Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 63

IChamt) GIRLS SOCCER Class Wilton Class RHAM-Hebron Class Immaculate-Danbury FIELD HOCKEY Class L' Amity-Woodbridge Class Farmington Class Canton VOLLEYBALL Class L- Amity-Woodbridge Class Darien Class Morgan-Clinton ions GIRLS SWIMMING Cheshire wins State Open title. Coverage, Pages E7-8 SECTION SUNDAY NOVEMBER 19, 1995 Opening of season, new era for UConn BOYS SOCCER Class Lb Xavier-Middletown Class Hand-Madison Class RHAM-Hebron Class Canton SPOR Can only try to estimate Sales' value Auriemma: progress tough to gauge By BRUCE BERLET Courant Staff Writer KNOXVILLE, Tenn. UConn coach Geno Auriemma has some anxiety over unknown qualities and lingering questions entering his team's first game as defending national champion. But preseason Ail-American Kara Wolters said the top-ranked Huskies are determined to handle anything No. 4 Louisiana Tech offers in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic today.

"We're excited and ready to go out and play our way," said Wolters, a 6-foot-7 junior center. "It's the first game of the season, so there's no pressure. They're a very good defensive team that likes to be physical, so we have to be patient on offense and not back down. Geno Auriemma has seen the future of women's basketball. And she is Nyke-sha Sales.

"You hate to put burdens on kids," Auriemma said, "but I don't think she'll take it that way because we've had this discussion: I think she potentially may be the best player in the world by the time she's finished. "I could make her our point guard and she could be the starter on the U.S. Olympic team in the year 2000. Biggest point guard in the world: 6 foot, tough, unstoppable. But that's not what we need at the moment." Auriemma was juggling two interview balls Friday before the No.

1-ranked Huskies left for a most demanding season opener against No. 4 Louisiana Tech today. One involved how great Sales, 19, will be in the future. The other involved how great the expectations are "But the main thing is to concentrate on what we have to do. Some people think it's a negative that we have a tough schedule at the beginning, but I kind of look at it as a positive where, hopefully, we kind of pick up where we left off last season." The Huskies finished 35-0 last season and won their first national title.

But Auriemma said he doesn't have a good feel for a team that lost national player of the year Rebecca Lobo and Pam Webber, UConn's all-time assist leader. "You just don't know what's going to come out of this game," Auriemma said. "We could win and not even make the NCAA regionals, or we could lose and win the national championship. It's just a hard game to play because Please see UConn, Page E3 Season opener What: State Farm Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic Who: No. 1 UConn vs.

No. 4 Louisiana Tech When: Today, 1 p.m. TV: ESPN Second game: No. 3 Virginia vs. No.

6 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2 for UConn in the present. Topic Kesha makes Geno smile. Topic Top-Perfection makes Geno understandably, neurotic. The Huskies won all their games last sea-; son. The players are a delight.

They get terrif-' ic grades. You need therapy if you hate this program. But, emotionally, there is nothing to Please see Jacobs, Page E3 life Bykhuis again in the picture vs. Whalers Scores twice in victory By MICHAEL ARACE Courant Staff Writer His favorite movie is "Forrest Gump," his favorite author is John IWPfp! Grisham and his ptTL, JjHj favorite band is I1 Hootie and the Blowfish. He enjoys golf, water-sports and camping.

Never heard of Karl Dykhuis? It's pronounced DKE-house. Ring a bell? He is the newest Whalers killer, and he rang the bell twice at the Civic Center Saturday afternoon. He scored in the first and second periods to give the Flyers a hard-won, 4-2 victory before 13,910. Glen Wesley scored twice for the Whalers. His second goal came with 1 minute, 20 seconds remaining, after goaltender Sean Burke had been pulled for a sixth skater.

It drew the Whalers to 3-2. Their final flurry was foiled when Eric Lindros got loose in the neutral zone, skated away from a diving Mark Janssens (who was accidentally kicked in the head on the play) and glided in for a taunting empty-netter just before time ran out. Burke stopped 23 shots, 12 in the third period. The Flyers' Garth Snow was sometimes brilliant, making 21 saves. Lindros knew full well who won the game for the Flyers.

"In three years, maybe two, Dykhuis is going to be incredible," said Lindros, who was playing in his second game after missing seven with a knee injury. "Sometimes guys can get lost with all the talent we have here, but lately we've seen his confidence soar." Dykhuis was down after sub-par performances during a Devils sweep of the Flyers last weekend. "I had a couple of tough games last week. Everybody knows it," he said. "The coaches have given me a chance to build back my confidence, and it's working." The Mall is the perfect place for Dykhuis to regain his confidence.

The proof: He is in his second season, he has scored six career goals and half have come against guess who? For Dykhuis, the Civic Center is like a box of chocolates. The last time he visited, Dykhuis scored with 3:11 remaining to give the Flyers a 4-3 victory April 28. Now does the name ring a bell? That game, the penultimate of the season, eliminated the Whalers from playoff contention. Talk about tough losses. This was another.

The Whalers played one of their finest games of the season against the Flyers, a premier team. It looked nothing like the last match these teams played, in Philadelphia Please see Wesley's, Page E4 maM Ti Sp-i 4 iti 1 SI! 1 4 Sherry Peters The Hartford Courant Flyers goalie Garth Snow ha a unique way of stopping Jocelyn Lemleux in the third period. Eric Desjardins Is at right. Tu 4 T7iFT The Game ends up in Harvard's hands 4 ByTOMYANTZ Courant Staff Writer NEW HAVEN A crimson-clad crowd surged over the concrete walls of Yale Bowl Saturday when Chris Hether- ITttWfflSK'1 ington's last cjr throw for Yale, from the Harvard 40-yard line, fell to the turf in the end zone. The fans engulfed the Harvard players near midfield, celebrating a 22-21 victory before 35,103.

"All of a sudden I'm being carried out from the sideline by people yelling," said tailback Eion Hu, who ran 2 yards for the winning touchdown with 29 seconds left. "I enjoyed the ride." In previous meetings between these rivals, such a scene would be reserved for Harvard winning the Ivy League championship or for ruining Yale's chances. Not this day, though. Beating Yale caused such a boisterous demonstration because it averted Harvard's first winless league season. Pride can't come all the way back By DESMOND CONNER Courant Staff Writer Just when the Connecticut Pride seemed to have their second victory locked up, two mental lapses in the final seconds of overtime helped Grand Rapids escape lAMWl 1 IJ w'tn a 108-107 victory Saturday EZSfl night at the Civic Center.

fTf'l Connecticut defeated Grand Rapids 94-93 in Michigan in the season opener Friday night and led 107-104 with 28 seconds left in OT Saturday. But the Mackers converted two uncontested length-of-the-court inbound passes to steal the victory. "We were supposed to be back," Pride coach Paul Mokeski said. "In those type of situations you have to have a safety valve back, and when it's that late in the game you need to have two. "There's no excuse for this.

We worked our butts off to get into overtime and then this happens. It's just a shame. Those two plays killed us." What hurt more was, during a timeout, Mokeski reminded the players they needed to get back. The Pride still had a chance with 2.3 seconds remaining, but Justus Thigpen missed the front end of a one-and-one. Trailing by four, the Mackers missed consecutive opportunities on offense before Mark Hughes hit two free throws to pull them to 106-104.

Jerry Reynolds, who led the Pride with 33 points, hit one of two free throws for a 107-104 lead. Then with no one back for the Pride, Ray Jackson formerly of Michigan's Fab Five fame ran a fly pattern to the basket for a layup with 28 seconds left. The Pride's Chris Jent (17 points) then missed a three-point attempt. This time, Charles Thomas (24 points) went deep and scored with 9.6 seconds left. "This is a tough loss," said Reynolds, who shot 13 Please see Rally, Page E4 "You bet that was motivation," said Hu, whose 175 yards on 33 carries were the most ever by a Harvard player against Yale.

He also set a school season rushing record with 1,101 yards, surpassing Jim Callin-an's 1,054 in 1981. The winning drive for Harvard (2-8, 1-6 Ivy) began at its 38 with 1:34 to play. Vin Ferrara (12 of 24, 176 yards, one touchdown) had two important completions: 19 yards to tight end Andrew Lawrence, and a 23-yarder that bounced off a Yale defender and Hu, into the hands of tight end Adam Golla. "It gets tipped and goes 15 yards right into their guy's hands. It was their day," Yale cornerback Rob Masella said.

Said Ferrara: "That was an act of God, I think. I thought, somehow, we were going to win." Golla's catch put Harvard at the Yale 15 with 54 seconds left. After an 1 1-yard completion, Jay Snow-den, the better running QB, came in. Please see Harvard, Page E6 Associated Press Yale quarterback Chris Hetherlngton, who scored a touchdown Saturday, is stopped on this first-half carry by Harvard's Kevin Dwan (2 1) and Chris Smith. UConn wins, waits The Huskies hope for a Division l-AA playoff bid after defeating Mass 20-7 to end the regular season 8-3.

Page Ell Tennessee comes back The No. 4 Volunteers overcome a 1 5-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Kentucky, 34-31. Pass ElO UCLA upsets USC The unranked Bruins score on their first three possessions and hold off the No. 1 1 Trojans, 24-20. Page ElO New Haven advances The Chargers come back to defeat Edinboro 27-1 2 in the first round of the Division II tournament.

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