The Republic from Columbus, Indiana • Page 8

At The Repubec, Coktrto. tnd Saturday, March 30, 1985 Miller Convincing, Leads UCLA Past IU li Ztt fo I NEW YORK (UPI) Forget about showing the nation that the UCLA Brains were a fine basketball team. Reggie Miller had something far more important to prove. Miller had to convince people he is a better player than his sister. At first glance, it shouldn't have been difficult After all.

Miller is 6-foot-7 and was UCLA's top scorer this year. But his sister is Cheryl Miller the same Cheryl Miller who led the United States women's basketball team to a goal medal in the Summer Olympics. BUT AFTER Reggie used a high-arching Jumper Friday night to help UCLA to a 65-62 victory over Indiana and the championship of the National Invitation Tournament, the proving is over. "This is a real sweet victory," he said after scoring 18 points 10 in a crucial five-minute second-half stretch. "This team took a lot of verbal abuse and I took a lot of abuse because of my sister.

I think it made me a better player." "A magazine article said Reggie couldn't beat Cheryl one' on one," added UCLA coach Walt Hazzard. "I wish the writer would put some salt and pepper on it and eat that article. He'd kill her one on one." MILLER CANNED four rainbow jumpers and pump-faked for a slam dunk as UCLA turned a 3W1 deficit into a 46-38 advantage with 11:10 remaining. The 19-year-old sophomore hit 6-of-7 shots in the second half and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. UCLA, 21-12, finished with eight straight victories and 12 in its last 13 games.

It's only loss in that span came in four overtimes to USC. But the Bruins' final 1964-85 triumph did not come easily. They led 61-52 with 1:47 remaining but Indiana's Kreigh Smith scored off a steal and UCLA's Craig Jackson missed 2 free throws. Delray Brooks then scored and helped create a five-second violation to return possession to Indiana. Smith struck again with 32 seconds left to make it 61-68.

Montel Hatcher hit a free throw for a 4-point lead but Steve Alford's basket made it 62-60 with 22 seconds left. AFTER A TIME out, Hatcher inbounded the length of the court to a streaking Miller, whose dunk with 18 seconds to go gave UCLA a 64-60 lead. Steve Eyl scored for Indiana with six seconds left but Brad Wright hit a free throw to seal the victory. "In the second half they pulled too far away from us," said Indiana coach Bobby Knight, whose team finished 19-14. "They got too big a gap when they got that 9-point lead.

We didn't have enough time and we just weren't in the right position to come all the way back." Nigel Miguel, the Pacific-10's Defensive Player of the Year, added 18 points and 8 assists and put held the sharp-shooting Alford the Hoosiers leading scorer to just two points in the final 8:55. A Madison Square Garden crowd of 12,454 saw UCLA take the final step toward restoring a once-proud tradition. Hazzard, who led UCLA to the first of 10 NCAA titles in 1964 when playing for John Wooden, got the Bruins to the final against Indiana with NIT victories over Montana, Nebraska, Fresno State and Louisville. ALFORD FINISHED with 16 points for Indiana and 7-2 center Uwe Blab had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Stew Robinson added 10 points and 10 assists.

With 18:05 left, Indiana ledltt-31 but managed just 3 points over the next 7 4 minutes. Meanwlule Miller got hot to turn thaame around. Named to the all-tournament team were Miguel, Alford, Blab, Anthony Richardson of Tennessee and Billy Thompson of Louisville. Earlier, Tennessee downed Louisville 10044 in third place in the tournament. The loss deprived the Cardinals, 19-18, of their 14th straight 20-victory season and also snapped Coach Denny Crum's 13-year personal sting of reaching that mark.

The Volunteers finished 22-15. Anthony Richardson scored 30 points and Michael Brooks added 26 Friday night lead Tennessee. THE VOLUNTEERS, 22-15, led 53-41 at halftime on sophomore forward Richardson's 16 points. With Tennessee leading 21-16, Richardson supplied 6 points in the Vols' 17-4 surge that carried them to a 38-20 lead, their biggest margin of the half. Billy Thompson scored 27 Kints to pace Louisville and Jeff ill was the only other Cardinal in double figures with 10.

UCLA (45) Gary Meloncon 3 7 7 2 1, Reggie Miliar 14 00 II, Brad Wright 4 12 Montel Hatch 7 II 13 IS. Nigel Miguel II 7 II, Kelvin Butler 0 0 0 0 0. Corey Gelne 0 2 0 0 0. Crelg Jackson 0 2 15 I Totals 27 52 It II 65 INDIANA (421 Steve Eyl 34 2 4 Todd Meier 13 01 2. Uwe Blab 4 10 3 4 II.

Steve Alford 7 15 2 3 14. Stew Robinson 4 10 00 Kreigh Smith 5 5 0-0 10, Oeryl Thomas 0 112 1. Delray Brooks 2 5 0 0 4, Joe Hlllman 0 2 0-0 0. Dan Daklch I I 0 2. Totals 27 511 14 42.

Halttlme Indiana 2. UCLA Fouled out Blab Total touls Indiana 20, UCLA 17. Rebounds Indiana 31 (Blab 12). UCLA 21 (Wright 10) Assists Indiana 20 (Robinson 10). UCLA 15 (Miguel I).

Technl cal Miller A 12.454. HEMMED IN Indiana's Uwe Blab is surrounded by UCLA's Montel Hatcher (left, foreground), Gary Maloncon and Corey Gaines (11) during action at the National Invitation Tournament title tilt Friday at New York City's Madison Square Garden. UCLA kept Blab in check apd captured the NIT championship. (UPI Telephoto) St, John 's Trying New Plan In Clash of Big East Beasts; Cinderella Meets Memphis SWCMTltS. UL Page AS.

Columbus. Ind Saturday. March 30. 1985 When Alplionso P'Abruzzo changed his name, it didn't change his bedside manner. Wennington's help will have to come from Walter Berry, who might be too busy himself trying to contain forwards Reggie Williams and BUI Martin.

Both players will give opponents headaches on the offensive boards if Ewing attracts a disproportionate amount of attention. THE NEW STRATEGY will be tested following the Villanova-Memphis State game at Rupp Arena in Lexington (3:45 p.m., WISH-TV, Channel 8). Georgetown, 34-2, was ranked No. 1 going into the tournament and St. John's, 31-3, was ranked No.

3. The winner will emerge as the favorite in Monday's championship game against the winner of Saturday's earlier game. In that game the question of the day is, if Georgetown is indeed the "Beast of the (Big) East" and a huge favorite to defend its NCAA basketball championship, does Villanova qualify as the "Least of the (Big) East?" Not in the mind of Memphis State coach Dana Kirk, who Saturday afternoon sends his enigmatic Tigers against the overachieving Wildcats in the first semifinal game of the NCAA's championship weekend at Rupp Arena. KIRK'S TIGERS, the Metro Conference and Midwest Regional champions, fit here like the Ayotollah would at a White House lawn party. With three of the Final Four's teams pledging allegiance to the Big East, Memphis State sports the impossible-to-miss robe of the outcast.

Georgetown, St. John's and Villanova fly the Big East's colors here. The first two spent the regular season trading places at the top of the national rankings; Villanova, meanwhile, spent Its season firmly, entrenched in the lower half of the polls. But the Wildcats who at 23-10 have the worst record here made their ascent when it counted, sweeping past the NCAA tournament's second seed (Michigan) and winning the Southeast Regional. So Kirk, who pushes everything from water beds to appliances on television in Tennessee, isn't buying what's being said about Villanova being its conference's weak link here.

"RIGHT NOW," Kirk argues, "Villanova is one of the hottest teams in the country. They've won four big games to get here. They're quick and talented, and we face a great challenge in stopping them." Others here, however, believe Kirk's team occupies a prime position because of its "outsider" role. Says Georgetown coach John Thompson: "I'd love to be in Memphis State's position they're in a great position. They've gotta be feeling like they've been invited to a Big East party.

But they've got a damn good team, that's why they're here." Kirk joked at a Friday afternoon media conference that his team "has already won the non-Catholic championship." And his players say their motivation will come from something other than being the Final Four's non-Big East entry. "Our motivation is being in the Final Four," says Tigers point guard Andre Turner. "The Big East just happens to be here, too." IF MEMPHIS STATE is to make Monday night's championship game something other than an all-Big East evening, Tigers forward Keith Lee must spend more time playing than sitting. Lee, a 6-foot-10 Ail-American who is the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, commits fouls in bunches. Or, as some claim, is wrongly whistled for bunches of non-fouls.

Either way, in his last 14 games, Lee has had four or more fouls 12 times. He has fouled out four times in those 14 games after not being disqualified in his first 20 games this year. "We're a better team with Keith playing," says forward Baskerille Holmes, "but we can play and we can win without him." Scrlpps-Howard News Service LEXINGTON, Ky. The natural tendency, when a basketball team plays against the best center In the country, is to concentrate its efforts against that center. That's what St.

John's tried to do when it faced Pat Ewing and his Georgetown teammates earlier this season. The strategy failed miserably. IN THREE MEETINGS, including a Big East Tournament game, St. John's won once. But that was the first game, back In January; and in that game, which St.

John's won by a point, Ewing still had 15 rebounds. In the subsequent meetings, Georgetown won by 16 and 12 points. As the two Big East Goliaths square off in their fourth meeting of the year in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship Tournament Saturday (6:05, WISH-TV, Channel 8), it is clearly time for a change. "The last two times we just totally collapsed on Patrick and, it didn't work that well." said St. John's center Bill Wellington.

"This time, I'll try to keep him away from the basket. And when he gets the ball, I'll make him make the first move. I'll have to read him and go from there." ST. JOHN'S problem Is that overemphasis on Ewing leaves Georgetown's outside shooters open, and St. John's coach Lou Carnesecca knows he can't allow such liberties again.

"We've gotten beat on the head so many times, we can't wear our hats anymore," Carnesecca said. So Carnesecca will throw his 7-foot-0 center against Ewing, man-toman. Until it doesn't work anymore. "Bill will need some help, naturally," Carnesecca said. At least Wennington has taken a healthy approach toward his impossible task.

"I enjoy going against Patrick," Wennington said. "I can only better myself. I have nothing to lose by it, whether I do good or bad." April Fools A 1 I 1 7 vrv.ri I mm asjr a m. "WW" Sports Illustrated Pitching Story Really is Too Good To Be True 'J ,5 Ik We're changing our name, but well still play great Country Lovin' music! On April 1st WCSI-FM Stereo 101.5 will become to enter the opulent world of the major leagues. His decision on a professional career with the New York Met is due April 1.

Yes, the story is too good to be true. It's a hoax. Finch is a figment of Plimpton's imagination, created specifically for the April 1 issue of the weekly sports magazine. "George was going to do a piece for April Fool's Day that feU through," said "Sports Illustrated" managing editor Mark Mulvoy. "George, myself and (senior editor) Myra Gelband got together and came up with the Finch idea." The story has provoked an unexpected reaction.

"I'M SURPRISED at the response," Mulvojr said. "We've had a lot of television stations in here today, and I must have done 50 radio shows." "It's amazing the kind of response it has elicited," Plimpton said. "I just came back from Midtown (New York) and people were shouting 'What's be going to It is really Incredible. It is like the War of the Worlds thing." The hoax is a departure from the magaiine's normal sports news-features style. "The only reason you can do it is because it's dated April 1," Mulvoy said.

"The problem with the sports page these days is all you read are the TuTane scandal mood altering drugs and cocaine. "We Just decided to have a little fun." By SIMON GONZALEZ Fori Wort Star Telegram At first glance, the story in the April 1 issue of "Sports Illustrated" appears too good to be true. Noted author George Plimpton details the story of unknown Sidd Finch, a major-league pitching prospect whose fastball thrown with unerring control has been clocked at a record 168 mph. FINCH'S BACKGROUND is equally unbelievable and eccentric. He entered Harvard in 1975, but dropped out to study in Tibet While flinging rocks in the mountains, he learned "the art of the pitch." He etches wearing hiking boots.

His liefs, which apparently include a vow of poverty, may not allow him.