Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 11

J) Mattoon (111.) Journal Gazette Tuesday, November 17, 1998 r- NBA draftees chose Europe B2f White scores 1 lin Lady Laker loss B3 Lifestyle B4 Psnm41hiei pee wMi win Scott Lambert Lambert is sports editor lor the Journal Gazette rf Vf I AP Photo Chiefs' quarterback Rich Gannon tries to get off a pass 4 whilo thp Rrnnrnc' Trovnr Mnhlow mehoe MnnWtn Eastern shrugs off slow start for26-pointwin By Brian Nielsen StaffWriter CHARLESTON Eventually, Kyle Hill flew through the air, took a lob pass from Jack Owens and slammed home a dunk. Marc Polite fired in a 3-pointer and got a fastbreak tip-in during his injury-interrupted second half. Greg Ktistou hit two 3s within a minute. But before the highlights of Eastern's season-opening 80-54 basketball win over Missouri Baptist Monday at Lantz Gym came a retraction from coach Rick Samuels. Maybe it was not a correction, just a clarification.

"Actually, I told them I thought I hindered them a little bit," Samuels said of his halftime speech to his Panthers. "(Missouri Baptist) started in a zone and I told them to be patient. Jack looked and then didn't take a shot. Marc didn't take a shot. TheyYe good shooters." As a result, the NAIA visitor had a 22-18 lead over the hesitant NCAA Division I Panthers with seven minutes left in the first half.

That three-quarter zone trap that EIU showed to start the game was not producing intended results either. "For that to work, you have to score," Samuels said. Still, despite its .385 field-goal shooting, Eastern somehow managed a 34-27 halftime lead thanks largely to nine offensive rebounds 1 1 1(1 1 ji i jBroncos bust Chiefs KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -jThe Denver Broncos are making their quest for an unbeaten sea- son seem easy with and with- I Bubby Brister, Elway's Jbackup, ran 38 yards for a touch-1 down on the first series, then Ter- rell Davis went 41 yards for a it i i scure us uie croncos jumped to a lead and went on to a 30-7 win over Kansas City on Monday night. The victory made the Broncos the first team in the NFL since the 1991 Washington Red- pkuis, and put them on track for a 21 confrontation in Miami with the Dolphins, who in 1972 CP ana a iree-uirow advantage.

Ti Pi At 1 1 were the last NFL team to go un-ibeaten. Brister finished 13-of-23 for 180 yards and Davis, who leads the NFL in rushing, carried 18 times for 111 yards. The Denver defense held the Chiefs to 31 Pholo by Ken Trevarthan nursing pulled rib muscles. Bristol1 was virtually untouched after his fake to Davis pulled the entire Kansas City defense to the opposite side of the field. The next score was even quicker a 79-yard drive that tookonlythreeplaysand was capped by the burst by Davis, who finished withlllyardsonl8 carries.

He was tripped up 10 balance, and continued on into the end zone, That was the game. The Chiefs cut it to 14-7 on an 87-yard drive that consumed almost 8 minutes of the second quarter and was capped by a 3-yard TD pass to Kimble Anders from Rich Gannon, filling in for the benched Elvis Grbac. But Jason Elam added 42 and 46-yard field goals before the half and a 35-yarder in the third quarter. Things officially ended with 7:36 left in the game when Gannon, who finished 26-of-39 for 224 yards, tripped and fell at the 20 on a fourth down at the Denver 10. Derrick Lqyille added a final TD for the Broncos on a 1-yard run.

The game had deteriorated by then Kansas City had five per-sonal fouls, three by Derrick Thomas, on the drive. The Chiefs finished with 13 penalties for 137 yards. This had looked like a possible trouble spot for Denver, particularly since it had lost its last three regular season games at Arrowhead. But the Broncos beat the Chiefs 14-10inaplayoffgame last January. Michael Forrest slams home two points in Eastern's 80-54 season-opening win over Missouri Baptist Monday.

yards on the ground. 5-7 5 b-0 3 5 3 Owens Hill Ktistou Joseph -Jt was the fifth straight loss the Kansas City, (4-6), which looked before the season like the most dangerous threat to the Broncos in both theAFC West andAFCaa a whole. But the Chiefs, who had never had even a four-game losing streak in Marty Schotten-heimer's 10 seasons as coach, 5-11 T-17 3-10 1-1 2-2 2 cut, aiier inree-poinr, piay Dy Michal Gabani to start the second half, upset-minded Missouri Baptist was back trailing just 34-30 and got the ball back with the chance to get closer. This was not. what Samuels meant in his early game instructions.

"They tried to slow us up with a zone," Hill said. "Coach wanted us to be patient. I think we were a little too patient. "We noticed we weren't doing the things we needed to do." With Missouri Baptist looking to capitalize, Hill intercepted a pass and drove three quarters of the court for a dunk. That ignited a 19-9 EIU run that sent the Panthers' on to the mar crin of victory most eynecrpH 4 0 0 1 1 1 1 18 16 10 2 4 0 2 0-0 2-3 Forrest Beramann 0-0 5 4 1 2 2 0-0 Vo-o bnarp Team Totals 28440 13 80 54 looked like a dispirited bunch 27 Missouri Baptist 27 BAPTIST (54) Ptar FQ FT Reb TP Gabani 7-10 2-3 3 5 17 Beale 4-6 3-3 7 0 11 Lazic 5-9 1-1 4 2 11 Estelle 1-7 (W) 5 3 2 Wagner 1-5 0-0 1 1 3 Moss 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 Herod 0-1 0-0 1 10 Fusco 1-2 0-0 1 2 2 Sykes 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Sisk 4-6 0-0 0 5 8 Team 2 Totsis 23-47 6-7 25 19 64 EASTIJWlilNOISJBO) Flayar FQ FT Reb TP Polite 6-13 3-3 6 0 16 HibWer 1-4 0-0 5 3 2 Shaver 3-5 4-5 6 2 10 Illini to meet Colonials in game It was college basketball, Rod Serling style.

Serling, the former creator of the Twilight Zone series, couldn't have dreamed up a more unbe- lievable basketball game than last year's 10580 Illinois win over Texas. What was so weird about it? Texas was whistled for 42 fouls that day, Illinois shot 52 free throws and coach Tom Pert-' -ders and an assistant both get run from the game. Penders was especially fun to watch that day, running all the way to the free throw line after one of the questionable calls before getting hit with one of his technicals. The Texas coach was so upset after the game that he didn' make an appearance in front of the media, instead issuing a statement that said "I have nq comment on the officiating." What does this have to do witli tonight's 7 p.m. game with' George Washington? Guess who the Colonials' new coach is? That's right, Tom Penders.

"He's probably forgot all about that," said Illinois coach Lon Kruger, tongue-in-cheek when asked if he thought Penders remembered last year's game. Face it, Penders will have a lit-v tie extra incentive when he brings his 1-0 Colonials into the Assembly Hall. Yes, it's a differ- ent year and in Penders' case, an entirely different team, but hell remember last year's trip to Champaign well. It was a game that was hard to forget "I guess you could call it unusual," said Kruger. "It's unusual any time you have the fouls that were called that day and the ejections.

Plus, we had the experimental rules that day, playing four quarters and that made it seem just a little more different." Illinois didn't need to give Penders any extra motivation comi ing into today's game. George Washington is coming off a 24-9 season and have four of their five stertere returning.1 Illinois has no starters returning from last year's Big Ten co-champions but has started The Illini dropped an overtime 'l decision to Wake Forest to open the season at the Coaches Cancer tournament and then spanked Georgetown the next day. "George Washington is a ball team that will present a great challenge for us early in the season," said Kruger. "They were very good last year and they have four of five starters returning. Plus with Tom Penders there they'll bring a different style than they had last year.

It will be more up-tempo. Well have to play very well to compete with them." inexperienced and relatively unknown, this Illinois team is a project for Kruger. One that he seems to be enjoying so far. He even likes the fact that the Illini are being forced to jump into the fire quickly. For him, practice is a class-- room and the games are tests.

1 think the two games in New York were great for us," Kruger said. "We could never simulate what we got out of that first gamk in practice. We were playing at, the (Madison Square) Garden and we had an overtime. It was a great chance to learn and the' next day we showed that we had learned something. "George Washington will be a different kind of test for us.

They'll show us a totally different style. They're very intense defensively and they're going to be pressmgusallthetime. "Well have to be able to react to that aid to convert on our op portunities." The Illini have shown some, punch in their first two games Point guard Cory Bradford and See LAM3ERT B3 tastem Illinois 34 46 80 against the Broncos, who now have outscored opponents 114-13 in first quarters this seasoa V. Jt took just 2:42 for Denver to Jake a 7-0 lead, on the bootleg around right end by the 36-year-pld Brister, who is now 4-0 as a starter in place of Elway, who is bani 1-1, Estelle 0-3, Wagner MHerod 0-1), Eastern 8-25 (Polite 1-6, Owens 3-6, Hill 2-8, Ktistou 2-5)Shoo6nfl percert-OSKMissourl Baptist .439, Eastern Baptist 16 (Lazic 4), Eastern 15 (Owens 3, Hill 3, Ktistou 3). TumovBwMissouri Bapfet 24, East-em 15.

over the unheralded visitor pre ceding the anticipated tougher See PANTHERS B3 Cutler gets JPahther OG first Lady Panthefs take top seed in OVC tournament of the week twice this year. In three matches last week against Murray State and Western Illinois, Cutler registered 46 kills and had a I CHARLESTON Meleah Cutler got a double dose of good news on Monday. After helping Eastern clinch the Ohio Valley Conference volleyball title outright last week-end, Cutler was named National Player of the Week by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. It is the first time that anyone from 'Eastern or the OVC has won the award since its inception in 1993. Cutler, a Shelbyville native, also won the OVC offensive player of the week.

She has also won the OVC defensive player kills in the Lady Panthers' win over Murray State. She also became the 14th person in Eastern history with 1,000 or more digs. Freshman Marcia Hahn was named Freshman of the Week for her performance against Murray State. Hahn led Eastern with 10 blocks against Murray State and for the weekhad 12 kills, hit .314 and had nine digs. Eastern is the top seed and will be the host of the OVC tournament beginning Friday and ending with the 2 p.m.

championship game Saturday. this season, have first-round byes. The championship match isset for 2 p.m. Saturday to decide who advances to the NCAA tournament Frtty Matehl: Austin Peay (4) vs. Murray State (5), 10am.

Match 2: Southeast Mfesouri (3) vs. More-head State (6), noon Match 3: Eastern Illinois (1 vs. winner of matehl, 6p.m. Mateh4: Tennessee Tech (2) vs. winner ot match 2, 8 p.m.

Setiday Match 5: Winners ot matches 3 and 4 tor CHARLESTON The line be-hind Eastern is now in order for Friday's Ohio Valley Conference volleyball quarterfinals at Lantz Gym. The Lady Panthers, assured of the No, 1 seed and host site after a Nov. 8 win, are awaiting Friday morning' Austin Peay-Murray State winner for a 6 p.m. semifinal match. EIU, the regular season champion with a 17-1 record, and No.

2 Tennessee Tech, the only OVC team to beat the Lady Panthers Cutler .442 hittine percentage. She also had 44 digs, 14 blocks and 11 service aces. Cutler had a career-hieh 24 Pairattlheir dpadii Bob Spoo hospitalized tal and check it out said David Kidwell, EIU's sports information director who is the host of the weekly WEIU-TV sports show. Eastern had a team meeting to inform players Monday afternoon, the day that as usual was the Panthers' NCAA required day off from practice. "It's kind of a shocking way to start the morning and the week," Wittke said.

"We were in our staff meetings when Dave came over from where they usually tape the show and he gave us the word. By Brian Nielsen StaffWriter CHARLESTON Eastern football coach Bob Spoo was admitted to the hospital Monday morning. After being taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, Spoo was later transferred to Covenant Hospital in Champaign to undergo tests. He was listed in good condition and by the afternoon was passing along some jSpecial teams PAT advice to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Roy Wittke, who is in charge of the team in Spoo's absence preparing for Saturday's season finale at Eastern Kentucky. Spoo was preparing for the weekly Monday morning taping of Panther Country when the decision was made to go to the hospital.

i "He wasn't feeling well prior to doing the show and we thought the most prudent action was to take him to the hospi "I spent about 45 minutes in the hospital with Bob. We talked about the plans for the week. We talked about plans for practice and so on. He was feeling well." Whether Spoo will be able to return for Saturday's game remains to be seen. "When we talked this after noon that was an unsettled issue," Wittke said.

"I'll put it the way his physician put it to him, that lets not talk about the end of the week, let's worry about "Our No. 1 concern obviously as a staff and a team is with his health and with (Spoo's wife) Sue and (daughter) Katie. Our hearts and prayers are with coach Spoo and his family." This latest news adds to an injury-plagued year for EIU, which stands 6-4. The Panthers clinched their fifth straight winning season with the past Saturday's 56-35 win at Tennessee-Martin, raising Spoo's record to 74-60-1 in 12 seasons at EIU. Quarterback Anthony Buich, who completed 15of 17 passes for 330 yards in Saturday's win, was scheduled to be the guest player for Panther Country Monday morning but instead was met with the stunning news.

"We were just worried about getting him some help," Buich said. "He's feeling better now, and we can't let this affect the way we were going to prepare for Eastern Kentucky." Of course, the coaches' Monday meetings and preparation were not the usual. "It had an effect, no question about that," Wittke said. "You quickly look at where your priorities are in life." Spoo 4.