The Sun from Vincennes, Indiana • 11

B3 VINCEXXES SUX-COMMERCUL, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24. 1997 Pacers' six SAX AXTOXIO (AP) San Antonio's dominating duo of David Robinson and Tim Duncan put an end to the Indiana Pacers' six-game winning streak. The only teammates in the league to average double figures in points and rebounds. Robinson scored a season-high 39 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Duncan had 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead San Antonio to its sixth straight victory, 91-79 over the Pacers on Tuesday night.

"David and Tim are great players, they rebounded, scored and passed the ball well again tonight," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "But two guys don't play defense or make a basketball team. Five guys acted well together out there on offense and defense." Indiana as led by Reggie Miller with 25 points. Rik Smits added 14. "Robinson played well, very well.

He killed us. Duncan's a big guy, very skilled. I scouted him for three years. He's legitimate," said Indiana coach Larry Bird, who picked up his first technical foul as an NBA head coach in the third quarter. "All they did all night was post-up, and we usually play better Victory No.

700 1 I 1 A Mizzou hits stride against cold-shooting Illini Monty Williams of the San Antonio Spurs looks for room around Jalen Rose (5) of the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night in San Antonio. The Spurs won, 91-79. Shaq out two more weeks streak ends rim," said Robinson, ho also had three blocked shots. "Tim is playing well. He's just fantastic.

Right now our confidence is starting to build and we're feeling real good about ourselves." After trailing by as many as eight points in the second quarter, Indiana ended the first half ith a 20-5 run to lead 47-40 at halftime. Miller connected on back-to-back 3-point field goals as the Pacers scored the final eight points of the second quarter. Notes: Robinson and Duncan are the only NBA teammates to average double-doubles. Robinson came into the Indiana game averaging 23.3 points and 11.4 rebounds, while Duncan averages 16.7 points and 11.2 rebounds. San Antonio ranks second in the NBA in field goal shooting at .472.

On Tuesday, the Spurs shot 50 percent. Despite the loss, Indiana is off to its best start ever in the NBA with a 17-9 record. Pacers forward Derrick McKey returned to the lineup after missing Indiana's first 25 games due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. He struggled against the Spurs, playing 22 minutes and scoring two points on l-for-7 shooting. White's biggest problem was not his ankle, but cramps that forced him to the bench for more than three minutes late in the second half.

He was impressed by the NCAA tournament atmosphere at the Kiel Center for the "Braggin' Rights" game, which drew a sellout crow of 22,371. "I had some pain, but this was a game that we really needed," White said. "I've never been in an atmosphere like this. My teammates came out hard, coach coached a great game, and we got the victory." Illinois helped out by shooting a season-low 32.9 percent. It took some doing to achieve even that, given that at one point in the second half the Illini had made only 13 of 55 shots, or 23.7 percent.

Illinois' previous shooting low also was in St. Louis, a 33.3 percent outing in the Trans World Dome in a loss to Saint Louis University. "We kind of got what we deserved," Kruger said. "I don't mean that in a negative way. We receivers and the offensive line.

Everything kind of ties into together. Anytime you get a guy who can put the ball in the end zone like that, you should be better." Thrilled by the Florida State sweep was Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden. 'Neither one of them was the most highly touted recruit in his class at FSU, but they both combined great talent with hard work," he said. "They were great leaders at FSU and those guys usually make great pros. "It's also a compliment to the coaches who coached them at FSU and in high school.

good as they are as players, they are even better people. They are both true role models." The last time college teammates came into the NFL and won the rookie honors was in 1992, when Kansas City cornerback Dale Carter and Cincinnati wide receiver Carl Pickens did it out of Tennessee. Boulware, an All-America defensive end at Florida State, made the difficult switch to linebacker this year despite missing the first five weeks of training camp because of a contract dispute. rr-T i ib 'Mi i 1 ill, ST. LOUIS (AP) Norm Stewart hopes victory No.

700 turns out to be as big for this season's team as it eventually will be for his career. Missouri has been overmatched early, losing by 23 points to Duke, 22 to Kentucky and 29 to Arkansas. Against cold-shooting Illinois, the Tigers finally hit their stride, getting 16 points and 11 rebounds from Albert White in a 75-69 victory Tuesday night. "This was by far the, best effort and our best defensive effort," Stewart said. "It could be a start for us to mesh together." Kelly Thames, who had 20 points and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line, wasn't arguing.

"This game can be a forecast for the rest of our season," Thames said. The day before the neutral-site game, Stewart said the milestone will mean a lot more when he retires. He's 700-355 in 37 seasons, including 31 at Missouri, and is Lions' Brown moving limbs DETROIT (AP) Weary, but intent on tackling the biggest challenge of his life, Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brow is fighting a neck injury that left him temporarily unconscious and without motor function. "He seems very tired," Dr. Russell Nockels said Tuesday at Henry Ford Hospital, where Brown remained in stable condition two days after the injury in the Lions' regular-season finale.

"He's been through quite a bit. But overall, he's taking this on very well." During a four-hour surgery Monday, Nockels fused the first two vertebra of Brown's neck and fitted him with a neck brace he must wear for the next three months. Doctors have said Brown's playing career likely is finished. Whether he walks again or regains normal functioning of his limbs also remain to be seen, Nockels said Tuesday. "Of all the injuries one can have, I think injuries to the spine can be the worst," Nockels said of damage that can take a year to manifest itself.

"Mr. Brown is making some recovery, and we're hopeful this can continue." didn't move like we needed to move and we didn't get shots in rhythm that we needed to." Freshman Johnnie Parker added 10 points for Missouri (6-4), which won its fourth straight and ended Illinois' three-game winning streak. Kevin Turner had 17 points and Jerry Hester added 12 for Illinois, which leads the series 1 1-6. White had five points and Thames four in a 14-1 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 50-38 lead, punctuated by White's 3-pointcr with 9:27 to play. Illinois twice cut the gap to two points in the closing minutes, the last time on a basket from the key by Matt Held-man with 2:45 to go that made it 60-58.

Parker and another Missouri freshman, Brian Grawer, then helped closed it out. Parker had a 3-pointer and scored inside after a court-long inbounds pass from White, and Grawer made three of four free throws to make it 68-60 with 1:06 left. top rookies Despite his late start, Boulware finished with 11.5 sacks, started all 16 games for Baltimore and finished with 66 tackles. "Missing training camp hurt him, both from a physical standpoint and in that he needed the repetition in practice," Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis said. "If he had been here from the beginning, there's no question he would have been even better." Boulware's sack total was second in the AFC and one short of the record for an NFL rookie held by San Diego's Leslie O'Neal.

"There were some little things I could have learned in training camp," he said. "I probably could have gotten two or three more sacks and I could have had the record." No matter, because the future is quite bright for the fourth pick in the 997 draft. Chosen on 36 ballots, Boulware easily outdistanced Miami linebacker Derrick Rodgers and New Orleans safety Sammy Knight to become the first member of the franchise formerly known as the Cleveland Browns to win the award. Rodgers and Knight both received three votes. iii i ii i ii i 1 743-5113 or 743-2741 886-6436 882-4770 882-9217 726-4842 or 886-9955 882-9600 769-4000 743-2074 726-5260 321-2308 882-2900 886-9439 game win defense in those situations.

We knew they were going to do that but we were late getting help," Bird said. "It's the same offense we've been running since training camp," Popovich said. "As the year goes on it will get better and better. We have try and catch teams that have been running the same offense for five or six years." After trailing 47-40 at halftime, San Antonio opened the third quarter ith a 18-6 run as Robinson and Duncan each scored eight points. San Antonio outscored Indiana 26-15 in the quarter, ith Robinson and Duncan combining for 22 of the points, and the Spurs led 66-62 going to the final quarter.

"Once guys like David Robinson and Tim Duncan get going, it's hard to slow them down," Indiana's Antonio Davis said. The Spurs stretched the lead to 83-70 in the fourth quarter on a 3-point shot by Sean Elliott with four minutes to play. Indiana, which shot only 38 percent, could get no closer than 10 the rest of the way. Robinson had 13 of his points in the fourth quarter. "From the beginning my mindset was to be aggresive and go the for Stewart third in victories among active coaches.

He trails only James Phe-lan of Mount St. Mary's (775) and Bob Knight of Indiana (706). "My longevity can't take away from this great effort," Stewart said. "This was a meaningful wui, but I don't want it to interfere with what happened tonight." Illinois coach Lon Kruger, who has 276 career victories, knows the significance of Stewart's accomplishment. Only seven others have topped 700.

"Norm's been one of the best in the country for a long time," Kruger said. "He's done it for three-plus decades. I'm happy for him, but not happy he got it at our expense." White, a sophomore transfer from Michigan playing in his second game after becoming eligible at the semester break, was a big reason. White was a doubtful starter due to a sprained ankle that limited him to 15 minutes in his debut on Saturday but played 34 minutes. earning 13, Arizona's Jake Plum-mcr picking up four, and Buffalo's Antowain Smith and Tiki Barber of the New York Giants receiving one apiece.

"I wish I could have scored more touchdowns and gained more yards. But I'm just a rookie," said Dunn, who rushed for 978 yards and four touchdowns, caught 39 passes for 462 yards and three scores, and was an impact player from the beginning. "Hopefully over time, I'll get better, my body will get stronger, mentally I'll get stronger and wiser to the game and just move forward from there." Dunn is the fifth straight running back and 1 1th in the last 12 years to take the award. He is the first Buccaneer to be selected top offensive rookie and was a key reason Tampa Bay had its best year since 1979 and first winning season in 15. "A guy who can take it the distance just about any time he touches the ball," Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Shula said in describing Dunn.

"I think it takes pressure off everybody else. "It takes pressure off (quarterback) Trent Dilfer. It takes pressure off (fullback) Mike Alstott, our for Citrus Bowl where Penn State is practicing for its New Year's Day game with No. 6 Florida. "He was trying to come clean with everything." Paterno talked with Enis and his parents in what the coach called an "emotional meeting." Afterward, the two men hugged and Paterno wished Enis well.

"He said he was sorry," Paterno said, and then read from a statement from Enis: "I know I made a mistake. I apologize to my teammates and my fans and ask for their understanding." Enis led the No. 1 1 Nittany Lions in rushing with 1,363 yards this season. For his career, he's third at Penn State with 3,256 yards. He is the second Penn State star to be ruled ineligible for the Citrus Bowl.

Wide receiver Joe Jurevicius' won't play because of poor grades. since Nov. 19, was examined Tuesday in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Dr. Andrew Seals and Dr. Ross Davidson with respect to his abdominal injury.

Their diagnosis concurred with the earlier diagnoses of team doctor Steve Lombardo and Dr. Miguel Velez that O'Neal is suffering from an abdominal strain. The Lakers said O'Neal's situation is continuing to improve, and it is expected that he "could rejoin the team in approximately two weeks if he continues to improve." O'Neal will continue with a specialized rehabilitation program under the supervision of Dr. Lombardo, the team said. O'Neal, averaging 24.5 points and 11.6 rebounds in eight games this season all Lakers wins has missed his team's last 17 games.

The Lakers are 13-6 without O'Neal, who sat out the season-opener because of the abdominal strain and was suspended from the second game because he slapped Utah's Greg Ostertag on the day of the opener. The Lakers (21-6) completed a 4-1 road trip Monday night, beating Houston 94-83. They also beat Minnesota, Atlanta and Charlotte on the five-game, seven-day trip while losing to Chicago. Dunn, Boulware tabbed as NFL's LOS ANGELES (AP) Slowly but surely, Shaquille O'Neal's strained abdominal muscle is getting better. Now, he's got a hairline fracture of his shooting wrist to worry about.

O'Neal will be sidelined at least two more weeks because of the fracture in his right wrist, an injury he sustained two weeks ago from punching a heavy bag. The fracture wasn't discovered until Monday after pain persisted. The Lakers said O'Neal has not been fitted for a cast. "The fact is, he probably wasn't going to come back sooner anyway because of his abdominal injury," team spokesman John Black said Tuesday. "This is a freak injury.

It's not like this guy did anything bad or did anything wrong. Of course we're not happy that he's hurt, but he didn't do anything wrong and these things do happen." Black said the Lakers were unaware O'Neal was working out on a heavy bag. "We don't prescribe his workouts or his treatment, nor do we personally monitor them," he said. "We were told by Shaquille how the injury occurred. He was working out in a gym under the supervision of a Well-respected trainer and conditioning person." O'Neal, who has been sidelined Hatchets continued from Bl center hadn't gone to the stripe prior to the fourth quarter but hit seven of 12 free throws to lead an 11 -of-17 showing by the Hatchets in the period.

Killion's previ-j ous high this I season was lltlt Vernon, points against Bedford. Con opener, "He played tel. 2. preuy wen, Omer said. "He picked it up a notch.

This is the type of game he played in our scrimmage at Castle. We've been trying to find out why he hasn't done that since. He hit some big free throws and hit some big boards, there's no doubt about that. He's got a lot of athletic ability, but his problem is motivation. Until something motivates him he's not going to play very well.

I don't know what it was tonight. Maybe he saw where (Kurt) Kramer wasn't playing and he felt like he had to do a little more." Omer said he couldn't overestate the importance of the victory. "It was an absolute god send to play well and to win on top of it," Omer said. "It's one of those things where if you don't play well and you don't win and then you have the holidays and go into the it can be a real struggle. This is going to give us a big lift.

One of the things that's been a positive is that we've got some kids to play in the absence of some of these other players. Now I feel a little more confidence to stick a Brandon Smith or a Garrett Clark or an Eric Gilley NEW YORK (AP) Tampa Bay's Warrick Dunn made it a sweep for Florida State, joining college teammate Peter Boulware as an Associated Press NFL rookie of the year. Dunn, the versatile running back who played a major role in the Buccaneers' turnaround this season, was chosen Offensive Rookie of the Year in voting conducted by the AP. A nationwide panel of 48 sports writers and broadcasters selected Boulware, an end for Baltimore, as the top defensive rookie on Tuesday. "Where we went to school, you tend to experience things that other players don't experience the media, the competition, the hoopla, the experience of playing big games," Dunn said.

"That is every day here. In college, you only play three or four (big) games a year; I just got a taste of it. It was just a matter of making adjustments for 16 games and not four or five games." Dunn, the only rookie to make the Pro Bowl this year, was one of four running backs among the five players receiving votes. He got 28, with Corey Dillon of Cincinnati Enis suspended STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) Penn State fans upset over the abrupt end to Curtis Enis' college career could take solace from the fact that he probably wouldn't have been back next year anyway.

Coach Joe Paterno said he intended to suggest to his All-America running back that he professional instead of returning for his senior year and a shot at the Hcis-man Trophy. Instead, Paterno announced Tuesday that Enis admitted he accepted gifts from a sports agent and then lied about it. Enis was declared ineligible for the Citrus Bowl and has played his last game for the Nittany Lions, according to Jeff Nelson, Penn State sports information director. "I think that he realized he made a mistake," Paterno said on a conference call from Melbourne, Fla Hnox County Quail Unlimited into the game, guys that may not have gotten in otherwise." Loogootee coach Jack Butcher said his team would have to regroup between now and its game Jan. 10 at Washington Catholic.

"It's hard to. really pinpoint how we come out of this," Butcher said. "I guess we go back to drawing board and hope that things will improve." Loogootee won the junior varsity game, 37-30. Darin Lunsford led Washington (3-4) with 12 points. Josh Fee had 1 1 for Loogootee (8-1) and Derek Gilbertson 10.

Washington plays at Mount Vernon on Jan. 2. Hatchets 55, Lions 39 LOOGOOTEE (39) fg-a 4-7 4-16 3-8 3-8 0- 6 1- 3 0-1 15-49 tt-a 0-0 2-3 0-0 0-0 2-2 0-0 0-0 4-5 Josh JeHers Jared Green (g) Dustln Schnarr (g) Jason Bowden jc) Jeremy Braun (I) Brett Bradley Billy Bauer (f) Totals WASHINGTON (55) Morry Portee (I) Brad Killion (c) Brandon Smith Clay Havlll (g) Jeff Owens (I) John Havlll (g) Eric Gilley Garrett Clark Branden Daily Garrett Mason Totals fg-s 9-11 48 3-5 1-5 1-3 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 ft-a pf tp 0-0 7-12 2- 2 4-5 3- 4 00 0-0 0-0 00 0-0 18-34 16-23 Score by quarters Washington 10-15-15-15 55 Loogootee 6-10-14- 9 39 Field goal pet. Loogootee 30. Washington 53.

Free-throw pel. Loogootee 80. Washington 70. 3-point shooting Loogootee 5-18 (Jerlers 4-5, Schnarr 1-5. Green 0-5, Bowden 0-1, Bauer 0-1, Braun 0-1; Washington 3-7 (Portee 3-5, Owens 0-1, Smith 0-1).

Rebounds Loogootee 20 (Bradley 6. Green 5, Braun 4), Washington 30 (Killion 13, Portee 6, C. Havlll 5) Turnovers Loogootee 9. Washington 9. Olllclala Carl Mark, Dan Morgan.

Junior varsity Loogootee 37 (Josh Fee 11, Derek Gilbertson 10), Washington 30 (Dann Lunslord 12). 1998 Dinner Auction 1 Feb. 7, 1998 Vincennes Holiday Inn 1 Mark Your Calendars Reserve Your Tickets! For more ticket information contact: 4 Dr. Tom Thompson Ray McCormick Mark Grundman Fred Klein Mark Crowley Dr. Frank Emert Brent Marchino Brett Marchino Bill Robinson Dr.

Phil Watson J.M. Vieck Gary Shepherd i A.