ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610220026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: New York Times News Service
THE NEW WOMEN'S basketball league tipped off with a bang and the players hope interest will only grow.
Once the smoke from the laser-light shows had cleared, once the Olympians had been introduced and the boisterous opening-night crowds had been counted, the players of the American Basketball League went about their business of inaugurating the latest professional circuit for women. No one slam-dunked. Nor did anyone go up over the rim. But from Connecticut to California in three games Friday night, the players gave girls a reason to dream.
At the Hartford (Conn.) Civic Center, the New England Blizzard beat the Richmond Rage 100-73 before a larger than anticipated crowd of 8,767. Then, after the Colorado Xplosion beat Seattle 82-75 in Denver, a sellout crowd of 4,550 at the San Jose Events Center watched the Lasers beat the Atlanta Glory 78-70 to close out America's loud and promising first night 3-0 for the home teams.
In Hartford, the Blizzard, which will also play at the Springfield (Mass.) Civic Center, is expected to be a model franchise for the ABL because of the popularity of the University of Connecticut's women's team.
The fans embraced Carolyn Jones and Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, neither of whom played at Connecticut, but both of whom were members of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team and veterans of the European pro leagues. The 5-foot-9 Jones led all scorers with 25 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range. The 6-1 Davis-Wrightsil scored 23 points and had a game-high 10 rebounds.
The crowd favorite, Jennifer Rizzotti, the former UConn star who helped lead the Huskies to a national championship in 1995, was the Blizzard's catalyst on offense as the point guard. She sustained a cut over her right eye in the first half that required seven stitches. But her three field goals - two of them 3-pointers - brought the biggest cheers of the night.
Rizzotti, who is from New Fairfield, Conn., was thrilled by her reception. ``The crowd here is still like my family, and it's still a thrill to play before them,'' she said. ``Right now, I'm the one they're most familiar with, but we're all exciting to watch, not just me.''
Former Virginia standout Dawn Staley, one of the stars of this year's U.S. Olympic team, scored 18 points for Richmond, all in the second half, but could muster only two assists. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the winner of three Olympic gold medals in track and field and a basketball star at UCLA more than a decade ago, played only six minutes and did not take any shots from the field but was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
In San Jose, after a ceremonial tip-off between the Lasers' Jennifer Azzi and the Glory's Teresa Edwards - who had last taken the court together as gold medalists for the U.S. national team - the Lasers withstood a late rally that brought Atlanta within three points with under a minute remaining.
Azzi and Edwards, whose 22 points led the Glory, both addressed the crowd after the game and thanked the fans for their attendance.
``I think in life you have to take chances, and the ABL is taking a chance on us,'' Azzi said. ``I think we're making it happen. What you saw tonight is just the beginning.''
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. New England's Jennifer Rizzotti (left) and Vickiby CNBPlowden (right) put pressure on Richmond's Dawn Staley during their
ABL opener on Friday night. The Blizzard won 100-73.