News Scrapbook 1984

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second half of seven of their eight WCAC wms. Last night they fell behind by a basket with 59 seconds to play after leading by 10, 53-43, with 14:08 to play. USD scored only eight points from then until the end of regula- tion time, but two came on Anthony Reuss' inside move with 14 seconds left to tie the game at 61. In a game marked by unusual swings of fortune, the Toreros got a big break with :;even seconds to go when Gonzaga all-West Coast guard John Stockton missed the front end of a one-and-one that could have given the 16-10 hosts the lead. At the other end of the floor, Mike Whitmars 1 , rimmed a 15-footer at the buzzer that would have iven the

CAA berth will be played next Saturday night at Loyola- M rymount ''I am JU t totally overwhelmed," USD coach Jim Bro- velh id fter the Toreros stretched their season record to 17_ 9 with their fifth -tra1ght victory - their longest winning streak smce the Toreros became a Division I team five years ago. "This team just won't give in. It's the best team I've ev r co ch d . . not just talent-wise but personality, unity, ch mistry .. . all those intangibles. ''Tonight was our entire season wrapped up in one amc." Picked to fimsb sixth 1n the pr ea on poll of WCAC co ch , U D has played with r 1hcncy throughout the conference race. The Toreros have been behind m the

and a pray-

n Diego la

D: Wins share C C t·tle

Opportunity knocks tonight for Torefos

Mary's lost two of three on the road, and USO - to almost everyone's surprise - swept games at Santa Clara, Portland and Gonzaga to clinch the title tie. "We haven't been consistent in any phase of the game," Coach Bill Oates of 12-15 St. Mary's said yesterday. "At times we've played well, at times we have not. "It's going to be very tough. USO bas done a terrific job. I'm just concerned about us." If the "consistent" St. Mary's shows up tomght, USO could have its hands full. St. Mary's features two of the WCAC's top players in 6-foot-5 forward David Boone and 6-1 guard Paul Pickett. The Gaels are also one of the league's top rebounding teams. See USD on Page C-2

By Bill Center, Staff Wriler The University of Sao Diego's "five-year plan" comes down to one game tonight. The Toreros' basketball season comes down to beating the team that last beat them. USD plays St. Mary's College at 7:30 p.m. in the USO Sports Center For the Toreros, the opportunity is unprecedented. The possibilities are clearly defined. With a victory over St. Mary's, USO will gain ole possession of the West Coast Athletic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA playoffs. If St. Mary's wins, the two teams will share the WCAC title and there will be a playoff for the post-season tournament berth Saturday night at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

Poway, Santana lose - C-2 "It's that simple," said USO coach Jim Brovelli. "We need a win. They need two. This is everyone's biggest game of the season." USO is 17-9 overall and 8-3 in WCAC play. The Toreros have won five straight, including the last three on the road. They haven't lost since falling 79.71 to St. Mary's in Moraga on Feb. 11. Al that stage of the season, St. Mary's was 5-1 and two full games ahead of its nearest WCAC opposition. USO was 5-3. St. Mary's was still a game ahead as tonight's rivals began three-game road trips two weeks ago. But St.

Continued from C-1

and about the game when we wt!re losing than at any other time. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me better all the way around, as a coach and a person. "Losing is when you learn how to deal with your fears and those of your players. I always had the fear of being prepared for a big game. Losing helped me prepare for this season. I'd recommend it for anyone."

games) and John Prunty.

Tonight will close the regular-season portion of USD's first winning season in five years as a Division I school. The Toreros had never before played .500 ball in the WCAC. Brovelli yesterday discussed what has im- proved him as a coach. "Losing," he said. "I learned more about myself, about players

Boone is averaging 14.9 points and 9.9 re- bounds a game, and Pickett is averaging 13.3 points. In the first game against USO, Boone had 27 points and eight rebounds, and Pickett hit seven of 11 shots from the floor and finished with 18 points and five rebounds. For the game, t. Mary's shot 56 percent from the floor. "We've got to do a better job on Boone and Pickett," said Brovelli. "They really hurt us up there. St. Mary's forward line (which includes 6- 7 forward David Cooke, 9.1 points and 6.3 re- bounds, and 6-6 center Ken Jones, 5.1, 4.9) plays at rim height. We've got to keep control of the game." By WCAC definition, St. Mary's eight-point triumph over USO in the first round was a blowout. It was USD's worst loss of the confer- ence season Nearly half the WCAC games P.layed this season have been decided by four points or less, with 17 games going into over- time. USD twice has won in overtime and five of its eight wins have been by a basket or less. In six of its eight WCAC victories, USO has trailed in the second half. USD's 6-7 forward Mike Whitmarsh has been honored as the WCAC player of the week for the third time this year, sharing this week's honor with Santa Clara guard Harold Keeling. Whitmarsh is averaging 18.7 points, 7.4 re- bounds and 6.0 assists per game and recently has been shuffling between his regular position and point guard. Starting at the other forward is 6-7 Anthony Reuss, who is shooting 62 percent from the floor and averaging 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. In the middle is 6-11 freshman Scott Thompson, at 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. The starting guards are Chris Carr (5.8 points) on the point and Mark Bostic (10.5) on the wing. In reserve are outside shooting artists Al Moscatel (53 percent from the floor in WCAC

Associated Press

USD's Mike Whitmarsh drives through a trio of Bulld_o.=g~s·~-~-

really t and squared with the basket," Moscatel said. "I went up with confidence, even though I was 1-for-6 in the nd half." Earli r, ho ever, 1t had been the long-range bombmg of Moscatel from the basclme (14 points) coupled by the I 1d work of Whitmarsh (16 points In the first hall, 18 for the game) and Re (14 points, all in the second half) that kept U Dmovmg So there was an air of confidence on the USO bench as I eatel launched hi 20-footer. It caught nothmg but net. ·•we oscatels can shoot," said Al, whose brother Sammy had hit a 25-footer at the buzzer the night before to move his team mto the Washington state high school playoffs. It was 71-69 and only two seconds remained. But with two and a timeout, Gonzaga got the ball to Stock- ton for a 40-foot shot at the buzzer H it the rim and USD finally had its title.

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SAN DIEGO UNION

Toreros suffer bad Moonburn By Frank Brady Special lo The Union PHILADELPHIA - When Pete Carril went recruiting five years ago for a quick forward who was intelligent enough to han- dle his disciplined approach at Princeton, the coach found his man almost by default. The man he found, overlooked by most Eastern major colleges was a lean young- ster named Kevin Mullin. "The only team really after him was Haverford," Carril said last night, refer- ring to a nearby Division III school. "A Jot of people knew him from tennis. He's a heck of a tennis player." Mullin is hardly a run-of-the-mill athlete on the basketball court, either. The 6-foot-5 all-Ivy League senior forward scored a ca- reer-high 38 points last night, 22 in the first half, as the Tigers defeated the University of San Diego 65-56 in an NCAA preliminary round game. "There was more interest in me than that," said Mullin, referring to Carril's statement about Haverford. "Not a whole lot more, but more." Mullin repeatedly scored against the Toreros on hackdoor plays - sharp cutting maneuvers that he describes as the staple of Princeton's attack. "We didn't do anything specific just for them," he said. "We knew that San Diego was a basically sound team. Generally speaking, we try to play our game and Jet the other team worry about us." Bill Ryan, Princeton's only other start- ing senior and the team's floor leader, agreed. "We knew they were disciplined and that they play well on defense," Ryan said. "We like to run that 'Knick play' against strong 'man' teams, - especially teams that are seeing us for the first time." See TOREROS on Page D-2

Continued from Page D-1 The "Knick play" is Princeton's backdoor cut in its set offense. But the Tigers came out fast- breaking at every opportunity - but Carril said that could be traced more to Mullin's enthused play than by de- sign. "That was his purpose," said Car- ril, grinning at Mullin, who made 12 of 15 shots from the floor and hit 14 of 16 free-throw attempts. "He came out running. He's the Secretariat of our team; he wants to run. Most of the time he's down there by himself. But he never feels lone- ly." With the Mullin surname, Moon is almost a must as a nickname. It's no different with Kevin Mullin. "Mullio's moon was out of sight," Carril said. "Superman came in. Moon's moon was out of sight." Carril said the Tigers, who each season are ranked among the na- tion's leading defensive teams, had plotted nothing special to harass the Toreros' Mike Whitmarsh, who scored 17 points before injuring his left ankle late in the game. "If we did," Carril said, "it was by accident. I didn't have anything to do with it."

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United Press International

USD's Anthony Reuss foils the shot of Tiger Bill Ryan.