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Sharon, Pa.
Thursday, November 11, 1999
B-5
B
RIEFLY
Lady Pens on hot streak
The Youngstown State volleyball
team (22-4, 12-1) is making national
news, as they are tied for the na-
tion’s sixth-longest winning streak at
15 matches and own the 18th best
winning percentage, according to
NCAA Division I volleyball statistics.
They also rank second in the nation
with 3.86 blocks per game.
Individually, sophomore Kristen
Meech is currently ranked second
nationally with 1.93 blocks per game.
In addition senior spiker Vickie
Robinson has been named the Mid-
Continent Conference Female Ath-
lete of the Month, the league an-
nounced Tuesday.
Robinson, a 5-11 middle hitter, led
the Penguins to an 11-0 record in
October, including a 3-1 win over
first-place foe Oral Roberts, moving
the Penguins into a first-place tie in
the league.
Ali’s daughter wins 2nd
CHESTER, W.Va. — Unlike her
boxing debut, Laila Ali had enough
time to use some of her father’s flair.
She needed his strong finish, too.
Despite a sizable height advantage,
Laila Ali couldn’t beat her opponent
right away as she did in her first
fight.
This time, Muhammad Ali’s 21-
year-old daughter used several left-
right combinations to stop Shadina
Pennybaker, a 28-year-old accounting
student from Pittsburgh, with 3 sec-
onds left in their four-round bout
Wednesday night at the Mountaineer
Race Track and Gaming Resort.
Pedersen takes 12th title
INDIANAPOLIS — Randy Peder-
sen won his 12th career title and first
since 1995 Wednesday night,
outscoring Eric Forkel 236-206 in the
title match of the PBA Indianapolis
Open.
Forkel started strongly with four
strikes and a spare to take a 10-pin
lead. The turning point came in the
sixth frame, when Forkel was unable
to convert a 2-7 split. Pedersen an-
swered with spares in the next two
frames to tie the match at 147, then
rolled four straight strikes.
Clemons fined for low blow
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Min-
nesota Vikings Defensive end Duane
Clemons said he was fined $7,500 by
the NFL for punching Dallas Cow-
boys tackle Flozell Adams below the
belt.
The officials didn’t see it, but a na-
tional television audience got a clear
view of the punch during the
Vikings’ 27-17 victory Monday night.
TV replays caught Clemons in the
act but didn’t show what precipitated
the nasty punch, which occurred af-
ter Jimmy Hitchcock intercepted Ja-
son Garrett’s pass in the fourth quar-
ter. Clemons said Adams took him
down from behind on the intercep-
tion return and that’s why he threw
the punch.
Baseball rejects Prentice bid
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miles
Prentice’s $75 million bid to pur-
chase the Kansas City Royals was re-
jected by baseball.
Baseball owners voted 29-1 in Sep-
tember to table the bid, saying they
wanted the team to pursue other al-
ternatives. On Tuesday, Prentice
asked the Royals to ask the commis-
sioner’s office for specific objections.
Robert DuPuy, baseball’s chief le-
gal officer, responded with a letter to
the Royals, saying the ownership
committee and the commissioner felt
Prentice would not be approved.
IOC establishes drug agency
LONDON — The International
Olympic Committee has established
an international agency to combat
drugs in sports and hopes its leading
critic — the United States — will
take part.
The agency is temporarily based
in the IOC’s home city of Lausanne,
Switzerland, with IOC vice president
Dick Pound the chairman. The new
group will operate under Swiss laws
and be known as the World Anti-
Doping Agency.
SLOC agrees to release notes
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt
Lake Organizing Committee agreed
to release portions of a decade worth
of notes that already are part of the
Justice Department’s criminal investi-
gation.
The decision tested SLOC’s will-
ingness to disclose more of its inter-
nal workings in the wake of Salt
Lake’s vote-buying scandal. A staff
lawyer plans to edit sensitive por-
tions of audit committee minutes be-
fore releasing the records, and offi-
cials said they expected no
damaging information to emerge.
Aikman out at least 1 game
IRVING, Texas — Dallas Cow-
boys quarterback Troy Aikman will
miss at least one game while recov-
ering from concussions in consecu-
tive weeks, but he won’t use the time
off to think about retirement.
Aikman, who has never missed a
game because of a concussion, said
it would be wrong for him to even
speculate how long he’ll be out. An
MRI taken Tuesday came out fine
and more tests were planned for lat-
er in the week.
NHL has tripled its revenue
NEW YORK — NHL commission-
er Gary Bettman announced the
league tripled its annual revenue dur-
ing the 1990s to about $1.4 billion,
adding that much of the increase is
due to expansion in the United
States. Bettman said revenue ranges
from $60 million to $70 million for
the wealthier teams to $30 million to
$40 million for the poorer teams.
N.Y. Senate issues report
NEW YORK — Two days after
the U.S. House of Representatives
approved a bill to clean up boxing, a
New York State Senate committee
released a report offering its recom-
mendations for the much-maligned
sport.
The state Senate investigations
committee, after conducting a probe
of the fight game, called for the abo-
lition of the current sanctioning orga-
nizations and the creation of a na-
tional group; a limit on
promoter-fighter contracts to one
year; and changes in the ranking sys-
tem for boxers.
Officials outline probe plans
CARSON CITY, Nev. — A week
after an International Boxing Federa-
tion official was indicted, state au-
thorities outlined plans to probe the
role of the IBF and other sanctioning
organizations in Nevada’s boxing in-
dustry. Attorney General Frankie
Sue Del Papa said an investigator
from her office will help the state
Athletic Commission in scrutinizing
how people licensed by the commis-
sion — including boxers, managers
and promoters — deal with the sanc-
tioning groups.
Davenport, Hingis advance
VILLANOVA, Pa. — Second-
ranked Lindsay Davenport ousted
Alexandra Stevenson from the Ad-
vanta Championships with a 6-2, 6-3
victory in the second round.
Top-seeded Martina Hingis and
unseeded Jennifer Capriati also ad-
vanced to the third round. Hingis,
who has clinched the No. 1 ranking
for the year, beat Chanda Rubin 6-3,
6-0 in 49 minutes; Capriati defeated
wild-card entry Kim Clijsters 7-5, 6-3.
In other matches, No. 5 Halard-De-
cugis beat qualifier Maria Vento 6-1,
6-4, and Lisa Raymond rallied for a 2-
6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Henrietta
Nagyova.
Colts deny fining Muhammad
INDIANAPOLIS — Steve
Muhammad is dealing with grief,
anger and shock in the aftermath of
the death of his pregnant wife Nic-
hole, 30, and stillborn child.
The tragedy was compounded by
reports the deaths might have been
connected with a reported Oct. 28
battery by the Indianapolis Colts de-
fensive back. Muhammad, 26, has re-
turned to his home state of California
for funeral services, Wilson said
Wednesday. The funeral is sched-
uled for Saturday.
The Indianapolis Star and USA
Today on Wednesday reported Mrs.
Muhammad’s lawyer, Greg Garrison,
said the player was fined $10,000 by
the Colts for the alleged beating.
However, Colts president Bill Polian
called the report “erroneous” and
Wilson said he knew nothing about a
fine.
Staff and AP reports
NEW YORK (AP) — When Con-
necticut takes the floor at Madison
Square Garden tonight, it will be for
the first time as defending national
champions.
The Huskies, who just eight
months ago left the court in St. Pe-
tersburg after upsetting Duke for the
title, start this season at No. 1 and
play Iowa in the second game of the
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
“We’ve got some pretty good tal-
ent, but we have to find a way of go-
ing from six kids who helped us in a
special season to six kids who have
never played for us,” Huskies coach
Jim Calhoun said. “We’re trying to
make some things up and even new
ways to do things. I think we’re start-
ing to take some shape, but we’re a
long way from where I hope we’re
going to be.”
The Huskies have three starters
back from last season — Khalid El-
Amin, Kevin Freeman and Jake
Voskuhl. Last season’s reserves, plus
newcomers Ajou Ajou Deng and
Doug Wrenn, are capable of filling
the void.
“We were more of a three-guard
team over the last six, seven years,”
Calhoun said. “This will be a bigger
and a different look for us.”
Iowa comes in under new coach
Steve Alford, and seven of the nine
players from the team that lost to
Connecticut in the round of 16 last
season are gone.
“We’re trying to learn a new sys-
tem, and the kids have worked hard
and shown some strides in the 20
practices,” Alford said. “I just hope
we’re a better team on Friday than
we were the day before.”
Tonight’s opener has No. 10 Duke
facing No. 13 Stanford in a matchup
of teams with rosters dominated by
freshmen.
The championship game is Friday
night.
The only players back for Duke
are forwards Chris Carrawell, Shane
Battier and Nate James. Gone are se-
nior sharpshooter Trajan Langdon as
well as national player of the year El-
ton Brand, William Avery and Corey
Maggette, all underclassmen now in
the NBA.
Stanford has only senior forward
Mark Madsen back from last sea-
son’s team that reached the second
round of the NCAA tournament. As
many as seven freshmen could see
playing time.
The tournament, sponsored by
Ikon, has been part of the National
Association of Basketball Coaches ef-
forts that have raised more than $10
million for cancer research.
UConn opens defense of national title
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The Associated Press
There has been only one repeat
national champion since UCLA’s
dominant days of the 1970s. So Con-
necticut is fighting some big odds to
win it all again. In their conference,
however, the Huskies are again the
team to beat in the Big East.
The 77-74 victory over Duke in St.
Petersburg, Fla., last March gave the
Huskies their first national title and
the Big East its third.
With three starters back from that
team, the addition of a potential star
and a few understudies ready to
move in, the Huskies are favored for
their sixth outright league title in
seven seasons.
“This will be one of the more diffi-
cult seasons for us in that to some
degree the kids will be living in the
past,” Huskies coach Jim Calhoun
said. “But a lot of the good things
that happened to us — like winning
the national championship and com-
ing back from being down at the half
10 times — will certainly help us.”
Gone from last season’s 34-2 team
are Big East co-player of the year
Richard Hamilton and defensive spe-
cialist Ricky Moore.
Coming back are the solid front-
court duo of Jake Voskuhl and Kevin
Freeman and point guard Khalid El-
Amin, this year’s preseason player of
the year in a vote of the conference
coaches.
Defense has always been a main-
stay for Calhoun, and he’ll be count-
ing on last year’s reserves — Ed-
mund Saunders, Albert Mouring and
Souleyman Wane. Sophomore sensa-
tion Ajou Deng, who sat out last sea-
son to concentrate on academics,
could be the answer on offense.
Deng, a 6-foot-10 native of Sudan,
has been playing basketball just five
years. He has drawn raves for his
play in practice.
Despite last season’s national
championship, the NCAA tourna-
ment was a disappointment for the
Big East. St. John’s made a great run
to the regional finals, but Miami, a
No. 2 seed, was gone in the second
round and Syracuse and Villanova
didn’t even get that far.
Syracuse has all five starters back
from last season and the Orangemen
seem more dedicated after their first-
round loss to Oklahoma State.
Jason Hart is back at the point
and Big East defensive player of the
year Etan Thomas, who blocked 131
shots, will be in the middle again.
“Obviously, they’re experienced
players,” coach Jim Boeheim said.
“They were last year. But they’ve
had another year under their belt.
These three guys have impressed
me with their work ethic all the time
since they’ve been here. But I really
think they’ve taken it to another lev-
el this fall.”
Miami has to replace Tim James,
who shared player of the year hon-
ors with Hamilton. But Johnny Hem-
sley appeared ready last season to
become the focus of the offense, av-
eraging 17.8 points.
St. John’s lost do-everything
sophomore Ron Artest to the NBA,
but point guard Erick Barkley and
Bootsy Thornton give the Red Storm
one of the nation’s best backcourts
as they try and repeat the run that
ended with a loss to Ohio State, one
step short of the Final Four.
The shock of John Thompson’s
sudden resignation during the sea-
son has subsided at Georgetown,
and Craig Esherick is ready to lead
the Hoyas for his first full season.
The inexperienced backcourt of
Kevin Braswell and Anthony Perry
improved last season, and if center
Ruben Boumtje Boumtje can avoid
injuries the Hoyas should be quite a
show with a stellar recruiting class
that features four solid players 6-8
and taller.
Notre Dame and Pittsburgh were
the only schools to welcome new
coaches. Former Kansas assistant
Matt Doherty replaces John
MacLeod at Notre Dame. He’ll rely
heavily on Troy Murphy, last sea-
son’s freshman of the year.
Ben Howland led Northern Ari-
zona to the Big Sky title two of the
last three seasons. He takes over at
Pittsburgh, which has been beset by
bad luck and injuries the last few
years. More trouble may await: Isaac
Hawkins, the Panthers’ best return-
ing player, injured his knee during
practice and will miss the start of the
season. Rutgers will rely on sopho-
mores Rashod Kent and Dahntay
Jones up front and freshman Todd
Billet at the point. Villanova has to
replace the experience of John Cele-
stand and Howard Brown.
Seton Hall has four starters back
and 6-11 freshman Samuel Dalem-
bert in the middle. Boston College
will continue its long rebuilding
process. Providence has to replace
Jamel Thomas, although the eligibili-
ty of 7-2 Florida State transfer Karim
Shabazz should help.
West Virginia will have six new
faces on the roster and three home
courts for their games. Work on the
Coliseum will keep the Mountaineers
playing in arenas throughout the
state.
Huskies also should be beast of Big East