Friday, March 20, 1998
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
The Hawaii bench looks on in the
closing seconds of the game.
Fresno State set
to crash Garden party
'Uninvited guests' find a way
By Dave Reardon
to win amid turmoil
Special to the Star-BulletinSometimes Jerry Tarkanian seems to feign utter disbelief. But this one was certifiably for the X-Files. Way too surreal for 60 Minutes.
"Two days ago we were as low as anyone could be," Tarkanian said. "Can you imagine with all the bull and controversy, winning 21 games and going to the Big Apple?"
If anyone is more shocked, it's Hawaii and its 10,000 Maniacs at Stan Sheriff Center, who stared in collective disbelief at the end of the Rainbows last night.
Tarkanian is glad Hawaii coach Riley Wallace didn't call a timeout to set up a play in the closing seconds of Fresno State's 85-83 victory.
If that had happened, the Bulldog coach said his team might be finished for the season rather than getting ready for the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
"It's a good thing he didn't take a time out," Tarkanian said. "I would've gone into a zone and they would've hit a 3 to win."
Instead, Fresno's tough man-to-man defense forced Hawaii's Anthony Carter to shoot a closely guarded 17-footer for the tie with two seconds left. It came up way short, Winfred Walton grabbed the rebound and it was over.
"We're the uninvited guests. We're going to the Garden," Tarkanian said. "Hawaii was the invited guests. We're the uninvited and we're going anyway."
Is New York City ready for these guys? Here comes the team known for guns, drugs, rehabs and samurai swords.
But last night the Bulldogs showed they've got game -- and guts, coming back from an 81-78 deficit with 3:21 left. They've got teamwork, too -- Terrance Roberson, Tremaine Fowlkes and Walton took turns stepping up with huge scores in the stretch.
They've got tour guides, too. Guard Rafer Alston and forward Larry Abney are both from New York.
"It's wonderful. I can feel it already," Alston said. "I won't know where to start. I've got lots of family and friends and teammates from summer league. It's a wonderful feeling."
Alston could have sprouted some not-so-wonderful goat horns. The starting point guard spent huge chunks of time on the bench due to foul trouble, forcing freshman Demetrius Porter to play 17 pressure-packed minutes. Alston also missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw with 18.2 seconds left, giving Hawaii its final opportunity.
"He's my best free-throw shooter," Tarkanian said of Alston, who came in hitting 77 percent, compared to 61 percent for the team.
Abney wasn't the Rainbow killer he was in the teams' regular-season matchup here, when he was 7-for-7 from the floor. But he was 3-for-4 and was part of the lineup that toyed with Hawaii's zone defense, often seeming to know its every move.
"The coaches did a great job of breaking down the film for us," said the chess-playing forward. "All we had to do was listen and play."
Abney also was surprised the Rainbows didn't take a time out to set up a final play.
"I wasn't sure what they were going to do," Abney said. "They came down kind of helter-skelter."
ATHENS, Ga. -- Lorenzo Hall is back for Georgia. Georgia in NIT semifinals
Associated PressThe 6-foot-9 senior reserve was a major factor last night, scoring 12 points in 18 minutes as the Bulldogs bolted into the NIT semifinals with a 79-65 victory over Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt.
"I knew there would be another day I could show my skills to the home crowd," said Hall, who lost his starting job early in February.
"A lot of people were asking, 'What's wrong with Lorenzo?' I dealt with all the questions and tried to keep my head up."
The victory sends the Bulldogs into Tuesday night's semifinals against Penn State in Madison Square Garden.
It was the first time Hall has been in double figures since scoring 10 against Auburn on Jan. 3.
Freshman Jumaine Jones led Georgia (19-14) with 20 points and 12 rebounds, including seven straight points during a three-minute stretch of the second half that put the Bulldogs in control.
Drew Maddux scored 19 points to lead Vanderbilt (20-13).
1997-98 Rainbow Men's Basketball Schedule
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
