Sunday, January 16, 2000
Stuff 89, San Diego 76
BY PETE HOLTERMANN
Enquirer contributor
It was UK Day for the Cincinnati Stuff on Saturday, but former Louisville Cardinal Alex Sanders stole the show. Sanders scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Stuff to an 89-76 victory over the San Diego Stingrays.
It was not typical basketball for the 15-3 Stuff, but head coach Joby Wright was pleased to win.
Cincinnati was without the 15.1 points a game of former Kentucky Wildcat Wayne Turner, who was sidelined for the second straight game with a sprained ankle, and the Stuff got just six points and two rebounds from leading scorer and rebounder Tremaine Fowlkes.
“When Tremaine has six points, and you don't have Wayne Turner, but you still win, that's good,” Wright said. “The game today reflected that we weren't at full strength.”
“(Fowlkes) had a bad shoot ing night, so I had to step it up,” Sanders said. “Hopefully I can continue it. As a matter of fact, I'm going to continue it.”
Cincinnati got off to a sluggish start in the game, probably due to the 126-97 defeat the Stuff handed the Stingrays (3-14) last week in San Diego.
“When you beat a team by 30, It's hard to come out and play well mentally,” Sanders said.
The teams exchanged the lead 10 times in the first half before Cincinnati put together a decisive 11-2 run to give the Stuff a 45-35 halftime lead. Moo Moo Blakney led the spurt with six of his 15 points.
“We just needed to let them know before the half that we could make a run on them,” Blakney said. “It killed them.”
COACH ADDED: The Cincinnati Stuff have added Byron Irvin to the coaching staff. Irvin was a college standout at Missouri in the late 1980s, and was a first-round draft pick in the NBA in 1989. He joins Wright and assistants Scott Spinelli and Greg Herenda on the sidelines for the Stuff.
MASTER P: Stuff fans who were disappointed when Per cy Miller, better known as rap star Master P, didn't suit up for Saturday's game at the Firstar Center may get another chance to see the multitalented multimillionaire.
Miller was in town with the San Diego Stingrays, but he can't really be considered a member of the team anymore. Since Miller's childhood friend, Smokey Gaines, was removed from the coaching position about a week ago, Miller, who is also a sports agent, has been pursing a trade.
“I had to decide whether I wanted to play for this coach (Jeff Malone) or not. I decided I didn't want to,” Miller said.
Miller arrived at Firstar with 10 minutes left to play in the second quarter.
San Diego ....... 20 15 17 24—76
Cincinnati ....... 18 27 18 26—89
SAN DIEGO — Maddox 4-12 2-2 11, Kendrick 0-5 0-0 0, Fish 7-11 0-0 14, Cameron 2-10 0-4 5, Nembhard 5-14 2-4 13, Carter 3-11 1-2 8, Philo 0-0 0-0 0, Mayes 1-1 0-0 2, Thomas 2-3 0-0 5, Strickland 6-9 6-11 18. Totals: 30-76 11-23 76.
CINCINNATI — Taylor 2-5 4-6 8, Sanders 10-15 1-2 23, Fowlkes 1-10 4-6 6, Brown 2-7 0-0 5, Blakney 5-14 5-9 15, Kingsbury 0-0 0-0 0, Levett 2-7 0-0 4, Edwards 3-6 8-9 16, James 0-0 0-0 0, Samake 5-7 2-2 12. Totals: 30-71 24-34 89.
Three-point field goals: San Diego 5-17 (Maddox 1-3, Kendrick 0-1, Cameron 1-3, Nembhard 1-7, Carter 1-2, Thomas 1-1); Cincinnati 5-17 (Sander 2-3, Fowlkes 0-2, Blakney 0-3, Brown 1-3, Levett 0-1, Edwards 2-5). Rebounds: San Diego 49 (Fish 13); Cincinnati 47 (Taylor, Sanders 11). Assists: San Diego 19 (Nembhard 6); Cincinnati 17 (Blakney 7). A- 5,769.
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