Cagers bank 88433 A
By RICK STARR
Collegian Sports Writer
For Buckneli, last night's
gut-wrenching, overtime 88-
83 loss to State in Rec
Hall was t:4,hoiTier, a gift, a
game deci4eil by the officials
and not the players."
By the end of the game
Bison coach Jim Valvano was
seething with anger, furious
at his fourth straight loss.
Unable to stand still, unable
to control his voice, he let all
his frustraAp hang out.
"This wine of the worst
ref jobs I've ever seen,"
Valvano began. "The kids did
a good job, but I get very
upset when the game is
decided by- the refs and not
the kids. When it comes to
that final call, the final thing,
the whistle gets caught down
here," Valvano said, touching
his throat.
Bucknell was unhappy with
the second half officiating in
general, but it was one play,
Lion forward Kevin Burke's
defense of Bison guard Tom
McLean's breakaway layup,
that focused the anger.
The shot went slamming off
the backboard, and with it
Bucknell's chance for a four
point lead witii4B seconds left
in overtime.
Problems in Penn State pivot
"We've still got a long way to come," Jim
Oudetkirk said last night. Another six feet, nine
and-one-half inches would be great for starters:
Six feet, nine-and-one-half inches just happens to
be the official Penn State press guide measurement
of Randy Meister's height. And Meister, the Lions'
senior center, looks to be what's keeping Penn State
from having some kind of a fair-to-middlin'
basketball 'team.
Personal fouls forced John Bach to sit his big man
down in the first half of Penn State's 88-83 win, with
time enough for backup Romel Raffin to pick up his
own four personals before the halftime buzzer. Penn
State had a 46-41 edge, but was losing defensive
rebounds and suffering accordingly.
Randy returned for the second stanza, but at 18:33
another no-no, his fourth, again drew the curtain.
Raffin fouled out at 13:59 and Bach went to Bill
Botts, an inexperienced junior.
Finally, after Penn State's 66-53 lead toppled to 67-
65, Meister returned to the action. He managed to
maneuver for a few baskets in key situations, but
Penn State's overall showing had to make you
scream for a big man. The Lions are gradually
picking up that running game. There were full-court
passes like the team must've been watching Tom
Shuman during the Pitt football game. The shooting
was no less than efficient. But when 6-2 Tommy
Doaty has got to get in there and scrape for a
rebound, neither running nor sweat nor chalk nor
blackboards will help.
Bach knows problems
"We know that we have rebounding problems,"
and obviously relieved Bach said later. "We also
know that we have to work with Meister and Raffin.
John Bach makes a point here. He knows he's got more to make
Doaty, Angstadt get career may,t'
The referee said it was a McLpan also differs with
blocked shot, a clean move by the official judgement on the
Burke. Valvano disagreed. play. Asked if he was fouled,
"McLean tells me he was McLean said, "Yes, from the
pushed in the back," Valvano rear and across the head. If
said. "I'd like to see films of the ref is on the play he should
it. I asked the ref and he said be conscious of it. Yes, I was
to me, 'I was right there and fouled and the ref should have
the kid blewthe layup.' But in called it."
a pressure game, you tend not McLean also contends
to get any calls. I'm not sure Burke grabbed the rim and
what it is. net, a goaltending violation.
"I have the upmost respect Burke had another side of
for officials, basketball is the the story.
toughest,- the quickest,"
ValvaniAtaid. "But they "McLean smiled at me
, 4 after the play was over, so I
didn't call it. They let it go.
The consistency of this type of guess he thought I fouled
thing is what gets me. I think him," Burke said from the
the game was given to State more sedate Lion locker
a gift. I don't want to take room. "One of our assistant
anything from their people, coaches told me it looked like
but that's how I feel." a clean block, but naturally it
would look clean from our
side.
As he continued, Valvano
began to calm down. He chose "I think it was a clean
his words more carefully. block," Burke continued.
"We're not really attacking„ "But that doesn't matter. It's
the cfficials or Penn State as the 'man with the striped
people, but we're 0-4 and it's shirt, it's what he thinks that
not fair to the kids," Valvano matters. There's a tendency
said "We did enough things when you play on the road to
to lose, that's one of the things feel you're getting screwed,
about this game. It's an L, but I'm not agreeing whether
and it's over. If I can be corny they did get a home job or not.
for a moment, my kids have The fouls weren't only called
the character to come back. on them."
M% kids are not Penn State rebounded
discouraged." McLean's miss and Lion
Jeff Young
Sports Editor
Botts hurt his ankle Friday. Chris Erichsen hasn't
cleared up his academic problems yet. We aren't
gonna be a good team until we solve our reboun.ing
problems."
But Bach was not inclined to blame the difficulties
on Raffin, a sophomore with much to learn, or any
of his other reserves. He lamented Meister's foUl
troubles.
"A lot of it is he's just foul-prone. He falls into the
damn things, I told him he's gonna have to rise
above it. It upsets our offense, upsets everything."
Meister himself appears , uncertain, unclear as to
the situation.
"The trouble's mainly within myself," he said. "I
don't know. !I haven't been able to get myself
moving, to get myself' into the game until late. I
guess I just have to get into 'em really early."
Bach has been quoted as saying that the season
rests on Meister, "or at least on his example." After
going into overtime with a team that they could've
blown off the floor, the Lions can hardly_ think
otherwise. Bach has also been quoted as saying that
Meister has "other goals, academic goals" on his
mind. This is indeed admirable, but here's hoping
guard Tommy Doaty scoreq minutes later they had it tied
on the fast break to tie thd 67-67.
game at 83-83 with 44 seconds 2 I * J4 At this pOint -Meister was
remaining. sent back into the lineup, and
Penn State guard Jim made several crucial moves
Ouderkirk added on a point as the score moved through
with 19 seconds to go to make the 70's, with ties at 75, 77 and
it 84-83 after Lion center Ran- 79.
dy Meister grabbed a crucial
rebound. Bucknell's Rodger
Clark missed the final Bison
attempt at the win with three
seconds remaining. Burke
grabbed the clinching
rebound, and he and Meister
finished out the game at the
foul line, each canning both at
tempts to give the illusion of a
safe 88-83 win.
Penn State took a 47-41 lead
into the halftime locker room
after a hot-shooting half by
Doaty. With his dead-center
long bombs, Doaty had 15
points by the half. For Doaty
and forward Dave Angstadt,
last night's game produced
career high point totals of 22
and 16 respectively.
Bucknell meanwhile did
most of its first half attacking
from close range, seldom
shooting from longer than 12
feet. Ouderkirk, who played
the entire game without a rest
until being slightly injured
late in the second half, had 10
points by the half while Ang
stadt was in with 11.
Meister started the second
half with three fouls and it
took Bucknell a minute and a
half to put him back on the
bench with his fourth. Romel
Raffin, Penn State's 6-8
b.ickup center, replaced him,
but was also in foul trouble un
til he bit the dust With 14
minutes remaining.
While Meister watched,
Ouderkirk put on a shooting
exhibition, hitting five
straight long jumpers that
gave Penn State its biggest
lead of the night at 66-53 with
13:13 left to play.
At that point Bucknell
almost lost it, but the Bisons
stopped missing, put it back
together and four and a half
Eight teams prepare
NEW YORK (AP) —'Now that the Division champion, will host East
National Football League knows titlist Miami on Dec. 21 and Buffalo,
which eight teams will be in its the wild card team, will be at Central
playoffs beginning Saturday, Dec. 21, champion Pittsburgh the next day
the next question is what the match
ups will be
The last vacant playoff berth was
nailed down Monday night by
Washington when the Redskin victory
over Los Angeles ended the slim
National Conference hopes of the
Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
The Redskins join St. Louis, Min
nesota and Los Angeles in the NFC
playoffs with Oakland, Miami,
Buffalo and Pittsburgh set for the
AFC's post-season action.
In the AFC, Oakland, the West
BUFFALO (AP)—Randy 28 per cent and out-rebounded
Smith and Garfield Heard led Philadelphia 21-13 for an 81-63
a third-quarter rally which lead. It was only'49-48 Buffalo
Braves helped the Buffalo Braves to a at the half after the 76ers
101-91 victory over the scored nine points in a -row
v Philadelphia 76ers last night before intermission.
in - the National Basketball Bob McAdoo was Buffalo's
bomb Association .
The Braves got eight points added 21 rebounds. Heard
from Smith and six from high scorer with 2 d
points. He
contributed 19 points and 16
rebounds, and Smith had . 18
Heard and a star defensive
points. Heard also had five
• performance from each as
Sixers they out-scored the 78etts732-15
in the third quarter and took blocked shots and a couple of
steals.
charge.
Fred Carter scored 20
points while Doug Collins
Buffalo shot 58 per cent in added 19 to the Philadelphia
that period to Philadelphia's offense. _
Photo by Eck Felack
MEI
With 35 seconds left in
regulation play, Penn State
pufon a stall for the final shot,
a long jumper which Doafy
missed. Bucknell rebounded
with four seconds remaining,
but couldn't score after a time
out.
With the score knotted at 79-
79, the teams moved into over
time.
After a minute's play,
Bucknell took a two-point lead
on a shot by foreward John
CalloWay, but Penn State tied
it again at 81-81 with a Meister
Bucknell's Sam Stettler then
drove around Meister to once
again put the Bison's up by
two at 83-81.
Bucknell then went to the
stall after regaining the ball
on an Ouderkirk missed shot
with 1:26 to go. The strategy
didn't work though, as Bison
guard Gerry Purnell walked
with the ball.
The ball changed hands two
more times before McLean
picked off Burke's pass to set
up the breakaway that caused
all the commotion.
Bucknell
Purnell
Oristaglio
Stettler
Clark
Hebdach
Gravely
McLean
Werner
Griffin
Calloway
Grenoman
Penn State
Doaty
Angstadt
Ouderkir' k
Burke
Meister
Raffm
Preston
that while on the court, such goals are being nudged
aside for field goals. Or, what looks more important
right now, rebounds. .
Where are the fans? .
Meanwhile, Meister was not alone in his apparent
slumber. A crowd of fans seemed little more than
listless for nearly the entirety of the regulation 40
minutes. It took a last-ditch battle and an overtime
period to shake them up.
Penn State is obviously not what's called a
basketball school but from the sound of things Rec
Hall might've been hosting one of those junior high
school games where the cheerleaders seem so
ineffectual because nobody else is interested.
"I hope people saw that we have improved our
offense," Bach said later: "It's been a long time
since we scored 88 points in a game. They're much
more competitive than last year. I told 'em they're
a gutsy bunch."
Bach said he felt proud of his team last night, but
it's doubtful from, observing the crowd that they
realized much' of what was going on down there.
Penn State fans have proven themselves a_spoiled
lot during football season and they may eclipse that
performance at their present rate.
FREE THROWS Last night was the 600th game
,of Bach's career. Lifetime, he stands at 346-254 for a
.576 winning percentage... With his 23 points, Jim
Ouderkirk led the cagers for the second game in a
'row. He- now averages 16.6 a game... Bucknell
guards Gerry Purnell and Toin McLean impressed
with their moves and scoring (16 for McLean, 15 for
Piinell). "We knew they. had quick guards," said
Bach. He may really know it before they graduate,
with McLean a sophomore and Purnell a freshman.
ft'
G F T
6 3 15
1 0 2
7 4 18
4 2 10
2 0 4
0 0 0
8 0 16
1 0 2
1 0 2
4 4 12
0 2 2
G F T
10 2 22
6 4 16
11 1 23
2 2 6
6 4 16
1 1 3
1 0 2
The NFC picture isn't quite as
simple. Minnesota, the Central
champion, will be at home on Dec. 21
and West champion Los Angeles, will
be at home the next day.
The missing NFC . detail at the
moment is just where Washington
and St. Louis will play. The two teams
are tied for the East Division lead
with 9-4 records with one week left in
the season. Washington plays
Chicago and St. Louis hosts the New
York Giants Sunday.
Under the NFL's tie-breaking
formula, if the Cardinals beat the
Tommy Doaty gets 'way up there for two more
Photo by Eric Felack
Randy Meister cannot remain in this position if Penn State is going to
achieve the potential it shows
for football playoffs
Giants they will win the division no
matter what the Redskins do against
Chicago because St. Louis beat
Washington in their two meetings this
season.
The East champions will play at
Minnesota while the other East
playoff club beco(nes the wild-card
team and opens in Los Angeles.
All four first-round playoff games
will be nationally televised with
doubleheaders b a th days. The win
ners advance to conference cham
pionship garnt's scheduled for Sun
day, Dec. 29.
Site priorities for the NFC title
game are East, Central, West. That
means that with either St.. Louis or
Washington, both East teams,
Farkas paces women
to 19th straight victory
Penn State's women bowlers ran their consecutive win
streak to 19 in a row yesterday as the Lady Lions out rolled
Edinboro 2459-2178 in Rec Hall. •
Amy Farkas lead the Penn State gal keglers with a high
series of 540 (197-179-164), The junior had the highest series for
either team.
The surprise of the match was that Penn State's number one
bowler, Pat McCellan could not make the contest. McCellan
was the top scorer on last year's team.
The Lady Lions are 1-0 so far this year. Edinboro's record
was evened up at 1-1.
The women travel to Glenville this Saturday
Photo by Steven Adkins McCurry
playing Central champion Minnesota
in the first round, the winner of that
game will host the title game.
In the AFC, championship. game
site priorities are West, Central,
East. If Oakland beats Miami in the
first round, the Raiders would host
the title game. If the Dolphins win
that first game, they would host the
championship game only if Buffalo
beats Pittsburgh. Should the Dolphins
and Steelers win their playoff
openers, the AFC title game would be
played in Pittsburgh.
The conference champions meet in
the Super Bowl Jan. 12 in New
Orleans.
Meanwhile, the other 18 NFL teams
finish their season Sunday.