9 - Digitized Collections

SDO
10
BS»
The Daily Collegian
Tuesday. March 25. 1986
Sampson
improving
after fall
By HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer
BOSTON — Houston Rockets
All-Star center Ralph Sampson
was hospitalized but improving
last night after he fell while rebounding
in an NBA game with
Boston, according to Celtics
spokesman Jeff Twiss.
"The X-rays of the neck and
head were negative," Twiss said
after Sampson was carried from
the Boston Garden court on a
stretcher and later taken to Massachusetts
General Hospital.
"There is no word yet on the X-
rays of the mid-back."
Twiss said the feeling and motion
in Sampson's right leg had
improved.
"Movement is coming back
more and more in the right leg,"
he said.
The fall came in the second
quarter and, according to Dr.
Thomas Silva, the Celtics' team
physician, it "resulted in a definite
loss of the right neurological
process in his right leg."
Sampson had no feeling and no
movement in his right leg before
being carried off the court,
according to Silva's report. But
the report said that after being
taken to Boston's locker room,
Sampson had "sensation and
movement of his right leg."
Silva said Sampson could move
his right foot in the locker room
and, after speaking with hospital
personnel, that "improvement in
the right leg is continuing."
Rob Castagnoli, the shift supervisor
at Mass General, said, "He
is in good condition. He is being
evaluated."
"I think we're going to be all
right, but it does scare everybody,"
Silva said.
Silva's earlier statement said
there was "a possibility of a
fracture of the mid-back."
Twiss added that Sampson had
had a contusion of his upper back,
but his blood pressure and other
vital signs were normal when he
left for the hospital. He added
that movement on the left side of
Sampson's body was "fine."
Sampson was hurt with 2:19 left
in the second quarter when he
leaned backward while jumping
under his own basket and hit the
back of his head and the upper
part of his back on the floor.
Houston Coach Bill Fitch: "He
was in a lot of pain, a lot of pain.
"I'm not concerned about thu
loss. .. . The only important
thing is if Ralph's back is all right
and there is no disc problem....
If he needs a little R&R in the
Bahamas, I'll take him there
myself."
Houston forward Robert Reid
said, "He went up for a two-handed
rebound. ... He seemed to
skid on the floor.
"He was scared. ... Anyone
would be at that time with a
doctor asking if you can feel this
touch or that touch... . The only
thing he was saying was, 'Oh, my
God. Oh, my God.' "
Twiss said Sampson felt nauseous
on the court but did not lose
consciousness. He added that the
three-year NBA veteran "was
very calm" while being examined
in the locker room and was
able to recognize those around
him.
As he was wheeled on a stretcher
from the locker room to the
ambulance about 50 yards away
in a lobby area, Sampson moved
his head from side to side and
also moved his arms. While on
the stretcher, he was wearing his
Rockets uniform, but had no
sneakers on.
"He said he wanted to talk with
his mom," Twiss said,
i The 7-foot-4 Sampson, 25, was
the game's leading scorer with 17
points when he was hurt with
Houston leading 53-51.
Sampson, who had played in all
71 of the Rockets' games, led the
team in rebounding with an average
of 11.6 per game and was
second in scoring with 19.6 points
per game.
Sampson was the first player
selected in the 1983 draft and was
that year's NBA Rookie of the
Year when he led the Rockets in
scoring, rebounding and blocked
shots.
Last season, when the Rockets
drafted Akeem Olajuwon, Sampson
was moved to forward. He
still ranked 11th in the league in
rebounding and 19th in scoring,
and was selected to the second
All-NBA team.
Sampson came to the Rockets
after a brilliant college career at
Virginia, where he was an All-
American for three years.
Gym women upset Gators in home finale
By THERESA PANCOAST
Collegian Sports Writer
An impromptu team meeting before
the last event of the meet may
have been just what the women's
gymnastics team needed to upset
No. 7 Florida in last night's rematch
between the two.
Before a crowd of 1,492, the No. 10
women's gymnastics team managed
to hold on and slip by Florida, beating
the Lady Gators, 186.35-185.75.
It almost wasn't that way. Going
into the fourth and final event, the
Lady Gators held a .15 point lead over
Penn State and the Lady Lions gathered
for a conference in the middle of
the floor.
'We grouped
together and we said
'Hey, this meet isn't
over yet, they still
have to go beam and
they may fall, and we
can really shine on
floor.''
—Senior Renee Bunker
Head Coach Judi Avener said that
when she took the team aside, she
thought it might already be too late.
"At that point we thought it was
probably out of our grasp," Avener
said. "But we knew that there was a
slim chance. 'Don't go down with out
a fight' was basically the message."
Senior Renee Bunker said that after
the beam, the Lady Lions felt
"sort of a low in the air," yet added
that the low didn't last too long after
the team meeting.
"We grouped together and we said
'Hey, this meet isn't over yet, they
still have to go beam and they may
fall, and we can really shine on
floor,' " Bunker said. "And we decided
to not give up quite yet."
Avener was very disappointed with
the balance beam event, which saw
four Lady Lions fall and with that,
their usually-impervious spirit.
"I think we gave up," she said.
"We're very tired (from the Atlantic
10 championship) and I think what
happened, was when we had a little
bit of trouble, the girls were just
(saying), 'Oh no. I just can't fight.' "
Lady Lion captain Pam Loree said
that at the suggestion of Assistant
Penn State's Pam Loree concentrates during her balance beam performance In last night's meet against Florida. The
Atlantic 10 Champion Lady Lions (No. 10) upset the No. 7 Lady Gators, 186.35-185.75.
Coach Marshall Avener, she tried to
keep spirits up by asking for her
teammates' mental support before
her beam exercise.
"This meet meant a lot to us and I
knew how we didn't want to feel at the
end of the meet," Loree said. "So I
ran over to them and said, 'Look, we
can still win this meet. They're coming
to beam and we're going to floor.
We can do it.'
"And they're all giving me point-
ers. I said, 'Don't tell me what to do.
Just get the energy up now and start
believing so I can feel the energy. I
just want to feel every one of you up
there behind me.' And that's exactly
what I felt," she said.
Lady Gator Elfi Schlegel, a member
of the 1984 Canadian Olympic
team, won the all-around with a 38.2.
Florida's Tammy Smith placed second
with 37.7, followed by Lady Lion
junior Kathy Pomper with 37.46.
Collegian Photo / Dan Oloakl
In vault, Smith, who was an All-
American in the event last year, won
with a 9.75. Loree was second with a
9.65, followed by Lady Gators Melissa
Miller and Schlegel with 9.6 each.
Bunker placed fifth with a 9.55.
Penn State freshman Kathy Parody
won the uneven bar event with a 9.7.
She was followed by Pomper and
Schlegel with 9.5 each. Miller took
; fourth with a 9.45, and Lady Lion
freshman Susan "Fly" Repmann
scored a 9.4 to place fifth.
Schlegel placed first on the balance
beam with a 9.6. Loree was second
with 9.55 and Lady Gator Erika White
placed third with 9.5. Pomper and
Smith tied for fourth with 9.25.
On floor, Loree contributed a 9.75 —
the season's highest among the Lady
Lions — to win the event. Miller was
second with a 9.7. She was followed by
a three-way tie between Parody,
Schlegel and Smith with 9.5 each.
Repmann was sixth with a 9.45. Loree's
performance earned her the
Ann Carr Award for the.most inspiring
Lady Lion performance of the
evening.
Avener said the meet was not even
close to one of the team's better ones
and the exhaustion following the Atlantic
10 weekend was probably a
factor.
"I think they were too tired to do it
and a little too discouraged to do it
tonight," she said. "But they still
managed to shine through somehow.
"We had a decent meet, but it's by
far the worst meet in the last five,"
Avener added. "If (Florida's) Anita
Botnen had been in the meet, we
wouldn't have had a chance, the way
we performed tonight."
Actually, Botnen, another member
of the 1984 Canadian Olympic team,
was entered in the meet as an allarounder.
But Botnen fell from the
uneven bars — Florida's first event of
the evening. Florida Head Coach
Ernestine Weaver said the injury was
probably a severe dislocation or hyperextension
of the elbow.
Weaver said she was extremely
proud of her athletes. She added that
she thought her team would have
won, had it not been for inaccurate
scoring on Penn State's floor performances.
"I don't think a coach could ask any
more from the kids," Weaver said.
"You don't know what makes them
do what they do, but they came out
fighting and they did a beautiful job.
"If the floor scores had not been so
terribly inflated for Penn State, those
kids would have won without Anita
Botnen."
Avener said she was happy to have
beaten Florida , but at the same time
was sympathetic with the Lady Gators'
shortcomings.
"I feel great about beating Florida,"
Avener said. "I think Florida
really had a tough time. The kids
looked great. They had very little left
to work with and they were giving it
everything they've got."
Baseball team looks to 'heat up' at Gettysburg
By ROB BIERTEMPFEL
Collegian Sports Writer
As tlie weather in Pennsylvania begins to
heat up, Head Coach Shorty Stoner hopes the
baseball team will respond by putting the heat
on opposing teams. The Lions will attempt that
at 1 p.m. today in a doubleheader against
Gettysburg.
Penn State (10-5) is fresh off a twinbill sweep
of Towson State, in which the Lions mangled
their opponents by a combined score of 27-12. If
Penn State manages to keep up that type of redhot
offense, it could find the going a bit easier
as the heart of the season approaches.
Leading the way for the Lions is shortstop
Gary Binduga, who is hitting at a torrid .391
clip. Binduga, a senior from Pittsburgh, delivered
a crucial bases-loaded triple to bust the
game loose against Towson.
Right behind Binduga are outfielders Rod
Smith (.375) and Mike Karstetter (.356). Both
players hit well in the Towson series, something
Stoner hopes will continue.
Smith, who will not play today due to a
bruised knee, said the team's offensive output
is improving daily.
"I know our best came out against Towson,
and I think I will carry over against Gettysburg,"
he said. "We had some trouble (last
week) against Navy, but I think once our bats
get going the whole team will come along.
We're just going to work together and score
some runs."
Equally important in today's game is the
performance of pitching staff.
Stoner will start either Glenn Bartek or Greg
Becker in the first game and righthander Kyle
Bartl in the second. Both Bartek and Becker
are sporting 1-2 records, and earned run averages
of 2.69 and 2.49, respectively. Bartl has
pitched only two innings this season, giving up
Lady laxers set for home opener
By TODD SHERMAN
Collegian Sports Writer
The 1986 version of the Lady Lion lacrosse team begins
its home season today, and Head Coach Sue Scheetz's
squad will not only be looking to extend a winning
tradition on Lady Lion Field, but to begin one for the
rookie coach.
At 3 p.m. today, Penn State will try to build on a 55-5-1
home mark over the past nine years at the expense of the
Lady Greyhounds of Loyola, Md. That potential 56th win
today would make Scheetz a winner in her home debut
and start the team on its way to making last year's "worst
ever" 6-3 home record a memory.
The Lady Lions have made their home field a terror for
opposing teams since its maiden (1977) season. Penn
State went 6-0 that year, and played 38 consecutive games
without a loss on the field until Temple won a 12-11 game
in April of 1983. Four of the five Penn State losses have
been to national championship teams, and four of the five
losses have been by one goal.
Tri-captain Maggy Dunphy said the home success is
definitely an advantage.
"We are definitely more comfortable on our field,"
Dunphy said. "Our fans are there and we know the field
very well. The record is in the back of our minds, but only
as something that gives us a positive edge."
After a successful tournament at William and Mary (8-0
tournament record, 59-6 scoring advantage) and a 16-6
triumph Over James Madison last Saturday, the Lady
Lions look like contenders once again. And according to
Scheetz, Penn State so far has one very important
advantage over last season's squad — not one Lady Lion
has been stricken from the lineup because of injuries.
"We are healthy and I think that is a big part," Scheetz
said. "After the William and Mary tournament last year
we had some key injuries for that first game. We don't
this year and that is something I am very pleased with.
"If we can start out the gante tommorrow (today), the
way we ended the game against James Madison on
Saturday, then I think we will be in good shape."
Although Penn State won by 10, the score was only 7-5 at
halftime, and the team was pressing.
"We have to play our game," Scheetz said. "We can't
let another team take us out of our game, which James
Madison did. We play a game with patience in looking for
the good shot. We can't panic — that is what we did in the
game with James Madison because we got down by one
goal, and we just started firing from all over the field."
Loyola is not likely to take Penn State out of its game,
however, because the Lady Greyhounds play the same
type of passing game as the Lady Lions. But Loyola is 2-0,
with wins over Penn (13-7) and Lafayette (9-7), and the
Lady Greyhounds are returning 10 of 12 starters, including
all members of an offense known for its scoring.
"I expect them to play player-to-player," Scheetz said.
"I do think they have the capabilities of playing a zone as
well.
"How long they will stay with the player-to-player, I
don't know. But I do think they will start out with that. It
should be easier for us that way. We would rather play a
team that will match us up player-to-player."
Scheetz said no one has emerged as a leading scoring,
but that will work to her team's advantage.
"That, hopefully, will be a strength for us this season —
that no team will be able to gear in on one player, and they
have to look at everyone because everyone is contributing,"
Scheetz said. "It is a positive trait of the players
themselves that they are confident enough to look to
somebody else."
Dunphy added that the team's confidence in itself is
already starting to show.
"It is great that everyone is confident not only with
themselves but everyone else on the team," Dunphy
said. "We look pretty good, and we put a lot together in our
last game and practices have gone very well. We are
ready."
no runs. This will be his first start of the season.
"I'm pretty excited going into the game,"
Bartl said. 'Thave a chance to prove myself.
The team has a lot more confidence now, and I
think that's how we're going in — confident. At
this point of the season you just got to take
games one at a time."
Smith agrees that the Lions' hurlers are a
vital part of the team, and feels that their
improvement is also steady.
"Our pitching has been pretty consistenfso
far all season," he said. "It has kept us in some
games. There have been a few small inconsistencies,
but that's to be expected early in the
season. We'll work things out."
The Lions might be confronting Gettysburg
(1-2) at a good time. The Bullets are just
beginning their season and their inexperience
against a strong pitching staff , as well as the
Penn State bats, could work to the Lions'
advantage.
Bullets' Head Coach Gene Hummell is in his
25th season and has a lifetime record of 212-232-
3, including last season's 14-10 effort. Hummell
will field a young but experienced team since
many of this year's sophomores saw action last
season.
Gettysburg's offensive leader is second baseman
Seth Bendian, who has seven hits in 11 atbats
for a .636 average. Bendian is trailed by
leftfielder Dennis Maloney, who is hitting .364.
The Bullets will start sophomore Brian Golden
on the mound in the first game. Golden is the
owner of Gettysburg's sole win this season — a
two hit shutout against York College. Their
starting pitcher for game two was not announced
as of yesterday.
Penn State also has a history versus the
Bullets on its side. The Lions pounded Gettysburg
at home last season, 12-3. Golden suffered
last season's loss as the Lions took advantage
of eight hits and five Gettysburg errors.
Col laglan Photo / Mary Colentano
Penn State's Beth Thompson (12) looks down field for an open teammate In a
game against Delaware last season. The Lady Lions open their home season at
3 this afternoon against Loyola at Lady Lion Field.
f
I
I1
I
[
I
1
I I
I
M
I§
11
li*
1
4
I
Ite