St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 14

APR 5 1989 SPORTS ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH wrnNFSDAY APRIL 5. 1989 3DN NCAA TOURNAMENT Michigan Completes Improbable March To NCAA Title It dvudss hi i A moment, an event we'll all have with us forever. I'm the happiest man alive. If STEVE FISHER I 1 "fc i If III AP Seton Hall's 5-foot-4 guard, Pookey Wigington, is alone wifli his thoughts after Monday Right's loss to Michigan.

Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 MICHIGAN By Dave Dorr Of the Post-Dispatch Staff SEATTLE When it was over and Michigan's players were jumping up and down, their arms wrapped around one another, out of a crush of spectators trying to reach the floor popped 10-year-old Mark Fisher. His dad, Steve Fisher, the interim Michigan coach who had just bought himself a place in National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball history, scooped his son up in his arms and together they joined a celebration that was growing wilder by the minute. Two free throws by point guard Rumeal Robinson with three seconds remaining in overtime lifted Michigan over Seton Hall 80-79 Monday night at the Kingdome in the national championship game. It was the first overtime In a title game since 1963, when Loyola of Chicago edged Cincinnati 60-58. "A moment, an event we'll all have with us forever.

I'm the happiest man alive," Fisher said later, probably still not sure how improbable this mission was that took Michigan, the third-seeded team in the NCAA Southeast Regional, to its first national basketball crown. Fisher became the first interim coach to win a national title. He's 6-0, and his joyride to the championship is the stuff worthy of a book. What's next for Fisher? "Who knows?" he said. "If any of you want to hire me as a ghostwriter, I'll retire unbeaten and untied." This was a Michigan team that during the regular season was accused of having no will to win, no heart The Wolverines finished third in the Big Ten Conference.

Nobody will again be able to accuse Robinson of being unwilling to deliver in the clutch. Michigan center Terry Mills had posted up Seton Hall's Ramon Ramos for a twisting jumper that cut The Hall's lead to 79-78 with 52 seconds remaining in overtime. Everyone knew who would have the ball in his hands on Seton Hall's next possession. It was guard John Morton, who matched the Wolverines' great Glen Rice basket for basket in the second half in a spectacular shooting duel. Morton, who finished with 35 points, dribbled to the left wing and put up a jumper that missed.

Rice rebounded. Robinson said later that he made up his mind at that moment that he wanted the last shot, be it from the field or the free-throw line. He said he wasn't going to hide or put the burden of winning it on someone else's shoulders. Robinson dribbled hard into the circle at the other end, where he was fouled by point guard Gerald Greene. Robinson and Greene had gone toe-to-toe all night.

"I saw they were getting back on defense kind of slow," said Robinson. He went to the line as a 64 percent free-throw shooter, but Fisher said, "I felt comfortable and confident." Robinson made both ends of the one-and-one. "Thank God," Robinson said. "I could have missed those shots that went in. Thank God they went in and we're the national champions." Fisher explained why he was filled with so much confidence when Robinson walked to the line.

"I flashed back to the Wisconsin game," he said. "We were one point down and Rumeal got fouled with seven seconds to go. He missed both free throws. He came in the next day an hour early before practice and for a solid two weeks straight he shot a minimum of 100 free throws every day. That's the type of toughness and resolve this kid has to be successful.

It showed tonight." Michigan, searching for a leader in its late-season Mln FG 3PT FT Rb Pt 42 12-25 5-12 2-2 11 2 31 34 4-8 0-0 00 26 4-8 (Ml OO stretch run, found him in Robinson, a 6-foot-2 junior from Cambridge, who had 21 points and 11 assists Monday night. It was Robinson who put Michigan into the title game with an outstanding floor game that led to an 83-81 victory over Illinois in Saturday's Final Four doublehead-er. The Wolverines won it on Sean Higgins' baseline rebound shot with one second to play. Michigan's Loy Vaught recalled his thoughts when Robinson went to the line, saying: "I was just praying he'd make them. He's our crunch man down the stretch.

We knew it would be a game for 40 minutes, no matter what happened." Forty-five minutes, actually. Morton scored 22 of his 35 points in the second half and got three more points on a jumper from behind the arc that gave Seton Hall a 79-76 lead in overtime. As soon as Robinson's second free throw swished, Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo called a timeout. Ramos in-bounded the ball under Seton Hall's basket, over the outstretched arms of Mills, with a long, arching pass.

Greene and Daryll Walker went up for the ball together. Walker came down with it and hurriedly unleashed an off-balance shot that never had a chance. It was too high, too hard, and as it banged off the glass high above the rim, Fisher realized he'd accomplished something that not even such legends as Adolph Rupp or John Wooden had achieved. Whether Bo Schembechler, the Michigan athletic director and football coach, gives Fisher the job permanently or selects someone else, Fisher's place in the history of this tournament is assured. Carlesimo said, "They made a couple of big shots and some enormous free throws." Michigan sank 16 of 22 from the line, 14 of 18 in the second half.

Rice scored 31 points, boosting his tournament total to 184 in six games. That broke the tourney record of 177 set in 1965 by Princeton's Bill Bradley, the former Missouri high school AU-American at Crystal City. In the process, Rice became the Big Ten's leading career scorer with 2,442 points. The evening's events were too much for Higgins. "I'm amazed I can even talk right now," he said in the Michigan locker room.

Schembechler could, though, and he did. He visited the locker room and said of Fisher's situation: "Well, we'll go back and I think we ought to interview Steve Fisher. We'll certainly do that It's a great day for Michigan; our first national championship. This team was magnificent." Higgins' two free throws with 34 seconds remaining in regulation time gave Michigan a 71-68 lead. Then it was Morton's turn.

He sank a 3-polnter over Rice with 22 seconds to go to tie it at 71-71. At the other end, Rice attempted a 3-pointer with 3 seconds remaining over Seton Hall's Olympian, Andrew Gaze, but it rimmed out. Rice Midi Vought Griffin Higgins iHughes Calip 17 00 0-0 00 43 6-13 00 9-10 2 21 3 10 27 3-10 1-4 3-4 00 00 25 1-1 11 0-2 00 00 Team rebounds Totals 225 3047 6-16 14-16 45 20 80 SETON HALL 3PT FT Rb Pt 1-5 2-2 3 3 5 3-4 11 2 13 0-1 00 2-5 1-1 5 1-3 5 Gaze Walker Ramos Greene Morton Cooper Avent Mln FG 39 1-5 39 5-9 33 4-9 43 5-13 37 11-26 14 0-0 11 1-2 7 00 2 9 3 13 3 35 4-12 9-10 00 00 4 2 00 00 3 00 0-2 1 Volcv Wigington Team rebounds 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 Totals 200 28-65 7-23 16-22 36 17 79 MICHIGAN 37 34 9 80 SETON HALL 32 39 8 79 Shooting percentages FG: Michigan .448, Seton Hall .431. FT: Michigan .875, Seton Hall .727. Assists Michigan 19 (Robinson 11, Griffin 3, Mills I Higgins Calip), Seton Hall 14 (Greene 5, Gaze 3, Morton 3, Walker, Ramos, Avent).

Turnovers Michigan 14, Seton Hall 11. Technical Fouls None. Officials Crowley, Rueker and Dougherty. A 39,187. AP Rumeal Robinson celebrates in the arms of teammate Glen Rice after Michigan wrapped up the NCAA basketball championship by beating Seton Hall in overtime Monday night in Seattle.

Ann Arbor Celebration Out Of Hand Cold Gaze Keeps Hall Looking For Offense ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Help a Boy Today With Your Buck Us you along with my personal thanks as soon as your gift is received. The adventure will end with a ceremony on the stage under the beautiful St. Louis Gateway Arch. Please plan on joining us on Sunday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m.

as the Boys Town Wagon Train arrives under the Arch. I hope to see you there! Sincerely, Jack Buck By Jeff Gordon Of the Post-Dispatch Staff SEATTLE This time, Seton Hall couldn't hit Jack. After getting plenty of long-distance mileage out of Australian import Andrew Gaze the 23-year-old forward they nicknamed "Jack" the Pirates couldn't get their best 3-point shooter into their offensive flow. And that shortcoming was critical as Seton Hall lost an 80-79 overtime heartbreaker to Michigan in the NCAA basketball title game Monday night at the Kingdome. Gaze launched just five 3-pointers and hit just one.

Overall, the Pirates missed 16 of 23 3-point attempts and shot just 43.1 percent from the floor. Defensively, Gaze worked hard to force Michigan star Glen Rice to miss 13 shots. But Rice still got 31 points and he drained much of the energy Gaze saves for offense. "He is such a handful, that plays on your mind a little bit," Gaze said. "I had Rice about 90 percent of the time.

I know I had to play an extremely hard game on him. That is a great, great player. He has a tremendously quick release. He knows how to get off his shots." It was not a big night for the Wonder from Down Under or was it the Blunder from Down Under? "To lose a game like that, playing for the national championship, you can't fault tactics, or one individual," Gaze said. "Andrew being cold didn't hurt us today," said Seton Hall guard John Morton, who tried to compensate by taking 15 shots in the second half.

"He was cold a couple of other games and we won them." Gaze didn't want to dissect his performance. "If, if, if if I would have made more shots it's hard to second-guess in a great game like this," he said. "Playing from behind was hard to do, but we put ourselves in a position to win. We just couldn't quite pull it off." Michigan's defense limited Seton Hall's power rotation Daryll Walker, Ramon Ramos, Anthony Avent, Frantz Volcy and Michael Cooper to 24 points. It also kept the Pirates from exploiting their inside-out passing game, which is supposed to set up open outside shots with passes back from the post.

"Normally we open up the perimeter by going inside," Gaze said. "But it was very congested inside. The opportunities there were limited. They played very, very good defense. You have to create a lot one-on-one." That's why Seton Hall coach P.J.

Carlesimo spread out his offense and gave Morton the green light to work one-on-one in the second half. In the first half, he had stayed on the perimeter, where he missed six of eight 3-pointers. "Michigan was giving me the shots and bearing down on Andrew," Morton said. "I just wasn't hitting it in the first half. LJL ST.

CHARLES CD -jO Mfrf IrNOINWOOD if I rsJ COLLEGE CMPUS rS I I Ap.il It tf WENTZVILLE JT1 C0UNT 'Wl II PAHK V- Jack Buck Official Wagon Master i Beginning on April 23rd. at 2:00 p.m. Ceremonies wil1 be held on -Mr leonor K. Sullivan Drive underneath Ihe Arch. Bring Ihe whole family! Shop owners swept up shards of glass Tuesday as University of Michigan officials tried to piece together an image left shattered by a mob of frenzied basketball fans.

Authorities expressed disbelief and dismay at the aftermath of a raucous celebration Monday night, when at least 6,000 screaming revelers defied rain and police to mark the Wolverines' first NCAA championship. Ann Arbor police, mindful of a disturbance that followed Michigan's 83-81 victory over Illinois in the Final Four semifinals Saturday, said they expected some postgame antics. But nothing prepared officers for the mob that overturned a cab, smashed windows and uprooted street signs after Monday's 80-79 overtime victory over Seton Hall, Sgt. Sherry Vail said Tuesday. "There are windows broken all over the place," she said.

"AH we can tell you is that it's extensive." An unidentified woman, 18, remained hospitalized Tuesday at the University of Michigan Medical Center after being hit by a car while crossing a street during the revelry, Vail said. Police said it was not until 2:30 a.m. when they were able to disperse the crowd, making eight arrests in the process. Four were ticketed for disorderly conduct, two for malicious destruction of property and one each for drunken driving and felonious assault. Many fans danced, shouted and slapped bands to celebrate.

One person pranced naked on a corrugated metal canopy over a Chinese restaurant, shortly before the flimsy structure collapsed under the weight of about a dozen revelers. "I think it's totally Irresponsible and criminal behavior on the part of some people," Police Chief William Corbett said. "The last time I saw this kind of behavior was during the 1967 civil disturbances," Corbett said, referring to riots in Detroit that caused widespread destruction. University spokesman Pete Pellerito said campus officials met Tuesday with merchants and planned to gather again Friday morning to discuss the vandalism. The university had braced itself for a crowd of fewer than 2,000 revelers, counting on Monday night's rain to dampen the enthusiasm of most, he said.

Instead, an estimated 6,000 fans turned out. "We've had student demonstrations over the years, but never any destruction like this," Pellerito said. WASHINGTON fc Ap.ii A 1 WASHINGTON hW FAIRGROUNDS I ST.CIA1R 1 SULLIVAN I Ap.H SULLIVAN Cr PAHK Boys Town of Missouri Wagon Train ON April 15, a caravan of boys and staff from Boys Town of Missouri will leave their St. James, Missouri campus on a 200 mile Wagon Train journey to the Arch in St. Louis.

The caravan will consist of more than 200 horses and mules, plus several covered wagons. The party will be fully equipped to camp out, feed and sustain itself for nine days. I have the opportunity to serve as "Official Wagon Master" of the Boys Town Wagon Train and I want to offer to you a personal invitation to join me by becoming a Trail Boss in the "Buckaroo Club." I'm excited about participating in this event for two reasons: first, I know Boys Town and recognize the quality of the programming which goes on there. Secondly, I have seen firsthand the positive results the boys enjoy from the Wagon Train. Get a group of co-workers or friends together as a team to sponsor one or more of the boys.

Your group's pledge of $1 .00 per mile will help tremendously! Let's have some fun and help some very needy young boys at the same time. Your Buckaroo certificate will be mailed to Membership Has Its Privileges! THE BOYS TOWN OF MISSOURI 1989 WAGON TRAIN ROUTE AMERICAN IXPKiaS Si mo st fP CUBA Apilt IS CunAFAinnnouNiri When out-of-town relatives become in-town guests, turn to us. ST JAMES rti YES, I'd Like To Join The Buckaroo Club! Individual or Group Name Address Phone City State Zip ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR Enterprise Rent-A-Car recommends you charge your car rental with the American Express' Card. Enterprise offices are all over town. Check the Yellow Pages for the one near you.

Dollar Amount Of Sponsorship MAIL CHECKS TO: Boys Town of Missouri, 4485 Westminster Place, St. Louis, Missouri 63108 535-7911 Chevrolet Celebrity Featuring GM and other fine cars Cards i.