Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama • 13

MrmlnahgmTort-HwqM Monday Pf mbw 16 19V1 Sports Clippers win Daly cries foul after incident Magic touched by gesture Anockied Piw LOS ANGELES Ron Harper led the streaking CUppers to their eighth consecutive victory with 26 prints last night as Los Angeles defeated Orlando 119-104 sending the Magic to their seventh consecutive loss The winning streak matches the 1978-79 CUppers for the longest by the franchise since it won a dub-record 11 consecutive games as the Buffalo Braves in November 1974 The victory also gave the CUppers a league-leading 11 home victories one more than Boston Jerry Reynolds entering the game with an 85-point scoring average led the Magic in scoring for the first time since April 17 of last season with 30 prints in place of the ailing Dennis Scott Scott lwHing scorer this season has an inflamation in his right leg With forward Charles Smith missing Ms second consecutive game because of soreness and swelling in his right knee Los Angeles got 22 prints from Danny Manning and a critical third-quarter contribution off the bench from Ken Norman Norman scored six points in a 49-second span highlighting a 15-2 burst that gave Bandits stop streak The Isiah Thomas lies on the court after becoming victim of a flagrant foul by the Jazz's Karl Malone AHDCiltcd PlfM INGLEWOOD Calif Magic Johnson said last night he Is deeply touched by former teammate Kareem desire to return to the NBA to promote AIDS awareness "First of all words describe my feeling toward his gesture and his love and his wanting to get behind my cause and my fight against the virus and the AIDS Johnson said before the Los Angeles game with the Sacramento Kings "For him to do that makes me the CUppers a 89-74 lead with 92 seconds left in the quarter Los Angeles took its biggest lead 105-87 with 5:45 left in the game after Harper pulled down his third offensive rebound of the fourth quarter and Mt a three-printer from the corner Orland than 10 prints after I Jim Farmer scared 20 prints to lead toe Bandits Chris Collier added 18 prints and 13 rebounds The Bandits won the first and fourth quarters to come away from the game with two points In the CBA three points are awarded for a victory and one print for the winner of each quarter The Racers outscored the Bandits 35-25 in the second quarter to take a 57-53 halftime lead Omaha extended that lead to 8449 after three quarters 1750-point victory in 1968 although Howard got a higher percentage of the first-place votes "Desmond deserved said Weldon whose chances crumbled when Florida State lost its final two games to Miami and Florida a great player and he had a fantastic Detmer the all-time leading passer said he disap-printed by Ms third-place finish "I knew going into the season that it would be hard for me to win he said expectations were just too high Every game had to better than toe previous sure something was going to break for our offense sooner or Bowden said "We were still right in toe game But it just simply good enough to brat them in those conditions It would have been nice to have played the game in Birmingham But we and under the circumstances we played in they were the better There was no mourning over the loss however The Bulldogs already are looking to' the future coaches met yesterday to discuss re- we do something by accident and they make a big deal like Malone also had words for Detroit's Darrell Walker who also was ejected after charging off the bench to throw a punch at Mark Eaton in a brief scuffle after the inci dent "Those (expletives) who come off the bench and try to be tough guys (you) put them in the ring and see what da Probably the 6-footrl 280-pound aU-star forward said Abdul-Jabbar the all-time leading scorer who retired from the Lakers in 1989 said Saturday considering a comeback to dramatise fight against AIDS Johnson said the 44-year-old farmer Lakers center can only decide for himself if capable of contributing to an NBA team "When Kareem talks about doing something he wifi know if he can do Johnson said "If he knows he do It be will hack away from it If talking about 10 or 15 minutes a game Just as good as anybody's backup right to 18 points by Reynolds Los led 5443 at halftime after Olden Friynice three-point shot 16-foot fades wa i rebounded a shot by Harper and Mt a 16-foot fadeaway jumper with two-tenths of a second left 14 prints on eight shooting powered Los Angeles to a 29-24 lead through one The Bandits opened the fourth quarter with a 214 run but complete the comeback Birmingham sank 494 percent of its shots from the field (40 of 111 and finished with two more field goals than Omaha which sank 474 percent of its field-goal attempts (38 of 80) But the Racers sank 3(Kof-38 free-throw attempts The Bandits were 18 of 25 from the free throw line The Bandits remain on toe toad with a 7:05 pm game tomorrow against Quad (Sty at Moline IU Washington tackle Steve Emtman finished fourth the best showing by a defensive player since Oklahoma's Brian Bosworto was fourth in 1988 No pure defender has won- the Heisman hard to judge a defensive player because no real stats1 said Emtman who will face Howard in toe Rose Bowl quarterback has completions a running back has rushing yardage and a receiver has receptions But with a defensive player especially a lineman 'you tell how good be is by looking at a stat cruiting and Bowden said there is nothing but optimism over where the program is heading "I am already to the point where I am excited about the season we had I'm looking back in he said! really the most a ever had IVe ever had Considering where we are in toe development of this program incredible we were able to compete with these teams on this level we left room for improvement We left room for another game to play what working on FROM $8470 36 MONTH360O0 TO BUMPER WARRANTY Price plus Tax Tag Title insists be back at Michigan next fall I I OMAHA Neb Ronnie Grandi-son scored 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds last night to help toe Omaha Racers remain unbeaten at home with a 109-101 Continental Bas-ketball Association victory over the Birmingham Bandits The Bandits (8-10) however remain in first place In the American Eastern Division The victory improved the home record this season to 84 They have won a franchise-record 10 consecutive home games dating back to lastseason Jim Harbaugh a former Michigan quarterback who now plays for the CMcago Bears thinks time for Howard to go pro a Michigan alum love to see him stay But I would strongly recommend he comes out Harbaugh told the Detroit News way should he stay The chance for an injury is just too great toe most marketable right Howard who scored many of Ms 23 touchdowns this season on spectacular diving catches beat Weldon by 1574 points in the Heisman balloting The biggest landslide was But on the next play with toe wind as hard as ever Wiggins to loft a pass into the cor-the end zone The ball hung in the current before being intercepted well short of the intended receiver Finally late in the game Samford had one more opportunity when Youngstown State punter Larry Buc-ciarelli touched the ground with to field a low punt the ball at the kneewMle $SU43Jftittwo threw yet another "Our defense was playing so well later Wiggins I 14 AMQfiltid Ptm j- SALT LAKE CITY When the NBA uka Detroit coach Chuck Daly far his version of the play that sent the Isiah Thomas to the hoe pital and Utah's Karl Malone out of the game Daly will be ready "They ask if It was a flagrant foul" Daly said had 40 stitches IS inside and 23 outside The league office will determine how malicious" Malone leveled Thomas midway through the first quarter of 1Q2-100 victory Saturday night sending the point guard sprawling "It felt like I'd been shot in the head" Thomas said "It was a hard hit I was a little scared "I was a lot scared" Thomas drove to the basket with 7:32 left in first quarter when Malone went up hard in his path The collision left Thomas with blood pouring down his face Malone was ejected for a flagrant foul 1 Piston players were outraged over the incident and believe it was retaliation far Detroit's 123-115 victory over the Jazs at home last month a me in which non-Olympian had 44 points while Utah 1 John Stockton a mem-Tthe 1992 UA Olympic team -had 20 1 "It was a vicious foul a very eary foul after a 44rjprint performance at Piston forward Bill Laimbeer said the foul was the referees said there should be a major he said Malone said it was an accident "I do It he said as he left the arena amazing (the Pistons) do the intentional (expletive) like they do and get away with it But we do something clean Howard NEW YORK The Heisman Trophy is turning into the junior achievement award On Saturday Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard became the fourth consecutive junior to win college most important award Before the recent streak only seven underclassmen had won toe Heisman in 52 years fearry Sanders and Andre Ware toe winners in 1988 and 1989 passed up their final year of eligibility to enter the NFL The 1990 winner Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer samford From page B1 not saying we would have brat them without the wind But with it we had no chance to throw the ball And our entire game plan centers around us being able to throw the MeanwMle Youngstown State was playing football straight out of the 1950s: run the ball 15 consecuitve times throw a pass then run it 15 Braves fans making it a merry Xmas ATLANTA This recessionary Christmas been such a had one after all for at least one group of retailers thanks to the likes of Tom Glavine and Terry Pendleton in stores across Atlanta and the state shoppers are snapping up caps T-shirts commemorative plaques and even Christmas ornaments celebrating the achievements of Glavine Pendleton and the rest of National League champion Atlanta Braves really believe the reason holding our own I really said Aimamae Yasick a buyer with Stadium Stuff a seven-store chain id team clothing and novelties 1 "Our sales have stayed very stable-even after the rush wMle they were in the World she said sales are very high in every type of Braves item you can have: earrings necklaces water bottles National League champion trash been great for said Dar- 5yl Patterson assistant manager at onquil Sporting Goods in Smyrna in the northwest Atlanta suburbs might have been a little slow spurt if it for the Braves keeping us -With the Braves boom Stadium Stuffs 1991 Christmas sales are about the same as Yasick said: "With the economy the wav it is1- if we do toe same as last Christmas be returned for his senior season and finished third in this Heisman voting behind Howard and Florida State quarterback Casey Weldon 1 Howard is on schedule to get his degree in May but says he plans to play another year at Michigan wMle attending graduate school That would give him a chance to beome 75 "Education can take you further than anything in the said Howard whose victory margin was more As a result the Penguins ran "This was by far a CMcago Bean-type of game where it's cold and windy and you just run the ball 50 Bowden said have to have that kind of offense to win in those conditions and we simply have it I doubt ever have that kind of SUll the Bulldogs had their chances Trailing 74 late in the first half Youngstown fumbled a Samford punt that the Bulldogs recovered at theP Bulldogs 28-yardU line saniw! 1-65 at US 31 978-4123 the secomMargest in Heisman history have a more concrete future if I concentrate on getting my Many people expect Howard to change Ms mind and enter NFL draft or possibly join Rocket Ismail In the Canadian Football League But he insists he will be back av Ann Arbor next fall not even thinking of toe pros right Howard said following the Heisman announcement at the Downtown Athletic Cub just concentrating on getting my and playing Washington in the But on third down following two incompletions wide receiver Brian James slipped as he was making a cut on a timing pattern and the already-thrown ball landed in the arms of Youngstown corner back Randy Smith Then early in the third quarter with the Penguins leading 194 Samford recovered a Youngstown fumble near midfield A 23-yard pass completion from Wiggins to Surkano Edwards Sam-ford's longest play of the day moved toe ball to the YSU 21-yardune Veatavia next to Royal Okto.