Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 23

ports IN THIS SECTION Hal McCoy, 2 Tar Heels escape, 2 Gary Nuhn, 3 GG to open, 8 DAYTON DAILY NEWS Sunday, March 4, 1384 Pg 1-C Toney ignites 2nd half rally in 80-70 UD victory Flyers fluster ND Lady Flyert stopped, Page 3C By MAKC KATZ Staff Sports Writer University of Dayton basketball Coach Don Donoher thought his team might have played itself out Junior guard Sedric Toney thought if he got back in be might be able to do something about it. Donoher was wrong, Toney right and Dayton put another thriller into the victory column, 80-70, over Notre Dame Saturday afternoon before 13,505 at UD Arena. That wis the largest crowd at the Arena since 13,528 showed up to watch another UD team beat another ND team almost 10 years ago to the day, March 4, 1 974. The game ended with hundreds of those people flooding the floor and Notre Dame Coach Digger Phelps chasing after game officials Tom Rucker and Phil Bova. "I just wanted to talk about looking at tapes (of the game) sometime," Phelps said after cooling off.

FOR NEARLY three-fourths of this one, there was no Indication that the Fryers, down by eight at the half, and eventually by 10, would come back to score oh 14 straight possessions and 22 out of 24 to put the Irish away for their 17th victory against 10 losses. Notre Dame, still hoping for an NTT bid with UD, ended its regular season at 17-11. Certainly Toney was not destined to become a factor. He was 2-for-6 in the first half and substitute Ted Harris did so well in his place, scoring seven points, he started the second half while Toney scowled in his seat. "Ted was creating some offense for us," Donoher said.

He also said he was worried about rebounding. Dayton had only six boards (none on the offensive end) to Notre Dame's 20 in the first half. "That's all we talked about," Donoher continued. "I sort of thought we were finished. We had so many lapses and missed shots at Xavier (in a loss last Wednesday), I thought we were spent." "I WASN'T TOO happy," said Toney, who was obviously unhappy while Harris took, his place the first 4:37 of the second half.

"It got me geeked up sitting on the bench. I was waiting to get back in the game." As soon as Toney re-entered, Notre Dame scored to make it 43-31 At 13:03, the 10-point lead was still there, 47-37, but the Flyers were on the precipice of playing their best half of the season. Even Notre Dame's Tom Sluby, who scored 30 points, could not match what was about to happen. After Jeff Zern scored a basket for his first points since the Chicago-Loyola game on Jan. 11, Notre Dame matched that basket for its 47-37 lead that would melt faster than snow in 40 degree temperatures.

First, Larry Schellenberg hit a Jumper from the top of the circle, Notre Dame missed a shot and then Damon Goodwin was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound. He made both shots. NOTRE DAME missed two free throws, Ed Young hit from the lane, Notre Dame's Donald Royal answered with a rebounded shot, and now Toney would take his first shot of the second half. He made it on the baseline to the right of the basket. The Irish would not dominate the boards in the second half the way they did in the first.

Dayton grabbed just as many, 16, and the Irish had to settle for one shot a possession instead of two or three. Now, the Irish missed again, and fouled on the rebound. On Dayton's next trip down the floor, Toney was fouled and made both shots. Then, the Flyers did It all on two plays. Trailing 49-47 with 9:53 left, UD's Roosevelt Chapman stepped in front of a Joe Howard pass on the left side of the lane and began a fast break with Toney that resulted in a Chapman layup for a tie at 9:36.

Seconds later, Chapman did the same thing, again intercepting a Howard pass to the left of the lane and went down alone, tipping in his own first-missed shot at 9:1 5. THAT GAVE UD a 51-49 lead which Notre Dame would tie, but Toney made his next two shots and the Flyers were not tied or headed again. After scoring 14 straight times, the Flyers held a 64-58 lead. Two Toney free throws with 2:56 left made the Dayton lead 71-61 and the Flyers would lead by as many as 13 points twice before it was over. ill If Staff photo by Bill Shepherd Deee-f ense Flyers' Harris pressures Howard See TONEY, PageJ-C.

Tourney bid in doubt DC edges IDSi I WBurjck I Sports Editor Raiders in OT Once again, ie unexpected reigns as De iYs Bag flops HIALEAH, Fla. The) basic rule in sports never changes. Do not be surprised ever by the unexpected. Better yet, anticipate the unanticipated whether the "game" involves humans or animals. It happened here agalij Saturday.

Devil's Bag, the horse that couldn't possibly lose, indeed had not been defeated in six previous races, was a bad loser in Hialeah Park's historic Flamingo Stakes for 3-year-olds. And that was a shocker. Devil's Bag finished ajsad fourth behind the winning Time for a Change, second-choice Dr. Carter and longshot Rexson's Hope. Excuse it If the original emphasis in this report is on a loser, rather than wiaaer.

But that's how it goes when such a favorite as this one goes down the drain. It should be remembertd that Devil's Bag, a purchase as a yearling in 1982, won five races last year as a 2-year-old without ever running behlng another horse. He felt a whip on his withers only once when he left the gate in his first start; but he Redskins belt EMU to claim crown in MAC By DAVE LONG Staff Sports Writer OXFORD How does it feel to win the regular-season basketball championship of the Mid-American Conference? Let the players on the Miami University team tell you after outslugging Eastern Michigan, 60-45, before 6,432 basketball and fight fans at Millett Hall. "It is sweet," said sophomore forward Ron Harper. "When there was 2:37 left, I could feel it and let the crowd know it." He gave the crowd the clinched-fist high sign at that time and they went crazy.

"It hasn't hit me yet," said senior forward and enforcer-designate Tony Lehman, who has been in the program five years. "It's hard to believe we've really won it after the last few years when we've been down." ''FANTASTIC, THAT'S all I can say," said senior center John Marx, who contributed some key steals and got a technical knockout on Eastern center Vince Giles. "This ranks right up there with the great basketball thrills I've ever had," senior guard John Wil-loughby said after getting a game-high 18 points, in- eluding four key ones in the second half to break the game open. Last but not least, coach Darrel Hedric: "This is a very gratifying time for our team and our seniors," he said. "We've had a few years of tough sledding and it's a real tribute to our players and my coaches, Joe Barry and Jerry Pierson.

They've really done the job, but I get all the credit. "I DON'T THINK we've done any better of a coaching job than we did last year. We haven't done anything different from last season. It's just a credit to the kids who came back this season with a great attitude and really made it happen. This really does feel great because we haven't had anything to cheer about for a long time." Miami's victory gives the Redskins a 15-2 record in the MAC and their first title since the 1977-78.

They now have a 21-5 overall record, the most victories in the history of the school. Miami has one regular season game left Monday at Ball State in a makeup of a game scheduled for last Wednesday which was snowed out. The 'Skins then play in the MAC post-season tournament next Saturday in Rockford, 111., at 6 p.m. after drawing a first round bye. See MIAMI, Page 3-C.

By PAUL MEYER Staff Sports Writer If you thought the last five minutes of regulation time and the overtime were nerve-wracking at Wright State Saturday night, think how Coach Ralph Underhill and his team will feel this morning and much of the afternoon. When Wright State finally lost, 68-66, to District of Columbia before a loud sellout crowd in the Physical Education Building, It meant the Raiders no longer had a tournament bid just about locked up. They did not finish 20-8. Instead, they're 19-9 and hoping for Instead of expecting a bid for the sixth straight season. "I think we deserve to have a bid," Coach Ralph Underhill said.

"Whether we get one, I don't know. But we're the defending (Division II) champion, and we played a great schedule. We have played the best schedule in the whole (Great Lakes) region." And what of District of Columbia? THE FIREBIRDS, who finished 17-10, were the Division II champs in 1982 and lost to Wright State In last season's championship game. "They've got to give me a shot," Coach Wil Jones said. 'They know and we know that Earl (Jones, the 7-foot center) was hurt.

I don't need but three more wins to be Utopia. I know we've got 10 losses, but we don't have 10 normal losses." The Firebirds lost four of their first five games when Earl Jones was out with a hernia operation. "I fought back like I was supposed to and got a record," said Wil Jones, who added that he thought Wright State should get a bid, too. "So they let us in and we get kicked In the first round?" Wil Jones said. "Why take your top two teams and leave 'em out and let a hobo in?" For sure, these two two teams aren't tramps.

THEY PLAYED 45 minutes of very intense, physical basketball so intense and physical that the overtime was rather anti-climactic compared to the 40 minutes in regulation. The Raiders, who scored 17 straight points in a 3:35 span to take a 47-37 lead with 10:40 left In regulation, had a great chance to win the game in the final seconds of regulation. After Mark Vest Intercepted a DC pass with 24 seconds left, the Raiders called timeout Underbill called for play 32 a series of screens designed to open a number of shots. the inbounds pass, however, guard T.C. Johnson seemed a bit indecisive.

See RAIDERS, Page -C. AP photo Devil's Bag gets a bath Staff photo by Bill Shepherd Air duel WSU's Purcell (35) battles Hoffler Upset Time for a Change wins Flamingo Stakes for 3rd straight victory won his only previous race this year at this track under a new strategy in Jwhich he was "rated" at seven-eighths of a mile. In other words, he was schooled in that last competition on Feb. 20 to break slowly and then overtake the leaders. Unbelievable $36 million Devil's Bag's future seemed so assured that late last year his breeding rights were sold to a syndicate for an unbelievable $36 million.

At age 2, mind you. Shucks, Tampa interests are trying to buy the Minnesota Twins for "only $24 Devil's Bag's owners, Mr. and Mrs. James P. Mills, of Hickory Tree Stable, Middleburg, unloaded 26 shares at $1 million dollars apiece, retaining 10 shares for themselves.

Gosh, could Devil's Bag possibly fall as a stud after his dismal failure Saturday? Big race winners do, you know. For some reason, I think Wk to Assault, the Triple Crown champion of 1146, for whom there were very high hopes as a profiteer, bat of coarse, not at these prices. Asrnlt, poor fellow, left no progeny because he wu totally disinterested In the sei process. 4 So, what happen to Devil's ag, the great one, so highly extolled by his septuagenarian trainer, racing Hall Of Famer, Woody Stephens? All we know wa that the horse did everything wrong Saturday. The plan wu that Devil's Bag would take his time, letting Time for a Change to break on top, as he usually does, la this 1 ft-mile faamtego test.

The second cho'ee Dr. Carter was a renowned come-from-behlnd horse, so "the Dr." and "the Devil" would battle it out down the stretch, where the one that hadn't lost surely would put him away; beat him easily where It counted. See SI BURICk, Page 4C HIALEAH, Fla. (AP) Time for a Change outdueled Dr. Carter in the stretch Saturday and won the $365,000 Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah as heavily favored Devil's Bag finished fourth for his first defeat.

The third straight victory for Time for a Change moved him Into the center of the Kentucky Derby picture. Devil's Bag, the 1983 2-year-old champion who had won his previous six career starts, had been the early choice for the 1 '4 -mile Derby; v' DEVIL'S BAG, whose only other race this year was a victory In the 7-furlong Flamingo Prep, took the lead under Eddie Maple coming out of the gate and held it until the turn for home when time for a Change, who was stalking the leader, took over. Dr. Carter, ridden by Jorge Velasquez, then came on to challenge, but Time for a ridden by J.D. Bailey, would not let him pass and won in 1:47 for the 1 mile.

Devil's Bag faded to finish fourth behind Rexson's Hope, track used its option and did not to have show betting. Finishing fifth was Papa Koo, followed by Heir to the Throne, High Alexander and Masterful. Each starter carried 122 pounds, except Heir to the Throne and Masterful, who carried 118 apiece. Devil's Bag held a half-length lead over Time for a Change after the first quarter mile. The lead narrowed to a head after the first half and was still a head after three quarters with three-eighths of a mile remaining.

Dr. Carter was third through the first three-quarters, three lengths behind Time for a Change mjdway through the final turn. THEN, AS DEVIL'S Bag, the 1-5 favorite, faded, the race became a duel between Time for a Change and Dr. Carter and Time for a Change had enough left for the victory. Rexson's Hope was seventh, 16 lengths behind Devil's Bag with three-eighths of a mile remaining, rallied to get third.

The victory was worth $210,000. Every starter was guaranteed at least $5,000. ridden by Robert Gaff glione. Time For a Change got to the wire a neck in front of Dr. Carter, who was six lengths In front of Rexson's Hope.

Devil's Bag was another length back, in the field of eight 3-year-olds. Before the race, Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens said of Devil's Bag: "He'll play the game and he'll do it br'ter than anyone" BUT DEVIL'S Bag could not carry his speed around two turns on this cool, sunny Saturday and the game belonged to Time for a Change. "We still don't know how far Devil's Bag wants to John Veitch, trainer of Dr, Carter said before the 55th Ramlngo. How far Devil's Bag wants to go remains a ques- tion. Time for a Change, owned by Ogden M.

Phipps and trained by Angel Penna returned $16.60 and $4.20. Dr. Carter, owned by Frances A. Center Stable, paid $3.40. The.