Prescott wins NCAkik
By LORI SHONTZ He had made it look easy. But it wasn't. the fall sei
° Collegian Sports Writer "No one thinks about losing 15 pounds. All the death. Whe)
extra running, the sprints, pull-ups, lifting weights, Prescott
:40011t lOWA CITY, lowa The first time assistant jumping rope —no one looks at all that," Prescott more that
wrestling coach John Fritz saw Jeff Prescott wres- said. • "He's a
tle, he loved Prescott's aggressiveness. Instead of sleeping the night before the final, it affect hi
"I thought if only everyone wrestled that way, Prescott thought about all his hard work. And he Prescott
it would be great," Fritz said. thought about his father, his No. 1 fan, who died and coachi
~! ..—• '''f" - Prescott's aggressiveness has been his trade- last November. Prescott dedicated this season to
' & '4110.0 0 mark, and Saturday night it won him a national his father and wanted to win a national "You lu
.
% title at 118 pounds and the Outsatnding Wrestler championship for him. there," he
• . 0 Award of the NCAA Tournament. Before the fmal match, Prescott placed a picture the time, '
"It's just the highest high you can ever get," of his father in trainer Dan Monthley's hands. they were
_. •
Prescott said. "He won it for . . . well, he won it for himself, ImmediL
Collegian PhotolDdan Gleiter After major decisioning Chad Zaputil of lowa, and that's important, but we're all thinking of his championshit
14-0, in the championship match, Prescott jumped father right now," Fritz said, wiping his eyes. She told hi"
Jeff Prescott • into Fritz's arms and cried. Prescott withdrew from school partway through standing '
S p orts
13 The Daily Collegian
JMU upsets No. 1 PSU, 73-71
By MICHAEL MATVEY
Collegian Sports Writer
It wasn't supposed to end this way
On Saturday, in the first round of the
NCAA Tournament, the No. 1 wom
en's basketball team lost to James
Madison, 73-71, in front of 6,0g7 fans—
ending what could have been a dream
season.
The Lady Lions finished the season
at 29-2 and had their 28-game home
winning streak and 18-straight win
streak broken. James Madison
improves to 26-4 and will play this
Thursday against fourth-seeded Clem
son in the East Regionals at the Pales
tra in Philadelphia.
But the only word the can really
describe the loss is shocking.
The defeat is even more unbelieva
ble knowing that the Lady Lions
scored the first 11 points of the game
and led by 12 at halftime. But in the
tournament anything can happen and
the Dukes proved that on Saturday in
front of a mystified crowd.
"I feel bad for the kids. I feel bad for
our two assistant coaches and I feel
very, very bad for the seniors," Coach
Rene Portland said. "I am stunned
and very, very disappointed."
"I have never been involved in a
better comeback than the one we put
on today. I am so proud of the effort of
our kids and the courage it took,"
James Madison coach Sheila Moor
man said.
Slowly in the second half, the Dukes
began to cut the lead mainly on thbir
55.6 shooting percentage. This was
also helped by the Lady Lions shooting
only 32.4 percent. Another stat that led
to the victory was that Penn State was
outrebounded, 37-36, by a team that
had no one taller than 6'o".
"If you point out the things that cost
us the game rebounding was a big
key," Portland said.
The James Madison attack was
keyed by Vicki Harris, who scored 18
points (12 in the second half ). But the
win was very much a team effort.
Brandy Cruthird scored 11 points and
defensively limited Susan Robinson to
10 points. Paula Schuler had 13 points
while Jeanine Michealsen added 11.
The James Madison comeback
seemed harmless when Harris canned
a 12-footer at the beginning of the sec
ond half. After Cruthird hit a 6-foot
jumper, however, the lead was cut to
four points, 4137, at the 16:47 mark.
One of the big reasons that Penn State
dipped offensively in the second half
was because Robinson picked up her
third foul at 19:31 and didn't return
until the 12:14 mark.
Penn State called a timeout and
there was no real sense of urgency as
the Lady Lions realized that they had
to crank their play up a notch.
Penn State appeared to be doing
that when it increased the lead to 45-
38 after guard Dana Eikenberg sank
a 8-foot runner. But James Madison
scored the next five points and the
Penn State lead was cut to 45-43.
Then Lady Lion guard Tanya Gar
ner stepped to the forefront. Whenever
Penn State needed a basket in the sec
ond half, Garner answered. This time
she scored a layup and Penn State was
back up by four points. Garner fin
ished with 24 points on 10-of-17 shoot
ing.
But Penn State could not stop the
Dukes' tide and at 12:14 mark the
unthinkable happened. Cruthird hit
two free throws and James Madison
Please see LADY CAGERS, Page 24.
Confidence, qui
By KENT PETERSEN
Collegian Sports Writer
"The first five minutes are very important to us."
Since Wednesday night's NCAA first-round win
over Kentucky, that's what James Madison wom
en's basketball coach Shelia Moorman has told her
players. Stay in the game early to have a shot at
upsetting No. 1 Penn State.
"If we can weather the first five minutes, that's
very important to us . ."
So much for coaching strategy.
In Saturday's first five minutes, the Lady Lions
leaped out to an 11-0 lead and Moorman had to call
a timeout before the Rec Hall crowd blew the roof
off the building.
But maybe Moorman meant the second half's first
five minutes. With JMU down 12, 41-29, the visitors
did some comebacking of their own, going on a 14-
Senior co-captain Tanya Gamer (34), playing in her final game at Penn State, drives to the basket in Saturday's game
Garner's 24 points were not enough as No. 1 Penn State was shocked by James Madison 73-71.
Mental lapses mar team effort
By KENT PETERSEN
Collegian Sports Writer
The celebration had begun. Players
jumping on top of each other. Fans
going crazy. The band striking up the
school song.
But it wasn't New Orleans. It wasn't
even the regionals. It was Saturday
afternoon in Rec Hall and it was the
second round of the NCAA Tourna
ment. And worst of all for the women's
basketball team, it was James Mad
ison that was doing all the hooping and
hollering.
For the No. 1 and East Region top
seed Lady Lions, the 73-71 loss was a
bitter end to what had been the most
successful of any of its past seasons.
The disappointment almost hung over
ckness spark JMU comeback
4 run and reducing the deficit to only two, 45-43. That
stretch provided the confidence for their 73-71 upset
win.
"I've never been involved in a better comeback
than the one we were involved in," Moorman said.
"The courage it took from our players, especially
after the last few days, all we have talked about was
the first five minutes.
"It's hard not to be shell-shocked by the environ
ment (6,087 in attendance). We were a little tenta
tive at first, but we felt that if we could get out of the
first half under double digits we'd be in great shape.
We almost did that."
After Penn State grabbed the early lead, James
Madison used its speed and quickness on both ends
of the floor especially in the second half. Offen
sively, the players would use their speed to get a
step advantage on the Lady Lions inside and often
got short layups or close jump shots.
everyone and everything in the build
ing.
"I'm stunned and very, very disap
pointed," a dejected Rene Portland
said in the interview room afterward.
"You have to practice hard to play
hard and maybe we didn't practice
hard enough. If we would have won
this, by one point or two points, we
would have considered ourselves
lucky. Right now, we consider our
selves unlucky.-
"We didn't play a very good mental
game at all," forward Susan Robinson
added.
After guard Tanya Garner's last
second 3-pointer was swatted away by
JMU senior forward Jeanine Micheal
sen, followed by the sound of the final
buzzer, the Penn State players
dropped to their knees in shock and
total disbelief.
It was over.
And all that was left for Penn State
was to wonder what went wrong.
■ A 32 percent field goal percent
age in the second half.
■ Getting outrebounded 37-36 to a
team that had no players over 6'o".
■ At times in the second half,
looking disoriented with ill-advised
passes and poor shot selection while
trying to comeback, from, at one
point, an eight-point deficit with 7:05
to play. PSU led by 12 at halftime.
That 20-point turnaround in the ini
tial 13 minutes of that half was the dif
ference. Penn State did cut the lead to
one, 62-61 on forward Lynn Dougher-
Please see FRUSTRATION, Page 24.
The quickness advantage also enabled JMU to
sneak in and grab rebounds, despite having a tre
mendous disadvantage height-wise no impact
players on the team were over 6'o". It outrebounded
Penn State, 37-36.
And on defense, the Dukes again mostly in the
second half would step in front of a PSU player
and either steal, deflect or disrupt an incoming pass.
"They outhustled us and we didn't get the job
done," forward Susan Robinson said.
It's not the first time the Dukes have went into a
higher-rated opponents' lair and come away victo
rious. In 1986, the Dukes went to Charlottesville, Va.
and beat nationally-regarded Lady Cavaliers, 71-
62. That team, like this one, according to Moorman,
had no center and played great team defense. She
added those were the keys Saturday.
"We just have a team," Moorman said. "We build
our defense from the outside in."
118-pound title
tmester to better deal with his father's
,en he returned for the spring semester,
had to toughen his mind. Mental strength,
tn anything, wins national titles.
t very caring kid," Fritz said. "But he lets
tim
I credited his teammates, roommates
ies with helping him stay focused.
:now, you need someone and they're
said. "I didn't know I needed them at
but now I think about it and I did and
there."
tately after receiving his national
ip plaque, Prescott called his mother.
dm to call back after he won the Out-
Wrestler Award, but Prescott didn't
Collegian Photo/Jeff Farrar
Cagers exit NCAAs
in 2nd round, 71-68
By CHRIS MARTIN
Collegian Sports Writer
SYRACUSE, NY - There was only
one glass slipper to go around at the
Carrier Dome yesterday.
And after the East Region's Cinderel
la teams - 13th-seed Penn State and
12th-seed Eastern Michigan - tossed it
around like a hot potato for 40 minutes,
it fell at EMU's feet in overtime. More
specifically, it landed in the hands of
senior point guard Lorenzo Neely.
The senior tallied six of his 18 points
in the extra session as EMU advanced
to the Sweet 16 for the first time in its
history with a thrilling 71-68 victory over
the Lions.
"Lorenzo took over the game down
the stretch," EMU coach Ben Braun
said. "There's not a better player in
those situations that I've seen. He wants
the ball in his hands and he's willing to
take the challenge on his shoulders."
Eastern Michigan (26-6), the lowest
seeded team remaining in the field, will
face top seed North Carolina at the
Meadowlands Friday. Penn State (21-
11), in its first NCAA tourney since 1965,
closes its comeback season winners of
four of its last five games.
Neely started the overtime with a
slick backdoor feed to center Marcus
Freddie Bames(2l) dishes a pass during the Lions' first•round win over UCLA. The
Lions lost to Eastern Michigan, 71.68, in overtime yesterday to fall from the NCAAs.
EMU's clutch shooting
seals overtime triumph
By TERRY HESS
Collegian Sports Writer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. With just over
a minute gone by in overtime of its East
Regional second-round game with East
ern Michigan yesterday at the Carrier
Dome, Penn State had to feel good
about its chances of reaching the Sweet
16.
After falling behind 62-58 in overtime,
backup center C.J.Johnson was fouled
by EMU center Marcus Kennedy. Not
only did the Lions pull within two with
Johnson's two free throws, but Kennedy.
who had overpowered the Lions' big
men all afternoon and had a game-high
21 points left the game with five fouls.
After a EMU miss, Penn State for
ward Jamesßarnes made a layup and
was fouled by opposing forward Kory
Hallas with 3:04 left. Hallas, who kept
EMU close in the first half with 12
points, was also gone with his fifth per
sonal. Barnes nailed the free throw to
put the Lions up 63-62.
"I was encouraged," Coach Bruce
Parkhill said. "I thought we had a great
shot to win at that point in time. But
sometimes late in the game it comes
down to defense and free-throw shoot
ing."
"We felt if we could use some clock
expect to talk to his mother again before leaving
lowa.
"There's just so many big guys in this tourna
ment," he said, surrounded by fans wanting an
autograph or a handshake. "It really hasn't sunk
in yet —it'll probably hit me tomorrow at 6:30
a .m."
Prescott won the OW because he dominated
every one of his opponents. He pinned Navy's Jeff
Stepanik in the first round, pinned North Caroli
na's Ty Moore in the second and major decisioned
eighth-seeded Eric Akin of lowa State in the quar
terfinals.
In the semifinals, Prescott faced Lew Rosselli
of Edinboro, whom he major decisioned to win the
Eastern Wrestling League title. This time Rosselli
Please see PRESCOTT, Page 16
Monday, March 18, 1991
More NCAA Tournament
coverage
Kennedy who scored on an open layup.
He followed with a drive of his own, fin
ishing a give -and-go play with Kennedy.
The lethal combintion came to an
abrupt end as Kennedy picked up his
fifth personal on a loose ball with 3:50
to go. The senior powered for a game
high 21 points.
Lion forward James Barnes took
advantage of Kennedy's absence and hit
a layup and foul shot to give Penn State
a 63-62 lead. More importantly, EMU
forward Kory Hallas found a spot next
to Kennedy - picking up his last foul on
the play.
With the pair on the bench, Neely took
over. He sank a pair of free throws with
1:30 to give EMU another three-point
advantage, 66-63.
"We knew it was up to me and the
Thomas twins (Carl and Charles) to
step up our level of play and that's what
we did," Neely said. "We're seniors and
we've been there before. As a team, I
thought we did real well." •
Please see CAGERS, Page 24.
and shorten the game up in the second
half we'd be OK," Eastern Michigan
coach Ben Braun said. "But then Mar
cus and Kory fouled out in overtime and
it looked like we were in trouble."
It would have been easy for Eastern
Michigan to fold it up. But in the clutch
EMU did exactly what Parkhill said
could determine the game, played tough
defense and hit its free throws.
In came seldom used forwards Roger
Lewis and Mike Boykin to replace Ken
nedy and Hallas.
"When I went out, I told Mike all he
had to do is play defense and rebound,"
Hallas said. "I knew he and Roger
would do a good job because they've
played well for us all year."
On the next possession, Eastern Mich
igan's slick point guard Lorenzo Neely
drove the lane and attempted a layup.
The ball was swatted right back at him
by Lions' guard Monroe Brown but
EMU forward Charles Thomas caught
the ball on the fly and laid it in to grab
the lead back.
Forward Deßon Hayes missed a
jumper for the Lions and James Barnes
fouled Neely who buried two free throws
with 1:30 left to put EMU up 66-63.
Brown kept the Lions close with a run
ning 10-foot jumper but Hayes fouled
Page 21
Collegian Photo/Chris Gaydosh
Please see EMU, Page 24