said. "But I'm sure it will have an effect." by Mike Considine Kansan sportswriter Vitalie promised to scrub the Jayhawks' floor if former Kansas coach Larry Brown still was coaching the Jayhawks on opening day this season. But Vitalie didn't make it to Lawrence until yesterday, to work the Kansas-Oklahoma basketball game last night. Many Kansas fans hoped ABC and ESPN-TV commentator Dick Vitale would come to Lawrence on Oct. 15 to scrub the Allen Field House floor. He said he was disappointed to see Late Night with Larry Wilson, because Roy Williams, if only because the change cost him endorsements. "I wanted to be here in the worst way," Vitale said. "I could have got a sponsor and earned a lot of money. "Larry let me down. He loaded up the truck and moved to San Antonio. I was looking forward to having this place rocking and doing some scrubbing. A little scrub-a-dub, scrub-a-dub." ESPN-TV commentators Dick Vitale and Tim Brando worked last night's Kansas-Oklahoma game in Allen Field House. After last season, Vitale said he would mop the field house floor if former Kansas coach Larry Brown still was coaching the Jayhawks Oct. 15. Vitale, a former basketball coach at the University of Detroit and with the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, will teach Brown how to take another job. "I just felt that Larry was so much in demand," Vitale said. "I had a lot of sources who I knew were very interested in Larry, I knew the money that was going to be put in front of him would almost make it impossible for him not to leave. "Larry gets excited about new challenges. He's such a wanted guy and such an outstanding coach." Vitale said he would give Williams a grade of 'A' for his coaching this season. He said the first-year coach had done an excellent job under the strain of a three-year NCAA probation. "This is such a difficult situation, and I think he's done a fantastic job." Vitale said. "I think they overachieved early, and now people have more respect for him." "I live day by day," he said. "I love what I am doing. To me the bottom line would be the way the young people treat me I am can appreciate. And I think they appreciate my enthusiasm and love for the game." Vitale said he thought Kansas' three-year probation was unfair. "I think Missouri has a lot more team chemistry than last year," he said. "I like their size and their quickness. Oklahoma has the best 1-2 punch in America in Mookie Blaylock and Stacey King. There is so much啪啪 right now, and they are as good as anyone." "I felt bad about this program because none of the coaches were involved and none of the players were involved," he said. "I was hoping they would show a little more compassion. But the NCAA is sending a message out that you have to play by the rules or else get the guillotine, which I think is healthy." Vitale said he was favorably impressed by Jayhawk transfers Rick Calloway and Alonzo Jamison, who are ineligible this season, when he watched Tuesday's practice. "There are several reasons for (Kansas)'s losing, like the shooting slump and the injuries." Vitale notes that they year they'll be back in the hunt. " Vitale said as many as 16 schools had championship-caliber teams The Big Eight Conference is getting more respect this season as a result of the Kansas-Oklahoma NCAA championship game in 1988. Vitale said. He said that Oklahoma and Missouri were among the top contenders for the 1989 championship. His autobiography, "Vitale: Just your Average Bald. One-Eyed Basketball Wacko who beat the Ziggy and Became a PTP'er," co-written by Vitate and Sports Illustrated's Curry Kirkpatrick, was released at the start of basketball season. Vitalie said he was pleased with the book's sales and happy with his jobs with ABC and ESPN. this year. Softball team faces blazing competition by Laurie Whitten Kansan sportswriter The weather won't be the only thing warming up this weekend for the Kansas softball team. The competition in the Arizona Softball Classic, the Jayhawks' first tournament of the spring season, will be sizzling. The Jayhawks left Lawrence yesterday for Tucson, Arizona, where the tournament begins today and ends Sunday. The Jayhawks will be competing against Oregon, Utah, California State-Fullerton, California-Berkeley, California State-Long Beach, Bowl City and New Mexico State during the first three days of the tournament. Kansas then will be seeded for a single-elimination round against Arizona, California State-Fullerton, Hawaii, Nebraska, Northwestern, United States International and the University of Toledo. Coach Kalum Haack said that although all the teams in the tournament were good, California probably would be the toughest, probably would be the toughest. "She's been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and it was a big deal "This team is stronger than last year." Haack said of the Jayhawks. when Berkeley signed her," Haack said. "She could have gone anywhere in the country." Haack said he watched Granger pitch when she was 12 years old, and she was as good as most college players. "My pitchers, on a good day, can throw a ball about 60 mph," he said. "She throws it at 75 mph from 42 feet and lifts it back to throw a basal ball thrown at 100 mph." Haack said that he wasn't worried that Kansas would not be able to hit off great pitches like Granber but he didn't. He pitched by the Jay hawks' pitching. who finished the fall season with a 9-3-1 record. "I'm pleased with their unity and their speed. "The key to our success will be how well our pitchers do. Up against tough teams, we want to be sure we don't beat ourselves." Christy Alvarez, a junior college transfer from Riverside, Calif., said she was anxious to see how Kansas performed. Alvarez recently had reconstructive knee surgery and will not play in the tournament. "From what I've heard, this whole tournament should be really tough," said Alvarez, who plays outfield for See KU p. 10, col. 4