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A roundup of the week March 27-April 2
ARCHERY—World Champion LUANN RYON of Riverside, Calif. won the women's title at the U.S. Indoor championships in Harrisburg, Pa. Ryon scored 1,100X1,200 to edge Ruth Rowe of Pittsburgh, who scored 1,097. MIKE KING of Kentwood, Mich. scored 1,158 to win the men's title.
PRO BASKETBALL—The San Antonio Spurs, the second-highest-scoring team in the league with a 114.2 average, played one of their weaker games in a 99-95 win over Cleveland, but the victory gave the Spurs (3-1) the NBA Central Division championship. The Cavaliers (5-1) played some of their best games in a long time and clinched a playoff berth for the third straight year by beating Detroit 113-99. New York (2-1) also clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Maurice Lucas, out for five games with wrist and leg injuries, returned to the lineup against Boston and later led Portland (1-3) with 26 points in a 103-101 defeat of Los Angeles. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the defending champion Trail Blazers, who have been without Bill Walton since Feb. 28. Portland, which is 56-21, is battling Philadelphia, 53-23, for the best overall record in the league and the home-court advantage if there is a replay of last year's NBA championship series. Boston (2-3) defeated New Orleans to push the Jazz two games down in their fight with Atlanta for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. New Orleans (0-4) doesn't seem to have much hope; the Jazz will be without Pete Maravich for the remainder of the season, his recent comeback ending after three games because his injured knee didn't hold up. New Jersey (2-0), looking ahead to next season, broke Washington's four-game winning streak 118-104 and won its 14th game in its last 26, 122-114 over Milwaukee.
BOWLING—JOHNNY PETRAGLIA of Staten Island, N.Y. defeated Jeff Mattingly 197-177 to win the $70,000 Long Island (N.Y.) Open. It was Petraglia's 11th PBA tournament victory.
GOLF—SANDRA POST won the $305,000 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winners Circle tournament in Rancho Mirage, Calif, on the second hole of a playoff. Post and second-place finisher Penny Pulz shot five-under-par 283s in regulation play (page 78).
Severiano Ballesteros of Spain shot a final-round 66 for a six-under-par 282 to defeat Jack Renner and Fuzzy Zoeller by one stroke and win the $240,000 Greater Greensboro (N.C.) Open.
GYMNASTIC—Winning her second straight all-round crown, ANN CARR led Penn State to the team title at the AIAW national championships in Seattle. Cal State-Fullerton finished second.
HOCKEY—NHL: Only in the NHL can a team that has lost more than twice as many games as it has won—and has tied more games than it has won, too—be charging toward a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Colorado Rockies, who have an 18—39—20 record, beat Philadelphia 4-3 and Minnesota 4-2 to take over second place in the Smythe Division from stumbling Vancouver, which lost all four of its games. Divisional runners-up automatically qualify for the playoffs, and with three games to play the Rockies led the Canucks by two points. Boston wrapped up first place in the Adams Division by losing only once in four games, a 7-1 pasting at Montreal, while Buffalo was losing three straight. Bill Barber's two shorthanded goals, scored just 27 seconds apart, gave Philadelphia a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles and the Flyers stayed only three points behind the slumping New York Islanders in the race for first place in the Patrick Division. Mike Bossy's second goal of the game—and 51st of the season—with five seconds to play lifted the Islanders past the Capitals 3-2, and Bob Nystrom's two goals and three assists helped New York overcome a 3-0 deficit and beat the North Stars 6-3. Reed Larson had a goal and four assists in Detroit's 7-0 romp over Buffalo. Stan Mikita became only the third NHL player to score 1,400 points in a career as his 520th goal and 880th assist moved Chicago past Los Angeles 5-1.
WHA: Gordie Howe turned 50, and the New England Whalers helped him celebrate by rolling out a 460-pound birthday cake before their 5-1 win over Cincinnati. The next night Howe was roasted at a birthday bash. "Gordie has found the fountain of youth," cracked Whaler teammate Brad Selwood. "It's a six-pack." Howard Baldwin, the managing general partner of the Whalers and WHA president, said, "We never want Gordie to retire. Each year we have a 'Farewell Gordie' night. It's the only way we can make a profit."
HORSE RACING—ESOPS FOIBLES ($12.20), ridden by Chris McCarron, won the $100,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park by 1½ lengths over Chief of Dixieland. The 3-year-old colt ran the 1‚Äö√Ñ√∂‚àö√±‚àö¬µ miles in 1:52[1/5].
Alydar ($2.40), Jorge Velasquez up, beat Believe It by two lengths to win the $150,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream. Alydar covered the l'/s miles in 1:47, one-fifth of a second off the track record (page 24).
MOTOR SPORTS—Averaging 87.096 mph in his Ferrari, CARLOS REUTEMANN beat Mario Andretti's Lotus by 11.061 seconds to win the Formula One Long Beach Grand Prix (page 20).
TENNIS—BJORN BORG beat Vitas Gerulaitis, 6-3, 6-3, to win the $175,000 Milan Grand Prix.
Martina Navratilova defeated Evonne Goolagong 7-6, 6-4 to win the $150,000 Virginia Slims championship in Oakland.
WRESTLING—The SOVIET UNION won the World Cup in Toledo with 12 points to eight for the runner-up U.S. Taking individual titles for the U.S. were Heavyweight JIMMY JACKSON, his second straight championship; RUSS HELLICKSON, 220 pounds; MARK LIEBERMAN, 180.5; and JIM HAINES, 114.5.
MILEPOSTS—HIRED: Former Florida State coach, HUGH DURHAM, 40, as basketball coach at the University of Georgia; during Durham's 12 years at Florida State, the Seminoles had a 230-95 record. As basketball coach at Bradley University, DICK VERSACE, 37, who coached Jackson (Mich.) Community College for the past two seasons; his teams had a 47-13 record. GALE CATLETT, 38, as basketball coach at West Virginia, his alma mater; Catlett coached Cincinnati for six seasons and had a 124-46 record. BRUCE HAROLDSON, 41, as basketball coach at Montana State; Haroldson coached at Mesa State College (Colo.) for the past four seasons; his teams went 85-32. BUDDY MAHAR, 32, former assistant at Columbia, as head coach. As basketball coach at the University of Richmond, LOU GOETZ, 32, former Duke assistant. By the University of California, DICK KUCHEN, as basketball coach. Kuchen was an assistant at Notre Dame.
DIED: WILLIAM (Billy) COX, 58, shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1941, '46 and '47) and third baseman for Brooklyn (1948-54) and Baltimore (1955); of cancer; in Harrisburg, Pa. Cox played on three Dodger pennant winners and was considered one of the finest fielding third basemen of all time.
