Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 5

Co-MVPs NBA Inside San Antonio 98, Sacramento 88 Tennis Cleveland 83, Atlanta 70 Golf C3 Charlotte 94, Detroit 86 M.L baseball Denver 102, Phoenix 87 08 New York 88, Indiana 84 Scoreboard C10-11 Texas senior guards Terrence Rencher and Roderick Anderson, the nation's top-scoring back-court duo, are honored as co-most valuable players at the Longhoms' banquet. C2 Saturday; April 15, 1995 1 T(Slll3 tees ff Of 'A 1 By Rick Cantu American-Statesman Staff LUBBOCK A full moon over Jl 7 7v ,.1" Dan Law Field provided a motionless target Friday night. Texas Tech and Texas presumably were-trying to knock the baseball into orbit. In a record-shattering offensive performance, the Red Raiders posted A 26-17 victory over Texas before 3,047 stunned witnesses. It marked the first time a Cliff Gustafson-coachpd team had yielded as many as 20 runs.

Incredibly, it took Texas Tech only four innings to score their first 20. As one might guess, the wind was blowing out. Texas has given up 18 runs four times during Gustafson's 28 seasons in Austin. To put the matter in proper perspective, the Long-horns haven't given up that many runs during their 98-year history. A telephone caller from Austin could hardly believe the score.

When a reporter in the press box confirmed the score, the caller responded, "I thought I was listening to an Orson Wells play." Texas Tech, which owns two victories over Texas this season, improved its Southwest Conference record to 74. The Longhoms are 9-7. Tech and Texas complete their series this afternoon with a dou-bleheader. Game time is 1 p.m. Tech third baseman Clint Bryant extended his hitting streak to 28 games.

It took Bryant only two innings to homer, triple and single. He had six. RBIs in his first three plate appearances. Gustafson burned a path between the dugout and the pitcher's mound. Ace pitcher J.D.

Smart, gunning for his 12th win of the year, lasted only one inning. He gave up six runs all earned in his shortest outing of the season. Tech received a heroic' effort from shortstop Dion Ruecker, who doubled twice, singled and hit a grandslam homer. He had seven Staff photos by Ralph Barrera Tami Purcell has 1,316 victories in 7,177 rides during her 15-year career. She is money in the bank, with 3,400 total finishes in the money, almost half of her races.

Purcell, the leading female quarter-horse jockey in history, does everything at full speed By Steve Habel American-Statesman Correspondent 'Tami takes a back seat to no other jockey at any track. She's at the top of her game Tami may be the most technically sound rider we have. Bob Mooxe, Manor Downs secretary ANOR Tami Purcell started her career at Manor Downs at the bottom, spending her time cleaning Lm stalls, washing buckets and feeding the horses. She's come full circle now, returning to Manor for the spring season. Purcell is the winningest female quarter-horse jockey in the history of the sport.

In her 15-year career, Purcell has won 1,316 races in 7,177 rides. Even more amazing is her 3,400 total finishes in the money, meaning she placed in the top three in almost half her races. "If I win just one race every day I am thankful," the 34-year-old Purcell said. "Really, I'm thankful if at the end of every race day, I am able to walk out of that (jockey's) room and go home and get ready to come back and start all over again the next day." According to American Quarter Horse Association records, Purcell ranks 18th on RBIs in the first five innings. Tech led 22-J after six, Jhen the earthquake that shook up parts of West Texas on Thursday made a return engagement': Texas responded with a 13-run seventh inning.

That fell only three short of the Texas record, set against Baylor in 1950. Chad Blessing and MacGregor Byers homered in the seventh. It was Blessing's third homer of the year. For Byers, it marked the first home run of his Texas career. Texas outfielders Shea Morenz and Jerry Taylor also homered in the game.

After striking out in his first two plate appearances, Taylor had hits in his next three at-bats. Tech's Matt Kustelic stole two bases to become the SWC's leader with 28. Purcell has continued her winning ways this spring. Her 77 points, based on how many times she has placed first, second or third, leads all jockeys. Her 11 wins also is tops.

She has compiled these leading statistics despite riding only on Sundays in six of the meet's initial 14 race days. "Tami takes a back seat to no other jockey at any track," Manor Downs racing secretary Bob Moore said. "She's at the top of her game, and her riding skills and command on the track force the other riders to be better to beat her. Tami may be the most technically sound rider we have." Purcell built her career record with a whirlwind schedule of racing in Texas, See Purcell, Cll Purcell, sharing a grin with Devil's Hero at track with 11 victories despite a limited Manor Downs, is the leading jockey at the schedule there early in the season. ation has kept jockey records since 1970.

Debbie Freeman is a distant second to Purcell on the list of all-time female quarter horse jockeys with 559 wins in 3,325 races. the all-time victory list for quarter horse jockeys behind such legendary riders as leader Danny Cardoza (3,057 wins), Kenny Hart and current Manor Downs running mate Alvin Brossette. The associ A mere 56 years later, Aggies will take 2nd title New 'do, same drive Rodman returns to help Spurs crown Kings AT- features Colorado, but by all accounts the Buffaloes should experience a huge dropoff. also tackles Louisiana State and Kirk Boms Texas will win the national championship in football next season. You dread it here first, if you're a Longhorn fan.

You'll probably read it elsewhere as well because the early word has the Aggies as the No. 1 preseason pick of at least one national summer, publication. The first reaction might be, well, it's about time. They've played a few seasons at College Station since the 1939 team won a national title. The 1995 edition could be just as special.

Any team with Heisman candidate Leeland McElroy at tailback and Lombardi and Outland candidate Brandon Mitchell at defensive end has to be good, and the Aggies have fenough talent surrounding them that if they can somehow get past Southern Methodist fortunately, catches the giant-tiers at Kyle Field they could go undefeated. A soft non-conference schedule Spurs reeled off 10 unanswered points to take control. Rodman got four of them on a layup after a feed from Robinson, and a slam. Robinson also added a spectacular dunk on a fast-break, give-and-go exchange with Doc Rivers after a Rodman rebound. Rodman injured his shoulder with 2.8 seconds left in the first half, stretching for a rebound.

In obvious pain, he sprinted to the Spurs bench, his left hand holding his shoulder. Reaching the sideline, he went to his knees, doubled over, his face pressed against the floor. He remained there for several seconds while trainer John Anderson examined him. Teammates Chuck Person and Jack Haley helped Rodman to his feet and he walked, then jogged to the locker room. Rodman entered the game with 7 minutes, 29 seconds left in the first half, during a deadball timeout after a Spurs' foal.

It took the NBA rebounding leader less than a second to grab his first rebound, cradling the missed free throw by Randy Brown. Rodman collected five rebounds in the nearly Ti minutes he played before his injury- The Kings, battling Denver for the last playoff spot in the West led 39-37 with 5:40 left in the half before a three-point play by Robinson triggered a Spurs' run that put them up 5245 at the break. By Randy Riggs American-Statesman Staff SAN ANTONIO After a 14-game absence, Dennis Rodman returned Friday night as a blond. As far as the San Antonio Spurs were concerned, blond was beautiful. In no small part because of Rodman, the Spurs snapped a two-game losing streak with a 98-88 victory over the playoff-hopeful Sacramento Kings.

Rodman, on the injured list since March 20 after separating his right shoulder in a motorcycle accident, thrilled the Alamodome crowd of 25,130 with 15 rebounds and four crucial fourth- quarter points. He also chilled it when he appeared to re-injure his shoulder in the final seconds of the first half. But Rodman suffered only muscle spasms in his right shoulder blade, not believed related to his injury, and he returned in the second half to help the Spurs to a franchise-record 57th victory and lower to three their magic number for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. "I had to do whatever it took to win," Rodman said. "I couldn't let my teammates down." He didn't Neither did center David Robinson, who had 32 points and 16 rebounds.

Trailing 8jj79 with six minutes left, tie Tulsa and further cupcaked its campaign by arranging a game with Division I-AA Middle' Tennessee State so it would have a sixth home game, moving Southwestern Louisiana back a year. The only other school R.C. Slocum could find was Central Florida. "We needed a home game," Slocum says. "We called all over the country to find something and play on a date both of us had available.

I don't even know what conference (Middle Tennessee's) in, but they played Florida State last year and played See A mere, C7 AP The big one? Ray Floyd lets his emotions show after a close call during the second round of the up-for-grabs Seniors' PGA Championship. Story, C3.