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News Nuggets, 02.13.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

49ers slay another giant

CHARLOTTE — There's something about games against top 10 opponents that makes Charlotte play just a little bit harder than usual. Curtis Withers scored 23 points, including two free throws with 30 seconds left, to help the 49ers beat their third top 10 team of the season with a 77-71 victory over No. 9 Louisville on Thursday night.

Charlotte (15-5, 7-2 Conference USA) also won at then-No. 7 Syracuse and then-No. 8 Cincinnati, but needs more victories over quality opponents to strengthen its case for an NCAA Tournament bid. The 49ers have a habit of losing games they should win — such as home contests against George Washington and UAB.

"I guess the exposure makes us go harder against the bigger teams," Withers said. "We've lost some games we shouldn't have and those are learning lessons. We try to turn it up against the big teams."

The 49ers have won four straight games, but this was their first big win at home and the students stormed the court to celebrate. Afterward, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said the practice of rushing the court needs to be examined.

"Something has to be done about security," he said. "Our players almost got trampled. If people want to run on the court, fine, but jumping over people ... security has got to be better."

It was just one issue Pitino addressed: He also denied speculation he might be interested in coaching at St. John's. "I will say it one more time because this is the 101st time I have said it: I am ending my coaching career at the University of Louisville," he said. "The train stopped a long time for me."

Louisville (17-4, 7-3) lost for the third time in four games and blew a 12-point lead, partly because Luke Whitehead, Francisco Garcia and Nate Daniels played most of the second half with four fouls each.

Lady Pirates search for karma vs. TCU

No. 22 Texas Christian looks for its third straight victory while East Carolina hopes to regain momentum when the two women's basketball squads tangle at 7 p.m. Friday night in Minges Coliseum's Williams Arena in a Conference-USA matchup.

TCU (18-4, 7-2 C-USA) has beaten its last two opponents by over 30 points. The Lady Horned Frogs routed Southern Mississippi 76-45 at home last Sunday after having beaten Tulane 76-44 on Friday night.

Senior guard Kim Ortega led the team with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including three 3-pointers. The senior point guard has started the last four games, averaging 10.8 points an outing on 50 percent shooting.

Junior forward Sandora Irvin paces the team with 15.4 points and 11.6 boards, while Ebony Shaw and Natasha Lacy also play key roles for TCU.

Jeff Mittie's squad, sixth in the nation in field goal defense, held USM to less than 27 percent shooting and has tallied 50 rebounds in each of its last two games.

After starting conference play 5-0, East Carolina (14-8, 5-4 C-USA) has dropped a season-high four straight, including a 79-60 defeat at Memphis on Sunday. Two of those losses were the first suffered on their homecourt this season.

Courtney Willis led the Lady Pirates against Memphis with 16 points and eight rebounds. Junior guards Jennifer Jackson and Viola Cooper added 10 points a piece, while Jackson also collected eight rebounds.

Willis, a 6-foot-2 senior post player, leads the team with 18 points and 9.5 rebounds per outing.

TCU has won all three meetings in the series with the Lady Pirates, including a 54-44 victory in the first round of last season's conference tournament.

ECU has announced two ticket promotions for the TCU game. Any fan who presents an ECU vs. UNC Asheville baseball ticket stub to the Minges ticket window is eligible to receive a free admission ticket to the game. The baseball Pirates host UNCA in their season opener at Harrington Field at 3 p.m.

In addition, a 'Take A Kid to the Game' promotion allows any adult who purchases a ticket to the women's basketball contest at full price to receive a free child's ticket. The Minges Coliseum ticket office will open at 6 p.m.

The Lady Pirates will host their final regular season home game on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m., against another nationally-ranked team, No. 21 Houston.

Big Ten gets OK to try instant replay

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Football Rules Committee has recommended that instant replay be used on an experimental basis during Big Ten conference games in 2004.

The proposal must still be approved by the NCAA championships/competition cabinet for Division I. A date for the cabinet to consider the matter has not been set, the NCAA said in a release this week.

The Big Ten proposed the use of instant replay to the rules committee, spokeswoman Sue Lister said. The conference collected data on conference officiating during the 2003 season and presented it to league coaches, who unanimously endorsed the experiment last month, Lister said.

Under the proposal, all games between Big Ten schools will be played with the experimental rule. Nonconference opponents who play televised games in Big Ten stadiums would have the option to play with replay.

The experimental system would use only those replays provided by the league's broadcast partners. Not all Big Ten games are televised.

A technical adviser assigned to each game by the conference's officiating department would be the only person able to request a replay and render a judgment. However, they will be prohibited from requesting replays of specific plays or shots from specific camera angles.

If approved, other proposed committee rules could be recommended for implementation nationwide in 2005. Those changes include having referees announce player fouls and stopping play immediately if the offensive team prevents the defense from making timely substitutions.

Brand plans crackdown on recruiting practices

INDIANAPOLIS — In response to the recent allegations involving recruiting practices at a few Division I institutions, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Myles Brand has announced the formation of a task force to review NCAA recruiting rules and recommend possible new standards by late April.

"Given the information that is coming to light on some recruiting practices, I am taking immediate action to address the issue," Brand said in a statement. "Some of what has been alleged is morally reprehensible and has no place in college sports."

Brand said the task force, which will be chaired by David Berst, vice-president for Division I, will have recommendations addressing the issue ready for the Division I Management Council to consider at its April meeting.

The task force will be comprised of representatives from the NCAA office as well as athletics administrators from the organization's membership. The panel's goal will be to review current rules, and to develop any legislation needed to enforce adherence to the values espoused by the NCAA.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007