The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • D3

Orlando Sentinel: PRODUCT: OS DESK: SPT DATE: 12-31-2003 EDITION: MET ZONE: MET PAGE: D3.0 DEADLINE: 0.39 OP: kkenney COMPOSETIME: 00.57 CMYK Orlando Sentinel WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2003 D3 THE SECOND SPORTS FRONT FSU dials 3 for easy win Cougars capture Holiday Washington State used a fourth-quarter defensive stand to beat Texas 28-20. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS school basketball at Atlantic and Mainland before attending Daytona Beach Community College. The night started out well enough for Pickett, who received a large ovation when introduced as a starter. He hit a 3-pointer on the wing for the first points of the game, but picked up his second foul just 22 minutes into the game and was forced to sit for a majority of the first half. "It felt good.

A lot of people knew that we played Stetson so they all wanted tickets," Pickett said. Florida St. 87, Stetson 72 The Seminoles sank a school-record 17 treys in dismantling Stetson 87-72. By AUSTIN LYON SPECIAL TO THE SENTINEL DELAND The last time Stetson hosted Florida State, in 1977, the 3-point line wasn't even a part of college basketball. After the teams played Tuesday night, the Hatters probably wish the line hadn't been invented.

The Seminoles made a school-record 17 3-pointers, including seven straight over a three-minute stretch in the first half, on their way to an 87-72 victory over the Hatters in front of a sellout crowd of 4,584 at the Edmunds Center. The 17 treys broke the previous record of 14, set against Jacksonville on Dec. 14, 1996. FSU finished 17-of-30 from behind the arc. "I'm not real sure we played that well, but we shot the ball awful well," Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton said.

"We were taking what Stetson gave us. They were determined they were not going to give us anything inside, so we had no choice but to take the perimeter shot. Fortunately for us, the shots were falling tonight." Nate Johnson made all seven of his shots from the floor, including a 6-for-6 performance on 3-pointers, in finishing with a game-high 20 points. "My teammates did a great job getting me the ball when I was open and the shots were just falling for me tonight," Johnson said. The onslaught of 3-point shooting began midway through the first half with the Seminoles leading 12-10.

After Andrew Wilson knocked down a 3 in the corner, Von Wafer connected on three in a row from long distance to help Florida State go on a 14-2 run. "They shot the lights out, especially hitting clutch threes," Stetson Coach Derek Waugh said. "I did think at a point, 'Is this ever going to Stetson came as close as 12 with just over six minutes to play in the second half, but the Seminoles responded by hitting four in a row from 3-point range. It was a homecoming of sorts for Seminoles guard Tim Pickett, who played high FLORIDA ST. (12-1) STETSON (2-5) Player fg-fga ft-fta tp Player fg-fga ft-fta tp SAN DIEGO Now this was a Holiday Bowl.

No. 15 Washington State scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to build a 16-point lead, then came up with a huge defensive stand late in the fourth quarter to beat No. 5 Texas 28-20 on Tuesday night. Joiner Rchrdsn Mathews N. Jhnsn 3-5 3-6 2-3 7-7 0-0 7 2-2 9 2-3 6 6-6 20 0-0 12 0-0 0 Eu.Grdn Djordjic Stiles McMlln Register McNeal Craig DeWitt 8-18 6-10 23 2-4 4-6 8 2-5 0-1 4 2- 9 0-0 4 5-13 5-6 17 3- 6 0-0 7 2-2 2-3 7 0-2 2-5 2 Pickett 4-13 JACK SMITHTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS Holiday Bowl.

Washington State's Sammy Moore celebrates his 1 2-yard TD reception in the 2nd quarter against Texas on Tuesday. The Holiday Totals 24-5919-31 72 Bowl has a his Em.Grdn Galloway Thornton Wilson Callier Wafer Penny A. Jhnsn Wlskwski 0- 0 1- 1 2- 2 1-4 1-1 4-5 0- 0 1- 2 1-5 1- 2 0-0 0-0 3-4 0-0 0-1 2- 2 0-0 Holiday Bowl tory of big plays and wild Totals 30-5410-14 87 finishes, this one and had both. With the Longhorns Halftime Florida St. 51-32.

3-point goals Florida St. 17-30 (N. Johnson 6-6, Joiner 1-2, Richardson 1-2, Pickett 4-11, Galloway 1-1, Wilson 1-2, Wafer 3-4, Waleskowski 0-2), Stetson 5-23 (Register 2-5, Eu. Gordon 1-6, Djordjic 0-1, McMillen 0-5, McNeal 1-4, Craig 1-1, DeWitt 0-1). Fouled out A.

Johnson. Rebounds Florida St. 38 (A. Johnson 6), Stetson 27 (Eu. Gordon 7).

Assists Florida St. 22 (N. Johnson, Galloway 4), Stetson 9 (Eu. Gordon, Register 3). Technical fouls none.

Total fouls Florida St. 25, Stetson 18. A 4,584. Cornerback Jason David picked it up at the 18 and ran it in for a 26-1 0 lead. The PAT was blocked.

Texas' David Pino kicked a 19-yard field goal with 13:32 to play, and WSU got a safety when Texas was called for holding in the end zone, giving it a 28-13 lead. WSU punter Kyle Basler pinned the Longhorns inside their 5-yard line four times. After a scoreless first quarter, Benson scored on a 1-yard run for Texas and Kegel threw a 12-yard TD pass to Moore. Pino kicked a 39-yard field goal four seconds before halftime for a 10-7 lead. Boldin, Suggs are top rookies Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin was a unanimous pick as top offensive player.

Cougars also scored three touchdowns in the third quarter of their first Holiday Bowl appearance, only to fall just short in a 38-36 loss to BYU. With the Cougars trailing 10-7, Sammy Moore hauled in a 54-yard pass from Matt Kegel to give WSU its first lead, 13-10, with 9:23 left in the third quarter. Moore caught the ball at about the 20 and came dangerously close to the right sideline as he outraced Cedric Griffin to the end zone. Drew Dunning' PAT hit the left upright. The Cougars forced Texas to punt, and Moore returned it 51 yards to the Texas 26.

Four plays later, from the 12, Kegel went into motion and the ball was snapped straight to running back Jonathan Smith. Smith had to pick up the low snap from the ground, then picked his way through the defense to score. Smith carried 21 times for 1 10 yards. Texas was held to just 131 yards rushing with Cedric Benson gaining 83 yards on 22 carries. Two Texas possessions later, the Longhorns were pinned deep and Mock had to throw from the end zone.

Matt Melton caught the ball at the 13, but was hit and fumbled. Washington St. 28, trailing by Texas 20 eight, senior receiver Roy Williams caught a 45-yard pass from Chance Mock to give Texas the ball at the WSU 1 1 with 2:31 to play. After Mock threw an incom-pletion, WSU blitzed hard and forced Mock deep into the pocket. Don Jackson hit Mock and forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow linebacker Will Derting at the 36-yard line with 2: 16 to play.

Texas got the ball back one more time, but Mock was sacked at midfield by D.D. Acholonu as time expired. Washington State (10-3) won 10 games for the third year in a row. At times, Texas (10-3) looked nothing like the highest-ranked team not in the BCS. The Longhorns saw their six-game winning streak end, and with it a chance to post three consecutive 11 -win seasons for the first time in school history.

The Cougars scored on three big plays in the third quarter to take the lead for good. The big rally came 22 years after the Washington St. 0 7 19 2 28 Texas 0 10 0 10 20 SECOND QUARTER TEX Benson 1 run (Pino kick) 12:21 WSU Moore 1 2 pass from Kegel (Dunning kick) 0:59 TEX FG Pino 39 THIRD QUARTER WSU Moore 54 pass from Kegel (kick failed) 9:23 WSU Smith 1 2 run (Dunning kick) 5:50 WSU David 18 fumble return (kick failed) 218 FOURTH QUARTER TEX FG Pino 19 13:32 WSU Safety, Texas holding in end zone 8:41 TEX Williams 30 pass from Mock (Pino kick) 4:29 A 61,102. WSU Texas INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs didn't receive a start until the season finale, but was so impressive that he earned the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Suggs, an outside linebacker with a pass-rushing burst reminiscent of Lawrence Taylor, had 12 sacks out of a 3-4 alignment in which he often served as an end.

His skills at pressuring quarterbacks earned him 23 votes. That beat Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman, who had 15 votes. "I've gotten more confidence as a player, and my pass coverage has come together," said Suggs, a former Arizona State star. "I'm playing well. It took a long time, but I'm getting it now." THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Anquan Boldin was so dominant as an NFL newcomer that he unanimously won The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award Tuesday.

The sensational wide receiver of the Arizona Cardinals opened the season with the greatest debut in league history, catching 10 passes for 217 yards and two TDs in a loss at Detroit. He never slowed down, and all 50 people on a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters cov- BOLDIN SUGGS ering the NFL voted for Boldin. "For me, it just shows that hard work pays off," said Boldin, who finished with 101 receptions for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns in making the Pro Bowl. "Since I've torn my ACL at Florida State I haven't let up. I've been working out, continuing to try to get better and just progress.

For me, it just shows what hard work can do." 1st downs 19 22 Rush-Yds 33-157 40-131 203 196 18-32 20-49 2 0 86 20 RUSHING Washington Smith 21-110. Texas, Benson 22-83. PASSING Washington Kegel 18-32-2-203. Texas, Mock 1 4-35-0-181 RECEIVING Washington Smith 5-51. Texas, Williams 9-97.

Passing C-A Int. Ret Yds Punts Fumbles Pen-Yds Time 7-40 0-0 6-68 6-42 5-3 4-24 20:41 39:19 THE MORNING BUZZ Gammons ready to rock ESPN's Peter Gammons and Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein are lending their musical talents to a charity CD, featuring Pearl Jam, Paul Westerberg and the Allman Brothers Band. Yes, Gammons is in a band he and Epstein are members of Trauser. Gammons will host the fourth annual "Hot Stove, Cool Music" concert in Boston on Jan. 1 1 to coincide with the release of the CD, which will benefit research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

No word if Chris Berman wants in on the band. ON THIS DATE 1988 A blinding fog rolled in during the second quarter creating the infamous "Fog Bowl" at Soldier Field in Chicago. The fog obscured the Bears' 20-1 2 NFC semifinal victory over the Eagles from most of the 65,534 fans present and a national TV audience that could watch only ground-level shots. fin i White, 6 others fail USOC drug test Capping a year of sports drug scandals, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced Tuesday that sprint champion Kelli White and six other American athletes tested positive for banned substances.

White and five other track and field athletes tested positive for the banned stimulant modafi-nil. Hammer thrower John McEwen tested positive for modafinil and the newly discovered steroid THG, and cyclist Adham Sbeih became the first U.S. athlete to test positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO. The USOC announced the test results after the substances were found in two urine tests from each athlete, and following a review by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

All seven are challenging their test results, the USOC said in a news release from its base in Colorado Springs, Colo. Any suspensions or other penalties would come only after an arbitration process. White already faces the loss of two world championship gold medals because of modafinil use. The USOC said Tuesday that White also tested positive for modafinil at the national championships in June, when she swept the 100 and 200 meters. BASEBALL: Tigers add Johnson to rotation Jason Johnson likes the changes going on in Detroit, so he decided to join the Tigers.

The right-hander, who pitched the five previous seasons with Baltimore, agreed to a $7 million, two-year contract with the Tigers. In recent weeks, the Tigers also added 2B Fernando Vina and OF Rondell White. Johnson, 30, was the Orioles' second-win-ningest starter behind Sidney Ponson last season, going 10-10 with a 4.18 ERA in 189 innings. His victories matched a career high, set in 2001. MORE BASEBALL: New York Yankees OF Bernie Williams visited with the family of former major-leaguer Ivan Calderon at their home in Loiza, Puerto Rico, three days after Calderon was shot and killed.

Dozens of people lined the NICK UTTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS Putting the boss to work. Michael Eisner, chairman and CEO of Disney, sorts paper roses with Mickey Mouse on Tuesday in Pasadena, in preparation for the Rose Parade on Thursday. QUOTE OF THE DAY If somebody comes in your house and doesn't respect you, basically walks into your house, knocks over your dishes and kicks your cat, what are you going to do? Punch him in the Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (77), talking about the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina's wild-card opponent Saturday Werner scored two goals, including the game-winner. The U.S. plays Russia today.

SOCCER: Donovan, Beasley make squad Landon Donovan, star of the U.S. team at the 2002 World Cup, was among 25 players selected for the national under-23 training camp leading to Olympic qualifying. Coach Glenn Myernick also chose DaMarcus Beasley, another member of the American team that went to the World Cup quarterfinals. Myernick will choose 20 players after the U-23 squad trains in Carson, for two weeks, and that team will play in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, from Feb. 2-12.

AUTOS: CART approval could come quickly The CART racing series could win court approval of its proposed sale to a group of team owners by Jan. 28 under a plan a bankruptcy judge approved. Compiled by Scott Andera highway to watch Calderon's funeral procession. According to police, witnesses said Calderon, who played 10 years in the majors, was in a bar Saturday when two people entered and, without a word, shot the former outfielder multiple times in the back. HOCKEY: Ozolinsh out at least 10 weeks Anaheim Mighty Ducks defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh is expected to miss at least 10 weeks after he has left shoulder surgery Friday.

He has four goals and 10 assists in 28 games this season. Ozolinsh was injured Dec. 19 against Colorado and has missed four games. The surgery will repair a tear of the pectoralis muscle. MORE HOCKEY: Florida traded RW Ivan Novoseltsev to Phoenix for future considerations.

Novoseltsev has 29 goals and 44 assists over parts of five seasons with the Panthers. The United States remained undefeated at the world junior hockey championships in Helsinki, Finland, after beating Sweden 4-3. Stephen THE LAST WORD: How long before Steve Spurrier's name is mentioned for every coaching vacancy in America? COLORSTRIP: I.