Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 15, 1995                   TAG: 9509150097
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: VIENNA, AUSTRIA                                LENGTH: Medium

GLOBETROTTERS LOSE; GEE, WONDER HOW THAT BET PAID

With a .99989 winning percentage in their last 8,830 games, what's next for the Harlem Globetrotters?

Probably another long winning streak.

``The Globetrotters can't wait to get back out on the court to start a new streak,'' says Mannie Jackson, onetime player and now chairman and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters.

That mission begins tonight in Bratislava, Slovakia, when the Globetrotters continue to tour with the first team to beat them in 24 years.

The Globetrotters had their 8,829-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night in Vienna in a 91-85 loss against a team led by NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 34 points in a competitive, unscripted contest.

It was the Globetrotters' first loss since Jan. 15, 1971, when they were beaten 100-99 by the New Jersey Reds.

The Globetrotters are touring Europe and are facing Abdul-Jabbar's team in an 11-game series. They won the first two games of the tour - 91-90 in Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday and 58-52 in Halle, Germany, on Saturday.

``The guys are really upset about the loss,'' Globetrotter Reggie ``Regulator'' Phillips said. ``After being part of the team for over 300 straight wins, it is a strange feeling to lose a game. But I give credit to Kareem's team.''

The usually slapstick Globetrotters used a few gags in the first two games of their European tour, then played a ``straight, competitive game'' Tuesday night, team spokesman Joyce Szymanski said.

``There was no confetti toss or any of that other stuff,'' she said. ``When the team gets back to the U.S., they'll go back to doing more of that. When Mannie played for the Globetrotters, that's the way they did it. They'd do some goofy exhibitions and some competitive games. That's what he wants to get back to.''

Jackson, who played for the Globetrotters in the 1960s and bought the team last year, has decided to let the team play a number of competitive games with less of the tricks and showmanship that have made the Globetrotters internationally famous.

``We know as we continue to seek strong opponents there is always a chance we can lose,'' Jackson said. ``But if it makes us a better basketball team, we must take the good with the bad.

``The great thing about this tour, though, is that every fan attending these games is seeing something special - great basketball and a great show.''

Abdul-Jabbar, who is 48 years old and last played in the NBA in 1989, made 15 of 16 shots. Bo Kimble, a former college star who played for a few years in the NBA, had 13 points and eight rebounds.

``The Globetrotters are a very good basketball team and define sportsmanship,'' Abdul-Jabbar said. ``They impressed the fans and they impressed our team with their poise in this loss.''

Keywords:
BASKETBALL