Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 19

ports Friday JANUARY 25, 1985 RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL Section 2B FOOTBALL 3B BASKETBALL 4B HIGH SCHOOLS 4B HOW THEY STAND 5-8B BUSINESS Soviet heavyweight proves a gracious champion "I prefer the technical boxing, rather than the bump boxing." Out of the ring, Yagubkin blends humility and a bit of arrogance. But his kind of arrogance is not as oppressive as the variety practiced by Teofilo Stevenson Jrttejaa, the three-time Olympic Yagubkin smiles gold more oached. aWAsBtsiltflnfr In one brei fjkinMs he wants to achieve mo not ririn7xi sure what. Yaeubki he of the world champions! on By Steve SneddonGazette-joumai He was bare-chested as he sat on the table. Aleksandr Yagubkin was friendly enough, but there was something of Yul Brynner in the King and I in his manner.

This king has brown hair and a thick mustache. He wore dark blue sweat pants. The Soviet Union's first world amateur heavyweight champion asked if his hairy chest offended the interviewer, and then nodded when told it was no problem. Brvnner's King could be gracious, too. As Yagubkin answered questions put to him through an interpreter, his teammates worked out behind him in the Room at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

He is the centerpiece of a Soviet team that will face a U.S. boxing team in a dual match at the Convention Center Sunday morning. Yagubkin is a ring craftsman. He possesses superior boxing skills built around an effective jab. to fly (in space).

In this small field, I was first." He had a little help in making Soviet history, but he didn't mention it in 1983 or this week. The super heavyweight division, 201 pounds plus, was created after the 1981 Olympics. The Soviet heavyweights before Yagubkin fought all comers in heavyweight bouts. Yagubkin won a heavyweight division title with a 201-pound limit. Sunday.

Yagubkin will box James Pritchard of Louisville, a man Yagubkin has never seen and knows nothing about. Yagubkin is not concerned. "I'm never bothered not knowing an opponent. It's better not knowing him before going into the ring. If you prepare for one thing, it's difficult to change in the ring.

A few seconds is enough to see what someone is doing." For Yagubkin, there have been few surprises in the ring. At 23, he has won 155 of his 168 bouts. In seven of his nine See SOVIET, page 3B at Munich in 1982 when remin it. (Milt Latest scores Pro basketball Detroit 137, Golden State 118 Washington 93, Dallas 92 Milwaukee 120, Kansas City 119 Denver 119, New Jersey 110 Cleveland 110, Utah 109 College basketball UNR 87, Boise State 75 UNLV 92, New Mexico St. 70 BYU 78, Wyominq 65 Fullerton St.

80, Santa Barbara 72 Loyola-Marymount 57, Portland 53 Northern Arizona 85, Idaho 71 Oregon 81, Arizona State 72 Oregon State, 59 Arizona 55 UCLA 80, California 69 Temple 82, Duquesne 73 Auburn 93, Mississippi 73 Louis. Tech 88, McNeese St. 69 Cincinnati 56, Louisville 54 Iowa 66, Northwestern 47 Michigan 86, Michigan State 75 Minnesota 72, Wisconsin 62 Purdue 62, Indiana 52 Houston 81, Baylor 71 UTEP 79, Colorado State 45 Pro hockey Boston 5, Buffalo 2 N.Y. Rangers 3, Detroit 1 Quebec 4, Montreal 3 N.Y. Islanders 4, Toronto 1 But then Yagubkin is reminded of another interview he had in 1983 when he was last in Reno.

He was asked about the many great Soviet heavyweights over the years. Four or five names were mentioned. But that's when the boxer said the only Soviet heavyweight who has won a world championship is Yagubkin. The boxer smiled at the reminder. "First is always first.

Columbus discovered you first. Gagarin was the first Lane IverMn Gazette-Journal RUSSIAN PIONEER: Aleksandr Yagubkin is the Soviet Union's first heavyweight amateur champion. 1 UMR shooters Hods tr 111 Big Sky standings League Overall Team Montana 4 0 16 2 No. Arizona 4 1 12 6 State 2 1 12 4 mm jna State 2 2 10 7 rReno 3 2 10 7 TUB iseBate 1 3 TO dSIBFf. 0 4 6 12 Idaho 0 3 7 10 Rangers' pitcher arrested in sex case LOS ANGELES Pitcher Dave Stewart of the Texas Rangers was arrested by Los Angeles police for allegedly engaging in lewd conduct with a man posing as a woman, police and the team said Thursday.

Stewart, formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was taken into custody early Wednesday after he was observed by a vice squad officer in civilian clothes engaging in a sex act with a man posing as a woman "in public view," Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Cmdr. William Booth said. The incident occurred in an eastside downtown Skid Row alley at 1:30 a.m. (PST) Wednesday. The crime is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.

Booth said Stewart was unaware that the prostitute was a man. Arrested along with Stewart was Elson Tyler, 27, of Los Angeles. Booth said Tyler is also known as Lucille. TonighfT RameS Montana artfeBjIs Montana State State Saturday's games!) Boise State at NAlT Idaho at UNR Montana at Idaho State Montana State at Weber State ft By John SchumacherGuene-Joumai Check the nets for wear and tear, then award the three-point play a well-deserved medal of honor. That's what University of Nevada-Reno basketball coach Sonny Allen felt like doing after some red-hot shooting carried his club to an 87-75 victory over Boise State Thursday night at Lawlor Events Center.

The Wolf Pack shot 56 percent from the field and hit 9 of 12 three-point attempts to run is record to 10-7 overall and 3-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Rob Harden hit all five of his three-point attempts and the Pack shot 68 percent to grab a 48-31 halftime lead. "We shot the ball well and that's the name of the game. You do that and the other things fall into place," Allen said. "We shot the eyes out of it in the first half." The Broncos staged a mild comeback in the second half, but the Pack maintained enough of a hot hand to keep the crowd of 4,800 from getting nervous.

UNR's shooting clinic left a lasting impression on Boise State coach Bobby Dye. "I don't believe they've played any better than they played tonight," Dye said. "Anything they wanted to do in the first half, they did. "I thought there was no way they could continue shooting the ball the way they did," Dye said. "Obviously, we didn't have an answer to it." It didn't matter if the Broncos were in a zone or a man-to-man defense.

Neither could shelter Boise State from Harden's bombs. The 5-foot-10 junior buried three early three-pointers to give the Pack a 17-10 lead. When Curtis High added a three-pointer and a free throw to make it 21-10, the rout was on. Two more Harden three-pointers helped UNR grab a 30-18 advantage before a Rick Gosse three-pointer made it 46-29 just before intermission. "I'm feeling a lot more comfortable shooting.

Starting just makes it easier to get into the flow of the game," said Harden, who finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. "Everyone is playing well and that opens up more shots for me." The Pack got significant contributions from several players. High finished with 17 points and seven assists, Dwyane Randall added 14 points and nine rebounds and Mike Parillo totaled 15 points and six rebounds. Randall was the biggest benificiary of the Pack's torrid shooting, which forced Boise State to extend its defense. "It was pushing the forwards outside a lot more," Randall said.

"It left us down low 1-on-l and they didn't have any help-side defense." Parillo, starting at forward in place of the injured Ed Porter, turned in his third straight solid performance since moving back to the frontcourt after opening the season as a starting guard. "I hadn't played guard before. I feel a lot more comfortable," Parillo said. "I feel comfortable when I'm able to shoot it." "Mike is very solid," Allen said. "I think he's just more comfortable because I told him I wanted him to start shooting it more." Parillo contributed 10 points in the second half as the Pack kept the Broncos from getting any closer than 11 points.

Boise State scored the first four points of the second half to close to within 48-35 before a fast-break layup by Parillo pushed the margin back to 15. Reserve guard Craig Spjute and guard Mike Hazel led a Bronco spurt that cut the lead to 79-67 with 3:27 left before the Pack snuffed the rally. "They made a little comeback but we AU? -t Bramble, Soviet spar For the Soviet Union's Erik Khakimov, it was just another sparring session. But he made Soviet boxing history when he sparred two rounds with World Boxing Association lightweight champion Livingstone Bramble Thursday at the MGM Grand Hotel-Reno. Both Bramble and the Soviet team are training at the MGM.

Khakivov, 20, a college student from Kustanai, is believed to be the first Soviet boxer to share the ring with a world professional champion. Former Soviet champion Boris Lagutin, after he had completed his amateur career, boxed an exhibition against a professional at Paris in 1968. "There is a big difference between professional and amateur boxing. But it was the same for me, sparring amateur or professional, Khakimov said through an interpreter. "The boxer (Khakimov) didn't do everything well, but I'm satisfied," said Soviet coach Artem Lavrov.

"I allowed it because my boxer is strong." Bramble, who is training for a Feb. 16 title fight against Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, asked the Soviets if they had a boxer for the sparring session. After the spirted two rounds, in which Bramble boxed defensively most of the time, Bramble said he would like to spar with Khakimov today. Khakimov will not be in the Soviet lineup that faces the U.S. in a dual boxing match at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center Sunday.

But he is expected to box against the U.S. at Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday. Mark GOING UP: The University of Nevada-Reno's Tony Sommers goes up for a layup Thursday night at the Lawlor Events Center in the Wolf Pack's victory over Boise State. Watching is the Broncos' Frank Jackson. See UNR, page 3B Reno gymnastics meet features Olympic hopefuls There may be a few future Olympians competing in the International Gymnastic Invita tional, which begins today at the South Hall of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

The United States will send six s. women gymnasts to Seoul, South Korea, for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, and Jim Boehmler, floor manager of the International Gymnastic Invita Mm tional, said Thursday that "half of the team could come out of this meet. "Even all six is not out of the realm of possibility," he added. Sacramento man leads Bill Wilbur of Sacramento grabbed the lead Thursday after the second day of the $57,000 World Championship of Race Horse Handicapping at Club Cal-Neva. Wilbur has parlayed his original bankroll of $500 into $1,590.

Sun Valley's Denver Trent is second with a $1,376 bankroll with Fresno's Mike Millhollen third at $1,356. There no way to determine UNR quarterback departs, looks for another school By Paul BaumanGazette-Journal Backup quarterback Joe Pizzo has left the University of Nevada-Reno and is in North Carolina investigating NAIA schools, according to Pizzo's father, Sal-vatore. Transfers to NCAA schools are required to sit out a year, but NAIA transfers are not. Joe Pizzo could not be reached for comment, but Salvatore said from his heme in Quartz HUT, "We talked about it a lot. He liked Reno.

He liked the town, the boosters, the school and the newspaper, but the kid wanted to play. Joe has been told by many people that he has a very good opportunity to play pro football, but he'll never get that opportunity sitting on the bench." UNR head coach Chris Ault was not available for comment. Pizzo, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior, completed 11 of 29 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns last year playing behind sophomore Eric Beavers and caught four passes for 35 yards as a backup wide receiver. Pizzo transferred to UNR two years ago after Cal Poly-Pomona dropped its football program. He started six games for UNR in 1983, completing 54 of 115 passes (47 percent) for 706 yards and five touchdowns, before breaking his ankle against Weber State in the seventh game of the season.

The Wolf Pack won four the six games Pizzo started, losing only to Division I-A teams Fresno State and Cal State-Fullerton. Beavers beat out Pizzo for the starting job in fall practice last year and eventually broke the school record for total offense in one year with 2,565 yards. UNR has also lost its third-string quarterback. Eric Chaudron, a 6-4, 210-pound freshman walk-on from McQueen High School, announced he is transferring either to Merced Junior College in Merced, or Saddleback JC in Mission Viejo, Calif. John Pinto may help fill the void.

An honorable mention All-Northern AAA quarterback at Sparks High School in 1983, Pinto reportedly has transferred to UNR from Merced JC. which ones. The Olympics are still a long way off in girls' gym nastics. You have to te at least 15 to compete in the Olympics." Scats of Huntington Beach, Rocky Mountain Gymnastics of Murray, Utah, and Flips. Western Gymnastics of Reno, the Nebraska School of Gymnastics of Lincoln, and the Carson Flyaways are also entered in the meet.

Tammy Larson, 13, and Mary Goyer, 13, of Flips are among the favorites to finish in the top five all-around, Boehmler said. The third and last member of Flips' A team is Rachel Town-' sell, 13. The three members of Flips' team are Robin Robinson, 13, Deanna Austin, 12, and Suzanna Plunkett, 12. There is no team competition in the 11-and-under division. Jennifer Scott, 11, of Flips will compete individually.

Team and individual competition begins today with qualifying sessions at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. An 11-and-under session begins Saturday at 10 a.m., followed at 3 p.m. by the consolation finals. The top nine teams and the top 48 competitors will advance to the finals, Saturday at 8 p.m.

Ticket prices are: Preliminary sessions $4 for adults, $2 for children. Finals $5 for adults, $3 for children. All-sessions pass $10.00 for adults, $5 for children. By Paul Bauman Boehmler called the Interna tional Gymnastic Invitational, the third annual presentation of the Flips Olympic Gymnastic Academy in Sparks, "one of the top three junior competitions in the country. It's an open meet, 7 and the clubs have brought their big guns." The meet features 192 gym nasts.

14 vears old and under, Sparks streak stopped The Carson High School wrestling team handed Sparks its first loss in 23 dual meets Wednesday, 37-33, at Sparks. The Senators remained undefeated in the Northern AAA League at 6-0. Sparks fell to 5-1. Bobby Valdez and Eric Keller led Carson. Valdez decisioned Ricky Triplett, 13-4, in the 100-pound division to improve his record to 5-0 in conference and 17-6 overall.

Keller decisioned Dave Giordorna, 5-3, in the 121-pound division, pushing his record to 5-0 in conference and 21-4 overall. Wire service and staff reports and 55 teams from the United States and Canada. Girls are divided into age groups of 12-14 and 11-and-under. The top teams in the meet, Boehmler said, are defending champion Parkettes of Allen- Gazette-Journal tile photo PIZZO: He was the starter before breaking an ankle and losing job to Beavers, town, Marvateens of Rock- ville, National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics of Eugene,.